Chickens in Ale Broth

The following recipe is a fairly simple to cook and is quite nice served by itself as a simple dish or served in a bread bowl.

Source: Harleian MS. 279, ab. 1420 A.D (from Two Fifteenth-Century Cookery-Books)

Original Recipe:

Chykonys in bruette. Take an Sethe Chykonys, & smyte hem to gobettys; þan take Pepi, Gyngere, an Brede y-ground, & temper it vppe wyth þe self brothe, an with Ale; an coloure it with Safroun, an sethe an serue forth.

My Translation:

Chickens in broth. Take and Seethe Chickens, & smite them to gobbets; then take Pepper, Ginger, and Bread ground, & mix it up with the same broth, and with Ale; and color it with Saffron, and serve forth.

My Interpretation:

1 chicken, cut-up	10-20 threads of Saffron
2-3 cups of water	¼ cup unseasoned breadcrumbs
¼ - ½ tsp. black pepper, ground	1 can or bottle of ale
2-3 tsp. powdered ginger

Place cut-up chicken into pot and cover with water. Bring to a boil, reduce heat and let simmer until the chicken is cooked, approximately 30-40 minutes. Remove the chicken. Bring broth to a boil and add remaining ingredients, stir regularly until sauce is thickened to desired consistency. Place chicken back into sauce for an additional five minutes then serve.

Works Referenced:

Austin, Thomas, comp. Two Fifteenth-Century Cookery-Books. N.p.: Early English Text Society, 1888. Google Books. Web. 21 June 2012. <http://books.google.com/books?id=t0Te8MaCmpoC>

Friedman, David D., ed. A Collection of Medieval and Renaissance Cookbooks. S.l.: S.n., 1991. Print.compiled by Duke Cariadoc of the Bow and Duchessa Diana Alena

Renfrow, Cindy. Take a Thousand Eggs or More: A Translation of Medieval Recipes from Harleian MS. 279, Harleian MS. 4016, and Extracts of Ashmole MS. 1439, Laud MS. 553, and Douce MS. 55, with More than 100 Recipes Adapted for Modern Cookery. Unionville, NY: Royal Fireworks, 1997. Print.