RECIPE FOR LEBANESE CHICKEN & WHITE SAUCE

This recipe is a family favorite. My kids love it and can eat it every night! The ingredients below are basic instructions you can add or take away based on taste preference. For example, if you want to make more chicken because you want to have left overs, add more chicken. If you want the sauce saltier, add more salt. I usually cook this without a recipe and add everything to my taste preference. I use chicken breast because it's easier to shred without all the bones and skin to clean.

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Lebanese Chicken & White Sauce

Ingredients:

CHICKEN & STOCK

- Chicken Breast (4-6 breasts), Chicken thighs or Whole Chicken

- Water

- Russet Potatoes (2 peeled, cut in 1/2)

-Yellow Onions (2 medium peeled, cut in 1/2)

- 2 cinnamon sticks

- 2 bay leaves

- 2 tbs salt

- 8-10 whole cloves

WHITE SAUCE

- 3 tbs butter

-1/2 cup flour for thickening

-2-4 Cups Water from Stock (you can add more to reduce the thickness of the sauce)

- 1 cup heavy whipping cream (more or less to taste)

-Salt and WHITE Pepper to taste

RICE

-Basmati Rice (package instructions based on serving size)

-1/4 cup vermicelli noodles

-2 tbs butter

-salt to taste

• (Optional) Pine Nuts

Instructions:

1. Step 1 - Chicken Stock and Chicken

- Fill a stock pot 1/2 way with water, bring to a boil (add more water to cover the chicken, if needed)

- Add potatoes, onion, chicken, cinnamon sticks, bay leaves, salt, and cloves to pot. Cook for 45 mins or until chicken is tender for shredding

- Remove Chicken and add a little stock to a bowl for shredding

2. Step 2 - White Sauce

   - Remove cinnamon sticks, bay leaves and cloves and discard (you may want to strain the water to make sure you remove everything, you don't want to blend cloves in with the sauce

   - Remove potatoes and onion and add to a blender with some of the chicken stock. Blend until smooth

   - For the base of the sauce: In another sauce pan, melt 3 tbs butter on medium heat. Once melted, add flour. Mix until incorporated, then add a cup of the stock to make a rue. If you don't want to spend time making sure it's smooth, add the mixture to the blender so you don't have clumps. I do this to save on time.

   - Once the potato, onion, and rue base is blended smooth in the blender, add it back to the sauce pan and mix in the chicken stock (one cup at a time for desired constancy) and heavy cream, white pepper and salt. Mix for 5-10 minutes to thicken. Again, if you want a thinner sauce add more stock and cream, if you want a thicker sauce use less stock and cream.

3. Step 3 - Rice

- In another pot, add 2 tbs butter and vermicelli noodles and cook until browned

- Add rice and cook the rice based off package instructions

4. Optional - Pine Nuts

- In a small sauce pan, add butter and pine nuts, cook until brown.

5. Step 5 - Assemble

- Add rice to a bowl

- Add Shredded chicken on top

- Add White Sauce and pine nuts

Serve and Enjoy!

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