Viking Chiken Stew - My Take

DIRECTIONS

• Chop the onion into small bits.
• Slice the leek into rings. Place in a bowl, Wash and drain.
• Wash, then slice the carrot into 1/4" slices.
• Peel the Swede. cut into 1" cubes.
• Cut up bacon into small bits (slice strips in three lengthwise, and then into 1/2" chunks).
• Peheat oven to 350 degrees F.
• Place chicken pieces into roasting pan. Sprinkle turkey rub on both sides of each piece.
• Bake chicken for 45 minutes, until the skin id browned.
• Meanwhile --
• In a large deep frying pan, cook the bacon over low heat until bacon bits are crisp and all oil is rendered out. Remove bacon bits and reserve.
• Raise the temperature to medium, and caramelize onions until they are just turning yellow.
• Use a bit of salt and pepper on the onion mixture. Add in the Thyme. Stir until the sices are spread out.
• Add the leek. keep stirring until the leek is soft.
• Add in the carrots and Swede. A bit more salt & Pepper, and keep stirring,,,.
• DING! (A Sousa march starts up to tell you that the chicken is golden crisp and ready to be removed from the oven).
• The baking dish has chicken drippings in it. Remove the chicken and reserve. Add chicken drippings to the onion mixture. Don't clean the baking dish now, since you'll be using it shortly.
• Add the butter to the vegetable mixture. stir until it's all melted.
• Sprinkle the flour over the vegetable mixture, and stir over high heat until all the flour is absorbed by the oils and starts turning a bit brown. Add back the reserved bacon bits now.
• De-glaze the pan with half the ale. Stir a bit to ensure that the flour hasn't made lumps.
• Add in the rest of the ale. heat until the mixture starts boiling.
• Turn off heat and pour vegetables into the baking pan.
• Take the chicken pieces and place them into the vegetables. Top with the mushrooms.
• Place into the oven and cook the vegetable/chicken stew for another 45 minutes at 350 degrees F.
• Serve. Enjoy. Don't forget to turn off the oven like I do.