ChrisL
Diamond Member
I'm going to make some kind of chicken dinner tonight. Not sure what yet. Maybe chicken scampi (my own version which has a creamy sauce instead of just olive oil and butter). Here is my recipe . . .
Heat oil in cast iron skillet over medium heat.
Season chicken with garlic salt and pepper (be liberal with the seasonings)
Dredge chicken in flour until well coated.
Cook until just brown on the outside, until partially cooked.
Remove chicken from pan and set aside in a plate.
Saute shallots until translucent in the same skillet.
Add minced garlic and chopped red pepper.
Cook for a couple of minutes (not too long because you don't the garlic to burn).
Add 1 or 2 tsp dried oregano, a little bit of garlic salt and a dash of red pepper to the mixture.
Cook for a couple of more minutes to bring out the flavor.
Add white wine liberally (I add 1 or 2 cups)
Let the alcohol boil off (turn up the heat if needed).
Add 1 or 2 cups of chicken stock.
Let simmer.
Make a slurry out of cornstarch and cold milk.
Add to the wine and chicken broth mixture.
Stir and cook until thickened.
Add chicken back into skillet along with the juices that collect on the plate.
Continue cooking in skillet until chicken is completely cooked.
Serve with rice or pasta and garnish with diced fresh tomatoes and scallions.
I used to make a cream sauce with a roux and milk, but you don't really need to do that and it saves time to do it with a slurry instead.
What's a "slurry"? Is it like a watery curry, or is that the kind of speech that calls people really impolite names?
Actually it sounds like yer making a roux, with milk?
No sweetie, a roux is when you melt butter in a pan and mix it with flour and cook it for a few minutes. This is just a more simple thickening agent. You just mix cornstarch with a cold liquid, usually water or milk.
Uhh... I lived in New Orleans Sweetie -- I know what a roux is.
Quick Tip: How to Make and Use a Slurry to Thicken Soup
Most of the time, we think of thickening soups and sauces with a roux, which is a mix of flour and fat added at toward the start of cooking. But a slurry added toward the end of cooking is another easy way to get a thicker, more luxurious sauce without a lot of fuss!
Think of a slurry as almost the opposite of a roux. A roux is cooked, uses fat, and is added at the beginning of cooking. In comparison, a slurry is uncooked, needs no fat, and is added at the end of cooking.
To make a slurry, just measure out the flour into a small bowl - use one tablespoon to thicken a small amount of sauce or up to four tablespoons for a big bowl of soup. Add a cup or so of the hot cooking broth to the flour and whisk until they're completely combined. This is your slurry.
Next, slowly pour the slurry into the main pot while whisking. This whole process prevents any lumps from forming and helps the slurry to incorporate evenly. Keep stirring the soup or sauce until it has thickened up.
In place of flour, you can also use corn starch, potato starch, or any other starch. If you already used a roux at the beginning of cooking but want to use a slurry to get an even thicker sauce, use a starch other than flour for the slurry.
Heads up: In culinary school, we were advised that using flour for both the roux and the slurry can cause hydrolysis, which is when the starch loses its ability to thicken. But more on that in a future food science post!
okay I only got four hours sleep, so I have an excuse 
