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.
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.
Chicken Cutlets.
These cutlets are only chicken croquettes in a different form. Prepare them like trimmed lamb chops, in the following manner: Make a shape pointed at one end and round at the other; then press it with the blade of a knife, giving it the shape of a cutlet. Egg and bread-crumb these cutlets, and fry them in boiling lard; then stick in a paper ruffle at the pointed end. Serve them, one cutlet overlapping the other, in a circle, with a tomato-sauce in the centre of it, or around a pile of mushrooms or of pease. This is considered a very palatable dish for a dinner company.
Chicken, With Macaroni or with Rice (French Cook).
Cut the chicken into pieces; fry or sauté them in a little hot drippings, or in butter the size of an egg; when nearly done, put the pieces into another saucepan; add a heaping tea-spoonful of flour to the hot drippings, and brown it. Mix a little cold or lukewarm water to the roux; when smooth, add a pint or more of boiling water; pour this over the chicken in the saucepan, add a chopped sprig of parsley, a clove of garlic, pepper, and salt. Let the chicken boil half or three-quarters of an hour, or until it is thoroughly done; then take out the pieces of chicken. Pass the sauce through a sieve, and remove all the fat. Have ready some macaroni which has been boiled in salted water, and let it boil in this sauce. Arrange the pieces of chicken tastefully on a dish; pour the macaroni and sauce over them, and serve; or, instead of macaroni, use boiled rice, which may be managed in the same way as the macaroni.
Chetney of Chicken (Mrs. E. L. Youmans).
Ingredients: One large or two small chickens, one-quart can of tomatoes, butter the size of a pigeon’s egg, one table-spoonful of flour, one heaping tea-spoonful of minced onion, one tea-spoonful of minced pork, one small bottle of chetney (one gill).