Written with love, by Sarah-Elizabeth Labelle
Once upon a time I tried to make teriyaki chicken. The fact that this story begins with the word tried should resonate with you. Four attempts at mixing balsamic vinegar and honey, then three rounds of trying to add butter to the mixture and it turns out, in order to make teriyaki chicken you need soy sauce. Unfortunately, it didn’t quite dawn on me until way past my local grocery store’s closing time.
I was stuck with ¾ of a stick of butter, wine, various vegetables, chicken stalk and a fiancé gently reminding me that I can, in fact, cook. Panicked and upset over my complete failure to make a sauce, I begin a chicken dish I knew by heart. I put some butter into a frying pan and before I was through chopping up more onions the butter turned a dark brown and I was beside myself once more over yet another disaster (picture here the tantrum Julie has in Julie & Julia on her kitchen floor). My patient-as- ever fiancé reminded me that the butter may end up working into gravy and the rest is history. The “Burnt Butter Gravy” as it is known, has become a family favourite for its warm and rich consistency.
Whether you’re preparing for the Holidays, or looking for a simple night in amongst the parties and family gatherings, a nice homemade chicken dish featuring Burnt Butter Gravy may be just the ticket.
And they ate happily ever after.
Ingredients
· ¼ stick of butter
· ½ cup of chicken stalk
· ¼ cup wine (red or white)
· 4 garlic cloves
· 1/3 cup diced onions
· ¼ teaspoon of paprika
· 1 teaspoon of flour
Instructions
1. In a frying pan on high, melt butter until it begins to sizzle and turn brown (yes you’re literally burning butter)
2. Next add ½ cup of chicken stalk and ½ cup of wine and bring the heat down to simmer
3. Add in the garlic, diced onion and paprika
4. Once the gravy has simmered for roughly 10 minutes slowly add a teaspoon of flour to give it a thicker consistency
I usually make chicken with this dish, and change the wine that I use accordingly.
Tip: Use about ¼ cup of the gravy and grill asparagus for the side!
Chicken Dinner
1. Brown chicken in the frying pan for 30 seconds a side with margarine or butter and parsley
2. Let cook in with the gravy for roughly 20 minutes (or until white inside)
3. Don’t add the flour until the chicken is removed
