World’s Best Chicken Gravy – According to Kim

I’m not all that into foods covered in sauces. I know a lot of people think that the sauce makes the meal and that saucing the plate is the last and most important step in chefdom. I’m just not one of them.

For fifteen years of my life, I couldn’t smell. Since I couldn’t smell, I couldn’t taste either, but I didn’t KNOW I couldn’t taste. I thought I was tasting things. I was really just eating them based on texture. Know what sauces do to the texture of things? They ruin it. Sauces make things that should be crunchy, soggy and things that should be soft, mushy. Soups hide chunks of stuff that you won’t be able to recognize, even after you bite into it, because the texture of the item has been ruined by sitting in the broth/sauce of the soup. If I couldn’t feel the food, I had nothing to go on. If you eat based on texture for fifteen years of your life, you’ll be a little picky about stuff like sauces. You won’t be able to help it (and you’ll be crazy sympathetic to your kids when they freak out about having extra plates and bowls for salsas and sour creams. You’ll be the cool parent on this one item, at least). I’ve never really gotten over it.

Texture still matters, nearly above taste, which is why I’m not a gravy fan. Until now. Maybe.

We received some left over food from a wedding this past weekend – namely, potatoes and salad. The salad was served on the side and there was no gravy involved there. The rest of the salad was used tonight for Taco Salad – Paula’s recipe. She makes killer potato salad (according to everyone but me, because I do not eat potatoes covered in a sauce like dressing) and her taco salad will blow your mind with simplicity and deliciousness (Cut up some iceberg lettuce/shake out a bag of lettuce, cut up some tomatoes, brown 1 pound ground beef/turkey and add taco seasoning, grab some shredded cheddar cheese, mix everything with 1 cup Miracle Whip Dressing. Just before serving crush up plain Doritos [the ones in the yellow bag] and toss ’em in! Easy and tasty).

GRAVY RECIPE REQUIREMENTS

4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
2 Tblsp olive oil
2 Tblsp butter
1/2 cup finely diced onions
1/4 cup flour
1/3 cup white wine
2 cups chicken stock
2 tsp garlic powder
salt
pepper

Preheat oven to 350.

The potatoes were going to need a little help since they were already mashed and going to be reheated. Nobody wants to eat potatoes if they are dry. Reheating them was for sure going to suck the moisture out. Gravy would be a necessity.

I had chicken breasts and decided to bake them. Have you baked chicken? I’m sure you have. Don’t they look so sad and white and not tasty? That’s why you have to sear them in a pan first. I’m not sure why I only realized this last year, but sometimes I can be a little slow on the uptake. Sear those puppies in a nicely hot pan (I use olive oil and salt and pepper them generously). Once they’ve got good, brown color on both sides, remove to a baking dish and finish in a 350 degree oven for about 20-25 minutes.

In your pan, add 2 Tblsp butter and 1/2 cup finely diced sweet onion. Saute until translucent (they’ll turn kind of brown from the butter and oil – just make sure they aren’t still white). Add 1/4 cup flour. Cook 3 mintues until brownish. Deglaze and go crazy with 1/3 cup white wine. Cook 3 minutes. Add 2 cups chicken stock. Reduce to desired consistency. Add 2 tsp garlic powder, salt and pepper to taste. Plate chicken and potatoes and pour gravy all over both.

If you try it out, let me know if you’ve had better. I’ll want that recipe.