Chicken ciulama with mushrooms

Name: Chicken ciulama with mushrooms
Ingredients: 1 chicken breast (400 g); 1000 ml water; 1 medium onion (150 g); 1 carrot (70 g); 1 parsley root (60 g); 1 parsnip (70 g); 1 small celery root (100 g); 2 tablespoons flour (16 g); 100 ml milk; 1 tablespoon olive oil; 1 teaspoon salt; 1/2 teaspoon ground pepper

Meat - Chicken ciulama with mushrooms by Roxelana E. - Recipia

Chicken ciulama with mushrooms, a Romanian chicken dish, is thickened with flour and milk, and the mixture needs to be smooth before it goes into the broth. The sauce stays white and thickens until it has the consistency of sour cream, while the cooked breast is cut into cubes and stirred into it. I like it a lot, even though I rarely make it; when I do, I choose a breast of even thickness so it cooks evenly. Prep: 15 minutes. Cook: 33 minutes. Total time: 48 minutes. Serves: 4. Approximately 220 kcal and 25 g of protein per serving.

Ingredients

1 chicken breast (400 g)
1000 ml water
1 medium onion (150 g)
1 carrot (70 g)
1 parsley root (60 g)
1 parsnip (70 g)
1 small celery root (100 g)
2 tablespoons flour (16 g)
100 ml milk
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon ground pepper

Preparation

1. Pat the chicken breast dry with paper towels. Clean and wash the onion and root vegetables, then leave them whole. 2. Put the breast in a 2 l saucepan with 1000 ml cold water. Bring to a boil, skim off the foam, add the vegetables and cook everything over medium heat for 25 minutes, until the meat is cooked through and the root vegetables are tender. 3. Remove the meat and vegetables from the saucepan. Cut the breast into cubes. 4. Mix the flour with the milk until smooth. Pour it into the saucepan over the broth the chicken and vegetables cooked in, then add the olive oil. Cook over medium heat for 8 minutes, until the sauce thickens to the consistency of sour cream. 5. Add the chicken cubes to the sauce, season with salt and pepper and serve immediately.

Notes

Serve with warm polenta or bread. For a gluten-free version, replace the 2 tablespoons of flour (16 g) with 8 g of starch mixed with 2 tablespoons of cold water; the milk stays, so the dish contains dairy. Keep the ciulama in a covered container in the fridge for up to 3 days. A thicker breast may need more than 25 minutes; check the thickest part, and large root vegetables take longer to soften than small ones. Choose firm roots with no soft spots, since they cook whole.

Frequently asked questions

Can I use thighs instead of breast?

Yes, use 400 g of boneless thighs and cook them for about 30 minutes, until cooked through.

Why does the sauce get lumpy?

This happens if the flour hasn’t been fully mixed in; if you see lumps, strain the sauce through a fine-mesh sieve. Next time, whisk the flour with the milk for 1 minute before pouring it into the saucepan.

How can I tell if the breast is cooked?

A thermometer inserted into the thickest part should read 74°C.