Chicken ala Waffles

I had been planning to make multigrain waffles for a couple of weeks, and I had some cooked chicken legs in the  freezer.  "Chicken and waffles!"
I know, I know -- the chicken is deep fried and the waffles are sort of a side when you get chicken and waffles in a restaurant.  But Chicken ala King is served over toast points...and my waffle iron makes round waffles that break apart into quarters.  So Chicken ala Waffles it is.

To me, Chicken ala King is sort of an deconstructed pot pie, with chicken and veggies in gravy, poured over puff pastry or a biscuit.  I was surprised to discover that the classic dish is mushrooms and sherry.  No peas & carrots?  The most intriguing thing that turned up was finishing the sauce with one or two egg yolks, tempered and stirred into the chicken gravy.  That sounded worth trying, and it was fabulous.

1 Tbsp olive oil
1 c. chopped onions
1 1/2 c. carrots, peeled and chopped
8 oz of mushrooms, stems removed and sliced thinly

2 Tbsp butter
1/2 t. paprika
1/2 t. white pepper (optional)
3 t. sweet rice flour
2 c. chicken stock
3/4 c. half and half
2 egg yolks, beaten
1 1/2 c. frozen peas
2 c. cooked chicken (I used all dark meat)
2-3 dashes of tabasco (optional)
dash of habenro salt (optional)

Heat the olive oil in a 12" non-stick skillet over medium heat, and add the onions.  Cook, stirring occasionally, while you peel and chop the carrots.  Add the carrots and stir.  Rinse and slice the mushrooms, and add to the skillet.  Cook, stirring occasionally until the onions and the mushrooms are both soft.  Add the butter and wait for it to melt.

Sprinkle paprika, pepper, and sweet rice flour over the skillet, and stir well to coat all the ingredients.  Cook 2-3 minutes so you won't have a raw flour taste.  Pour in about half of the chicken stock and stir to dissolve the flour and fat from the veggies.   Add the rest of the stock, stir, and continue to cook over medium heat until the gravy begins to bubble and thicken.

Stir in the half-and-half, and heat until you see steam coming off the gravy.   Scoop a 1/2 c. of the sauce over the egg yolks, and beat.  (Don't worry if a mushroom or carrot gets in there.)  Add another 1/2 c. of the warm gravy, stir it in and the scrape the egg mixture back into the skillet.  Stir well, and add the chicken and peas.  Reduce the heat to medium low, and cook until everything is heated through and the sauce is thick and silky.  I waited until the mixture was steaming again, and then turned the heat to low.

Taste, and adjust seasonings.  I added 3 shakes of Tabasco and a touch of habenero salt because we like a little heat.

I served about 1 c. of the mixture over two quarters of a waffle, with the other 2 quarters set on the edge of the plate for dipping or gravy mopping.

I made the waffles in advance, so I only had to break them into quarters and reheat in the toaster oven when the chicken was ready.

Sticky Chicken and Cabbage Soup

1 quart unsalted chicken stock
1 15 oz. can chick peas, drained and rinsed well
2 T olive oil *or* 2 T chicken fat saved from Sticky Chicken
1 c. chopped yellow onion
4 cloves garlic, chopped
1/2 a medium cabbage, core removed, cut into 4 wedges and thinly sliced crosswise
10-14 oz cooked chicken, skin and bones removed and chopped (2 leg quarters)
Drippings saved from the bottom of the sticky chicken crock pot
11.5 oz. can of low-sodium V-8
Tabasco sauce, to taste
Salt and pepper, to taste

Place the chick peas and chicken stock in a blender.  Blend until the chick peas are liquefied.
Place a Dutch oven over medium heat.  When the pot is hot add the oil or chicken fat.
When the fat is heated, add the onions and cook until translucent and tender.
Add the garlic and cook until fragrant.
Add the cabbage and cook until it's tender and starting to brown.
Remove any extra fat from the drippings and add the rest to the pot.Don't worry about any spices that settled to the bottom -- they'll add great flavor to the soup.
Stir in the chopped chicken, blended broth mixture and V-8.  Bring to a simmer, and reduce heat.  Cook for 30 minutes to blend the flavors.
Taste the broth, and season with salt, pepper and Tabasco.