CHICKEN WITH WALNUT SAUCE

Chicken with Walnut Sauce image

Yield makes 4 servings

Number Of Ingredients 11

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Chicken stock, preferably homemade (page 160), or water as needed
One 3- to 4-pound chicken, trimmed of excess fat
2 medium onions, peeled and quartered
2 carrots, chopped
2 celery stalks, chopped
1/4 cup fresh parsley leaves, stems reserved and tied together
Salt and black pepper to taste
1 thick slice day-old bread
1 cup walnuts, blanched
3 garlic cloves, peeled
1 fresh hot red chile, stemmed and seeded, or 1 teaspoon pure chile powder, like ancho or New Mexico

Steps:

Bring a pot of chicken stock or water to a boil (starting with stock will mean even more flavorful chicken and even better stock when you're done). Add the chicken, onions, carrots, celery, parsley stems, salt, and pepper; the liquid should just cover the chicken. Simmer, uncovered, over low heat, until the chicken is cooked through, about 30 minutes. Remove the chicken and cool to room temperature. Strain the stock and set aside.
Put the bread in a bowl and saturate it with some of the stock. Squeeze any excess liquid out of the bread, then place it in a food processor with the parsley leaves, walnuts, garlic, and chile. Process until the walnuts are ground, then, with the machine running, pour in enough of the reserved stock to form a creamy sauce, about 2 cups. Reserve the remaining stock for another use.
Season the sauce with salt and pepper. Carve the chicken and serve it with the sauce.
Walnut Chicken Salad
When the chicken is cooked, remove the meat from the bones and chop into small pieces; combine with enough of the sauce to create a chicken salad. Serve at room temperature.