My mom probably made this dish once a week when I was in high school because it was so dang easy and a family favourite. And then when I was a snowboard bum in BC after university, I made it almost every week because it fed me for several days. Chicken PandemoniYUM from Greta and Janet Podleski’s Looneyspoons Collection is a big winner in my books (and Ian’s). I’m sure if you don’t already have any of the Looneyspoons books, you’ve at least looked through them at a friend or family member’s (oh, am I the only one that peruses cookbooks? My bad). Definitely worth skipping the library and just buying this one. I for one, have a photo of my mom’s recipe on my phone and I’ve also written it down in my own recipe book (that I have literally had since I was 14 – thanks, Jess!)
Read along for a few professional tips and tricks to make chicken pandemoniYUM a staple in your home!
Alright, to start, you can easily cook more chicken than the recipe calls for. Definitely season it with salt and pepper to start and chop into bite size pieces and use a little more oil in the pan to start off with.
Can I be honest? I don’t actually measure the garlic, onion and mushrooms when I make this dish. I’m sorry! I’m sure at one time I did, but now I just know I love this dish so much and the more flavour, the better! So for me, I do a whole RED onion – much more flavour than a white, yellow or sweet one, in my opinion.. plus that’s just what my mom used.
For the rice, I simply use 1 cup of dry basmati rice instead of the package suggested in the book because we couldn’t always find the one they suggested in the store. I recently recommended this recipe to a friend who was also unable to find the rice package at the store, maybe it’s only available in America? Anyway, you’ve got to trust the process and let the rice cook.. the liquid will absorb eventually even if you feel like it won’t. Speaking of liquid, altogether, I use 1 1/4 cups chicken broth, 1/2 cup white wine….. but like…. A little extra wine in this won’t hurt anyone. Same goes for the parmesan cheese! And do you know what I do once it is all cooked? I toss in some fresh diced Roma tomatoes and cover it for a few minutes before serving for the tomatoes to soften. SO GOOD.
This dish is great for leftovers and truly feeds a crowd. Now, the only problem is, I literally cannot find it anywhere online to link you to. So you’re going to have to head over to Aunt Glenda’s, your neighbours, the library or Chapters I even saw a copy in a Goodwill store once, and you’re going to have to pick up a copy of Looneyspoons so you can make Chicken PandemoniYUM (I swear that’s how it is spelled in the book).
Happy cooking!
PS don’t forget the napkins
