Hash of Chickens, 1849

Day three of The Never-ending Chicken went very much like the two that came before. This time, I used the rest of the left-over boiled chicken to make a hash. When I've previously encountered hashes, they're a quick way to re-purpose some leftovers, particularly to stretch expensive meat into another meal (sometimes with judicious use of onions, etc., as needed to bulk it out). I was therefore surprised that Mrs. Putnam doesn't say one way or another about whether to use pre-cooked meat or fresh. Though the lack of washing steps might be her way of indicating that left-over chicken is to be used.

I got out a different plate to show it's not the same as yesterday...

All told, this recipe was weirdly similar to the chicken fricasse, just without the initial 'fry in butter' step. I put the chicken in a saucepan with some salt, pepper, butter, water, and flour; stirred it up; and let it cook for a several minutes. I wish I'd had some leftover gravy from the first day to use in the hash, both because it was tasty and because it would have provided some more contrast with the day before (the water/butter/flour being an alternative if no gravy is available). It tasted fine, though perhaps slightly bland.

Anyway, after three days of very similar recipes, I know feel very confident about cooking c,1849 chicken receipts using only butter and pantry staples. And I think it's time for a more adventurous receipt book.