Nan Nan‘s Chicken Pudding is another dish that I remember as a special treat when I was a kid. My parents would drop me off for extended visits with my Nan Nan and Pap Pa a couple of times a year. It was great fun – I loved vacation bible school at my Pap Pa’s church, which always involved crafts. Elmer’s glue, construction paper, and cotton balls… Afterward, I’d look forward to cooking with my Nan Nan.
This chicken pudding recipe was one of my favorite dishes that we would cook together. I look back, and I now know it was really about the gravy for me. I loved the gravy. The chicken pudding – meh. I tried making this recipe myself without the gravy, and it was dry and uninteresting.
But, you know me. I was eager to make Nan Nan’s Chicken Pudding recipe mine. The recipe, as written, is basically shredded chicken baked in a dense pancake-like batter, drenched in cream of chicken soup. I can make it better!
All it really needed was some mushrooms and vegetables. I added sliced shiitakes, leeks, celery, and some dried thyme, and the resulting dish was transformed. Nan Nan’s Pudding Pie became moist and herb-scented, and as comforting as ever. Serve with a leafy green salad and a bright vinaigrette, and you have everything you ever needed in a simple supper.
Nan Nan’s Chicken Pudding
Ingredients
- 3 cups leftover chicken
- 12 ounces shiitakes
- 2 leeks
- 1 cup King Arthur gluten-free AP flour
- 2 eggs
- 1 cup milk
- 1 t dried thyme
Instructions
- Preheat the oven; pre the chicken – Preheat the oven to 350℉ and spray your baking dish with olive oil. Shred the chicken and spread on the bottom of the baking dish.
- Prep the leeks and mushrooms – Clean, destem, and slice the mushrooms. Trim and wash the leeks, being careful to rinse out any dirt between the leaves. Slice the leeks across. Add the sliced mushrooms to a dry pan. Cook until the mushrooms have expelled their water. Add the sliced leeks and 2 T of butter to the pan, and continue cooking until the leeks are very soft and the liquid is cooked off.
- Make the batter – Add the eggs to a mixing bowl and whisk them. Stir in the flour, then the milk, a little at a time. You should have a pourable batter. Fold in the mushrooms and leeks. Pour the batter over the chicken, and poke it around using a fork.
- Bake – Bake for 30-40 minutes, until the "pudding" is set and browned across the top.
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