Trim the breasts of some chickens to resemble trimmed lamb chops. Stick
a leg bone (the joints cut off at each end) into the end of each cutlet;
pepper and salt them, roll them in flour, and fry them in a _sauté_ pan
with butter. Serve them in a circle in a dish with pease, mashed
potatoes, cauliflowers, beans, or tomatoes, or almost any kind of
vegetable, in the centre. They are still nicer larded on one side,
choosing the same side for all of them. When larded, they should not be
rolled in flour. This is a very nice course for a dinner company. These
fillets are also nice served in a circle, with the same sauce poured in
the centre as is served with deviled chicken.
DEVILED CHICKEN, WITH SAUCE (_Cunard Steamer_).
The chicken is boiled tender in a little salted water. When cold, it is
cut into pieces; these pieces are basted with butter, and broiled.
_Sauce._--One tea-spoonful of made mustard, two table-spoonfuls of
Worcestershire sauce, three table-spoonfuls of vinegar; boil all
together, and pour over the chicken. This dish is generally served on
the Cunard steamers for supper. Or, boil the chickens, cut them into
pieces, pepper and salt them, roll them in flour, _sauté_ them in a
little hot lard, and serve cream-sauce, the same as for fried spring
chickens. This makes a good winter breakfast.
CHICKEN CROQUETTES (_French Cook_).
Boil one chicken, with an onion and a clove of garlic (if you have it)
thrown into the water, add some bones and pieces of beef also; this will
make a stock, if you have not some already saved. Cut the chicken, when
cooked, into small dice; mince half of a large onion, or one small one,
and two sprigs of parsley together. Put into a saucepan a piece of
butter the size of a small egg; when hot, put in the minced onion and
parsley and half a cupful of flour; stir well until it is well cooked
and of a light-brown color; then add a cupful and a half of stock, or of
the stock in the kettle, boiled down or reduced until it is quite
strong, then freed of fat; the stronger the stock, the better of course.
Stir it into a smooth paste, add pepper, salt, not quite half of a
grated nutmeg, the juice of about a quarter of a lemon, and two
table-spoonfuls of sherry, Madeira, or port wine. When all is well
stirred, mix in the pieces of chicken. Mold into the ordinary
_croquette_ shape, or into the form of pears. When they are egged and
cracker-crumbed, fry them in boiling-hot lard. If they are molded into
pear shape, a little stem of parsley may be stuck into each pear after
it is cooked, to represent the pear stem.
[Illustration]
CHICKEN CROQUETTES (_Mrs. Chauncey I. Filley_).
Ingredients: Two chickens and two sets of brains, both boiled; one
tea-cupful of suet, chopped fine; two sprigs of parsley, chopped; one
nutmeg, grated; an even table-spoonful of onion, after it is chopped as
fine as possible; the juice and grated rind of one lemon; salt and black
and red pepper, to taste. Chop the meat very fine; mix all well
together; add cream until it is quite moist, or just right for molding.
This quantity will make two dozen _croquettes_. Now mold them as in cut
(see above); dip them into beaten egg, and roll them in pounded cracker
or bread-crumbs; fry in boiling-hot lard. Cold meat of any kind can be
made into _croquettes_ following this receipt, only substituting an
equal amount of meat for the chicken, and of boiled rice for the brains.
Cold lamb or veal is especially good in _croquettes_. Cold beef is very
good also. Many prefer two cupfuls of boiled rice (fresh boiled and
still hot when mixed with the chicken) for the chicken _croquettes_,
instead of brains.