Chicken Deep Dish Style - Looking for Sunday Lunch for The Family?

Thursday at Grandmas
Its busy
"Planking" by Cleo 

Computers and colouring in by the others

Once upon a time when we were first married, we were invited to dinner.
Diane the hostess made this chicken dish. We loved it.
Of course I asked for the recipe and Diane introduced me to the Triple Tested Recipe Book compiled and published by the Lower Hutt Plunket, as a fund raiser.

Over the years I have made several of the recipes. Funnily enough I reckon I have cooked more out of this book than most of the hundreds of other books I own.
I loved the names.

This one 
Chicken - Deep Dish Style 
then we have
Veal Roast That Can Wait
Down Easy Pudding and so on.
Many a dinner party in Wellington, was created from this book.

So back to the recipe it tastes like Old Fashioned Roast Chicken
All those herbs in with the bread, just delicious
If there is any left over it is even better the second day
Thought it would be excellent to serve the Grandkids
They loved it.



So back to the recipe.
There are 3 stages
First cook the chicken
Make the bread mixture
Make the White sauce

Chicken
1med size chicken
1 carrot rough chop
1 parsnip rough chop
1 onion cut into quarters
2 cloves of garlic sliced
Thyme, rosemary, sage and parsley
Salt and pepper
2 bay leaves
Water enough to cover the chicken

Put everything in a large pot
Bring to boil and simmer for about an hour
Cool in the water
Remove chicken
Take meat off the bones and put to one side
Reserve the stock

Bread
1/2 a baguette about 300 gms
Cut into 1 cm cubes
1tablespoon chicken stock powder
1 small onion finely minced
1/2 cup finely chopped celery
2 tablespoons finely chopped parsley
1 tablespoon dried oregano
Salt and pepper
2 beaten eggs
1/2 cup hot milk

Toast the bread in the oven till golden
Place in a big bowl
Along with stock powder, herbs vege, salt, pepper
Eggs and milk
Mix well till the bread has absorbed everything

White sauce
6 tablespoons butter
6 tablespoons flour
4 cups hot reserved stock
Salt and pepper
2 eggs beaten

To make the white sauce
Melt the butter in a pot
Add flour and stir well
Cook about 4 minutes to get rid of the raw flour taste
Add stock
Whisk and bring to boil
Simmer stirring till thickened
Taste and adjust seasoning
Add beaten eggs and mix well

Now to assemble
Grease a gratin dish
Layer 1/2 of bread mix
Add 1/2 chicken meat

Cover with half of the sauce
Repeat with the remainder chicken, bread and finishing with the sauce

Pre-heat oven to 180C
Bake for 1/2 hour
Till golden and bubbling

Remove, let sit for at least 20 minutes
Cut into slices just like Lasagne

 Serve