Creamed Chicken à la King

Serves 4–6

• 4–6 waffles, prepared or homemade
• 1 pound chicken thighs, oven-roasted and picked (method follows)
• vegetable gravy (recipe follows)

For chicken:

Toss chicken thighs lightly in vegetable oil, and season well with salt and pepper. Roast in a 375˚F oven for 35 minutes or until juices run clear. Pick and reserve meat.

For vegetable gravy:

• 2 tablespoons vegetable oil
• ¼ cup yellow onion, small diced
• ¼ cup mushrooms, thinly sliced
• ¼ cup carrots, small diced, blanched
• ¼ cup peas, blanched
• 2 tablespoons minced shallot
• ½ cup sherry
• 3 cups heavy cream
• 2 tablespoons butter

In a large saucepan over medium heat, add oil, onion, and mushrooms, and sauté until tender. Add remaining vegetables and sauté for 2 minutes, seasoning as desired with salt and pepper. Remove vegetables from pan and reserve.

Return pan to heat, and deglaze with sherry. Lower heat to a simmer, and reduce sherry by three-fourths. Once sherry has reduced, slowly whisk in cream and reduce by a third, whisking frequently to prevent scorching. When cream has reduced, whisk in butter. Add cooked vegetable mixture and picked chicken to reduced cream. Taste for seasoning.

Pour gravy generously over prepared waffles when ready to serve.