chicken gravy

and also for the recipe junkies, here is how i made the chicken gravy which i liked so much. again, like i did for the chicken stew, i eyeballed the amounts of things in this recipe, since i used what was around to make it. it was more of an experiment than an actual stated desire to have gravy for the chicken. you don't have to add pan drippings but it will make the gravy better. the nice part of the recipe is that you can make the gravy without ever disturbing the chickens as they roast - ie, you don't have to wait for the chickens to be done before making the gravy.

chicken gravy #1
butter
chicken innards from the package (heart, liver, neck, etc - pull the skin + gross vein off the neck and rinse all of the pieces with cold water; pat dry)
red wine
2 medium onions, diced
vegetable or chicken stock (about 3 to 4 cups)
pan drippings
cornstarch
balsamic vinegar

[1] heat a few tablespoons of butter in a large skillet on medium-high heat. when it stops frothing, add the chicken innards, and saute until some fond starts to develop. don't forget to turn the pieces over (tongs are easiest) to make sure they brown on all sides.

[2] when the fond is a rich brown but isn't burning, add a cup or two of red wine to the skillet. scrape the bottom of the skillet with a wooden spoon (NOT anything metal) to deglaze the pan. add some vegetable/chicken stock and let simmer. add some liquid from the chicken roasting pans with the baster.

[3] after about 15 minutes, remove the chicken pieces from the pan and discard (unless you want to eat them). add the onions and let cook until the onions are cooked through. if you want to be really fancy you can sieve the gravy before adding the onions, which will make your gravy smoother.

[4] if the gravy looks thin, put 1 to 2T cornstarch in a small bowl or cup and add an equal amount of water; stir with a fork to dissolve. add that to the gravy (do NOT skip the dissolving step) and stir; it should thicken right away.

[5] whenever you decide that you like the consistency of the gravy, add a bit of balsamic vinegar to taste (i think i added somewhere between 1/4 and 1/3 cup) and let some of the alcohol cook off (~5 minutes?). taste and season with salt and pepper.

[makes ~3 cups gravy]