Ingredients
Spaetzle (can be made one day ahead of time)
| 3 cups | (350 g) | all-purpose flour |
| 4 | large eggs | |
| 2 cloves | roasted garlic | |
| 1/3 cup + 4 tsp | (100 ml) | water |
| 1/2 cup + 1 tbsp | (135 ml) | whole milk |
| 1 tbsp | (15 ml) | kosher salt |
| 1 tbsp + 1 tsp | (20 ml) | mix of chopped fresh parsley, chives and thyme |
| 1/4 cup | (60 ml) | unsalted butter (for sautéing) |
| 1 piece | (50-100 g) | Aged gouda cheese or other Alberta made firm cheese (2 oz-3oz) |
Chicken Drumsticks & Mushroom-Cream Sauce
| 12 | chicken drumsticks (or 6 whole legs thigh + leg attached) | |
| 2 tbsp | (30 ml) | kosher salt |
| 1 tsp | (5 ml) | fresh ground black pepper |
| 3 tbsp | (45 ml) | clarified butter |
| 1 lb | (454 g) | mushrooms, sliced (variety of cremini, oyster, button) |
| 1 whole | (about 200 g or 6-7 oz) | white onion, sliced |
| 1 clove | fresh garlic, minced | |
| 3 cups | (720 ml) | chicken stock |
| 1/4 cup | (60 g) | butter |
| 1/2 cup | (60 g) | flour |
| 1 cup | (240 ml) | heavy cream |
| 2 tbsp | (30 ml) | fresh parsley and chives, chopped |
Directions
Spaetzle
- Set up stand mixer with a whisk attachment. Crack eggs into the bowl of a stand mixer and lightly whisk to break up eggs. Add roasted garlic, water, milk, salt and chopped herbs to bowl. Whisk to fully combine. Change whisk to paddle attachment. Pour flour into the wet mixture, whip with paddle attachment for about 5-7 minutes until gluten is formed. It should be moist and sticky. Set aside at room temperature for an hour.
- Bring a large pot of water to a boil and set a perforated pan over top. To the side, set up a slotted spoon and bowl of ice water to cool the spaetzle once they are cooked.
- In batches, put the spaetzle dough on top of a perforated pan and push the dough through the holes with a spatula. (You can also purchase a spaetzle maker) You will push the dough through and into the boiling water, leave the spaetzle in the boiling water until they float to the top of the water plus cook for another 30 seconds. Then remove and put into ice water. Do this in small batches until all the spaetzle is made. Drain the spaetzle and toss with canola oil. Refrigerate until you are ready to sauté them with the meal.
- To finish the spaetzle when ready to eat dinner.. Use a large non stick pan and bring to medium high heat. Add butter and swirl the pan while it melts. The butter will slightly brown. Then add spaetzle and sauté for 4-6 minutes, stirring often. Season with salt and a crack of black pepper.
- Pour the spaetzle into a serving bowl. Grate cheese over the top. Ready to serve.
Braised Chicken & Mushroom-Cream Sauce
- Preheat oven to 163°C / 325°F.
- Season the chicken pieces with salt.
- Heat one third of the clarified butter in a large dutch oven or pot over medium heat. Add the onions and cook, stirring from time to time, until the onions are translucent, about 5 minutes. Then add the remaining clarified butter, add mushrooms and cook for 2-3 minutes until the mushrooms start to soften. Then add garlic and cook for another 2-3 minutes until onion-mushroom mixture is cooked down and covers the bottom of the pot. Turn off the heat.
- Remove most of the onion-mushroom mixture to a bowl and set aside until later.
- Turn the heat back on to medium-low. Add the butter and melt, then add the flour and cook, stirring frequently, for about 4-5 minutes to make the roux.
- Add half the chicken stock and whisk to fully incorporate with the roux. Add the remaining half of the chicken stock and whisk again. Turn the heat up to medium and bring to a simmer, stirring often, this will allow the sauce to thicken to a nice consistency. Simmer for 5 minutes.
- Turn heat off on the pot. Add the chicken drumsticks or whole leg pieces to the pot, arrange so they are evenly in the sauce and slightly overlapping each other.
- Cover the pot and cook the chicken in 163°F/325°F oven for 1 hour 30 minutes or until fork-tender.
- When chicken has finished braising, remove from the oven. Remove the lid. Add the onion-mushroom mixture back into the pot. Add the heavy cream to the cooking liquid and bring to a simmer until the sauce and cream have come together, 2-3 minutes.
- Adjust seasoning with salt and pepper.
- The braised chicken with mushroom-cream sauce is ready. Put into serving bowl or serve right from the dutch oven. Sprinkle the top of the chicken dish with fresh parsley and chives if you have it.