Weekly Recipe #81: Pulled Chicken in Cream Gravy Sauce

By Gwen Hill MS, RD, LD

This week’s recipe is another delicious chicken dish from Open Arms Chef Ben Harrelson. Ben loves making home-style food and using herbs to add flavor. This savory, comforting recipe has been added to our menu rotation. It’s a perfect meal for a crisp fall afternoon … which is right around the corner!


Pulled Chicken in Cream Gravy Sauce

1 whole chicken
½ cup half and half
¼ cup flour
1 tsp. fresh thyme leaves
1 tsp. fresh rosemary leaves, chopped

Chicken:

1. Thaw chicken.
2. Roast chicken in pan in oven at 350 degrees for 1½-2 hours or until internal temperature is 170 degrees.
3. Let chicken cool and pull meat off from carcass. Save drippings and fat.

Cream Gravy Sauce:

1. Heat drippings from pan with the half and half and fresh herbs until it simmers.
2. Create a roux in a separate pan by heating fat and gradually adding flour while constantly whisking. (For those of you who are new to making a roux, check out this article: http://allrecipes.com/howto/making-roux/)
3. Whisk the roux into the drippings mixture and simmer until it’s thick like gravy, about 5 minutes.
4. Mix gravy into the pulled, shredded chicken.

Enjoy with a side of brown rice and seasonal produce!