When I was growing up, anytime we had leftover turkey my mother made turkey hash and served it on waffles for breakfast. It was a Nashville specialty. As kids we didn’t care that it was proudly presented to every president who visited the Hermitage. We thought it was gross. Clearly, we had no sense back then - we were spoiled by getting bacon and eggs for breakfast most days. In truth, turkey on waffles just did not sound like breakfast food to a ten year old.
Fast forward to today with a slightly updated version of an old classic and Chicken Hash on Biscuits was the requested dinner by a group of guys who came over for Sunday Night Supper. It’s definitely a crowd pleaser. In this recipe, chicken subs for turkey because it’s easier to get fresh at the store. You could make this dish faster by using a rotisserie chicken, but I like to just boil a few chicken breasts for 25 minutes and get all that nice broth to use in the recipe. The flour-thickened broth gets a hit of cream for richness, a pinch of nutmeg for flavor, and a splash of sherry for fun. But that’s not all – the best part is a touch of grated Gruyere cheese melted right into the sauce before serving.
Biscuits bumped waffles because I didn’t want to hunt down the waffle iron, but Chicken Hash would also be excellent on toast and would be fine – served on rice or even pasta or maybe even mashed potatoes. It’s a versatile kind of recipe. Also on the menu were roasted cherry tomatoes from the garden and a spinach and basil salad. It was perfect - not a single bite was left. If someone at your dinner table looks dessert hungry after this meal, well – you’ve already made biscuits- get out some butter and jelly and call it perfection. And a plus for the cook is that you make the whole recipe for the Chicken Hash in one pot. Does it get any better? Only if you can convince someone else to whip up the biscuits or have some good brand of frozen ones on hand. My mom was right as usual. This really is delicious.
Chicken Hash with Gruyere on Biscuits
Ingredients
2 lb chicken breasts, cooked and cubed
1 stick butter
½ cup flour
3½ cups chicken broth, warmed (I do this in the microwave)
¼ cup sherry
¼ cup cream
¼ tsp nutmeg
½ tsp black pepper
8 oz Gruyere cheese, grated
For serving: Biscuits* (or waffles or toast)
Directions
Melt butter in a Dutch oven or large pot over medium high heat. (I used the same pan I cooked the chicken in.)
Whisk in flour and cook, stirring for about a minute.
Gradually whisk in chicken broth, stirring until smooth.
Add sherry, cream, nutmeg, and pepper.
Add chicken and cook until heated through.
Stir in cheese to melt.
To serve: Cut a biscuit or two in half and spoon Chicken Hash on top
*Biscuit Recipe “You’re Grown – Now You Can Cook” – pg 133
