Feel "Royal" with "Chicken Imperial"

(Pictured above: Home Cooks will not let the regal Chicken Imperial pass them by! Here it is accompanied with our Inn at Long Lake Cranberry Chutney and some simple sauteed Buttered Green Beans. A perfect meal any night of the week--and SO easy!"

Greetings from a chilly, raw rainy day in Western Maine, Blog Friends.

My last post was a short article about a winner of a certificate I donated to the local Chamber of Commerce. Even before I knew the guest was a press writer, I thought of you blog readers and took a picture of the main course I served that early evening.

We all know there exist many ways to prepare chicken. Without listing them to prove the point (haha), I have been curious about one way for some time---Chicken Imperial!

Chicken Imperial can be made so many ways with simple ingredients from your pantry. It made be made as a casserole (with or without rice or pasta) or served as an elegant whole breast (bone-out). I did a combination of all of them for my guests.

Simply (and you may find recipes on the internet): Dice (or slice) chicken breast meat. Season with S&P and saute in hot olive oil, turning with tongs. When 3/4 cooked, transfer to a paper-lined plate. Turn down heat in the same skillet, melt butter and add flour to make a roux (the butter melting will bring up the tasty browned chicken bits!). Next introduce part chicken stock and part warmed milk in stages (to prevent clumps). Bring to simmer, adding a few tablespoons of mayonnaise, pinch of nutmeg, a couple of teaspoons of fresh lemon juice, a little Worcestershire sauce, a small "blop" (real scientific, huh) of Dijon mustard, and S&P.

When sauce has simmered for 3 minutes, return to warm skillet, add chicken, and heat through (make only enough sauce to coat liberally--it is not chicken chowder!).

At this point, add to a pre-sprayed casserole dish and top with buttered fresh bread crumbs (it is nice to toss strained garlic butter, without the garlic bits, to the crumbs with some paprika, and S&P. Garlic may burn in the crumbs as it is on top of the casserole!) Bake, uncovered, for 15-20 minutes.

Eat in the casserole or spatula-shingle the chicken and crumbs gently over rice or orzo pasta.

Chicken Imperial is one chicken dish that I won't let fade away from obscurity. Try this recipe and you'll be agreeing after the first bite!

Thanks for stopping by the Inn at Long Lake blog today. Spring is closer than we might think!

Keith A. Neubert

Innkeeper-Chef