Potted Chicken

The remains of the chicken with some spiced up butter makes the most of the picked over chicken and gives us either a main or a savoury starter to boot and is really making something out of nothing.  Its very simple to do and stores in the fridge for a couple of weeks so earns its keep.  Traditionally potted meats were created because food was money and waste was not an option   - families were bigger then and everyone needed to eat to stay well.  These saved freebies were traditionally for serving at tea time.  Its a pity it has kind of fallen out of fashion as they really are worth while.

Here is the recipe for those of you wishing to have a go, saving a few pennies and creating something nice to eat as well.  I may have to work on the seasoning a bit but its a start;

You will need;

Ingredients;

225g/8oz cold chicken shredded or in little bits
75g/3oz smoked ham - I just used extra chicken
50g/2 oz butter
1 tsp of salt
1/4 tsp of Cayenne
1/2 tsp ground mace
1/4 nutmeg grated
clarified butter to cover - melted butter that has all the froth taken off the top and solids ie  impurities

Method;

Combine all the ingredients in a food processor until a smooth paste forms  - you can leave this in smaller pieces if you choose to give a chunkier finish say for serving with a salad but extra butter will be required.  Fill potting pots or ramekins with the mixture and cover with 5mm / 1/4 inch of the clarified butter.  Cover with cling film and pop in the fridge to cool.  Before serving remove pot or pots from the fridge  and allowed to reach room temperature.  Spread onto hot toast or use as a sandwich filling or alternative serve like a mini terrine.

I chose to leave my chicken in bigger pieces but yours should come out like a paste /pate.

Ideal for the kids pack ups or mid-day snack whilst they are at home on holiday.Does not take that long to do either.

Catch you later on.

Pattypan

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