Last week, I posted the recipe and process for Bearnaise Sauce here. This recipe is why I made Bearnaise Sauce for the first time. Chicken Pont Alba is a rich dish with many layers of flavor.
I don’t usually post recipes that are not my own or that I have changed substantially from the original. This recipe comes from an out-of-print cookbook, so I will post it here. You can see more about the book at the bottom of this post
The Recipe
Chicken Pont Alba
- ½ cup butter
- 1 cup chopped onion
- 1 cup chopped shallots
- 1 large clove minced garlic
- 1 ¼ cup diced potatoes
- 1 cup chopped ham
- 1 ¼ cup thinly sliced mushrooms
- ½ cup dry white wine or sherry
- 1 tablespoon fresh minced parsley (1 teaspoon dried)
- Vegetable oil
- ½ cup flour
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ½ teaspoon pepper
- ¼ teaspoon cayenne
- 2 pounds boneless chicken
- Bearnaise Sauce
In a heavy pan, melt butter and sauté onion, shallots, garlic, and potatoes until browned, about 15 minutes. Add ham, mushrooms, wine, and parsley. Cook for about 8 minutes and remove from heat.
Remove vegetables and ham from the pan with a slotted spoon, letting any liquid drain back into the pan. Place in a casserole and put in a 200° oven.
Put the pan back on the burner and add enough oil to fry the chicken. Cut the chicken into approximately ½ inch by 1 ½ inch pieces. Mix flour, salt, pepper, and cayenne together. Dredge chick in flour mixture. Next, fry the chicken pieces until cooked through and golden brown. Drain on a paper towel and layer over the vegetable mixture in the casserole. Return to the oven.
Prepare the Bearnaise Sauce. Spoon over the casserole and serve.
I usually make a half batch for Walt and I, which is plenty for a dinner plus some leftovers. This is best the first day it is cooked, but I am always happy to eat it!
The cook book
This recipe comes from a book called “Flavors from the Heartland” that was put out by the Hawkeye Chapter No. 17 of the Telephone Pioneers of America. It was published in 1990.
My mother worked for the phone company for a long time and this was her local group. There were a number of cookbooks like this published in different parts of the country at the same time.
I would like to check out more of them as it is interesting to see the variations you get in local cookbooks.
Digging deeper – The Telephone Pioneers of America
The Telephone Pioneers of America was founded in 1911 by a group of early telephone workers including Alexander Graham Bell. It started as a social organization and in the late 1950’s made community service a larger part of the organization. They have worked with the National Parks Service and Library of Congress to help increase accessibility for people with visual impairments.
It has a number of chapters throughout North America, and supports local programs. You can read more about them on their website here.
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