Chicken Maciel

In the vernacular of today's food culture, this is an elevated recipe for good old chicken and rice casserole and looks suspiciously like the inspiration for Chicken ala King. As I mentioned in my previous post, I made it primarily to put the remaining quart+ of cream sauce from the Fried Chicken Castañeda to good use. I bought pulled cooked chicken breast from Costco, so putting it together was relatively quick and involved very little labor. 

The updated recipe takes into account our modern food preferences. I could feel my arteries hardening just reading about using 1/2 cup of butter, especially when considering the butter in the cream sauce! I cut it to 1/4 cup, and think it could be cut even further, to 2 tablespoons. 

The cream sauce can be as made with as little as 1 cup of cream or as much as a quart. Obviously, the more cream, the richer, but also the more calories, fat, and cholesterol. A combination of chicken stock and whole milk is a good compromise. I heat the liquids in glass measuring cups in the microwave. You can heat them in saucepans on the stove. If you don't heat them, it will just take longer for the sauce to come to a boil.

I also assume that, like me, you have glass or Corelle casserole dishes. If you happen to have one that can go under the boiler (ceramic, porcelain, cast iron) -- go for it. Or use a kitchen torch (the one you use for crème brûlée) to brown the cheese. 

One other note -- you could add cooked broccoli or cauliflower or green beans if you wanted a one-dish dinner. I'd avoid peas, mushrooms, and red bell pepper unless you want it to look like Chicken ala King. 

Original recipe : 

Preheat oven to broil (or four hundred degrees, if casserole is glass). Dice one pound cooked chicken breast meat into one-inch squares. In large skillet over medium heat, melt one-quarter pound butter and stir in two teaspoons curry powder and one-quarter cup sherry wine. Add chicken to this mixture and sauté five minutes. Meanwhile, cook two cups boiled rice. Using a two-quart saucepan, heat one quart cream sauce. Carefully blend chicken and cooked rice into hot cream sauce. Stir carefully until well mixed. Place in casserole, top with three-quarters cup grated Swiss cheese, and place under broiler until browned, about four minutes, or bake in glass dish at four-hundred degrees until browned and bubbly, about ten minutes. (This was the signature dish of the Kansas City Union Station dining room, named for its longtime manager Joe Maciel.) (https://www.penguinrandomhouse.com/books/56650/appetite-for-america-by-stephen-fried/?fbclid=IwAR1QKi0poC7QYWnNM2o9nOoiBtl8R_j_jgu503qsWs9WSI84KdMrxf8xUhk)

For modern cooks :

Serves 3-6

1 lb cooked chicken breast, cut into 1-inch squares

2-4 tablespoons butter, butter substitute, or oil (according to your preference)

2 teaspoons curry power

1/4 cup dry sherry

2 cups cooked rice (2/3 cup rice plus 1 1/3 cups water)

1 quart medium cream sauce (recipe follows), reheated if necessary

3/4 cup grated Swiss cheese (or more if using individual casserole dishes)

Heat large skillet over medium heat. Add butter and melt. Add curry powder and sherry, mixing well. Add chicken pieces and stir to coat. Sauté five minutes. Add rice and mix well. Add hot cream sauce.

Spoon into a 2 1/2-3 quart casserole dish or into three 2-cup or six 1-cup individual dishes (or any combination that equals six cups). Top large casserole with 3/4 cup cheese; top individual casseroles with 2 tablespoons - 1/4 cup cheese. 

Bake 400 degrees until cheese is browned and filling is bubbly, 20-30 minutes. 

Medium cream sauce

1/2 cup butter, butter substitute, or oil

1/2 cup flour

1 teaspoon salt

1/2 teaspoon white pepper (you can use black, but you'll have little black specks throughout)

3 cups chicken stock, whole milk, or cream, warmed 

1 cup whole milk or cream, warmed

Melt butter in a 1 1/2-2 quart sauce pan over medium heat. Add flour and stir until thoroughly incorporated. Add salt and pepper. Cook an additional two minutes so flour loses its raw taste. Slowly add stock, whisking constantly, then add cream. Cook, stirring occasionally, 5-8 minutes, until thickened.