By Perre Coleman Magness, The Runaway Spoon
Adapted from "Heart and Soul: Stirring Recipes from Memphis"
Makes 24 pieces, more if you choose to make them smaller
Makes 1/-14 cup dip
For the Chicken Bites
1 cooked boneless, skinless chicken breast
1 cup chicken broth
1/2 cup butter
1 cup all-purpose flour
4 eggs, at room temperature
1/2 cup chopped pecans
3 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley
2 teaspoons Worcestershire sauce
1 teaspoon poultry seasoning
1 teaspoon celery salt
For the Dip
4 ounces crumbled blue cheese
8 ounces plain Greek yogurt
2 tablespoons mayonnaise
1-2 tablespoons milk or buttermilk
Generous grindings of black pepper
For the Chicken Bites
1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees F.
2. Melt the butter in the chicken broth in a medium saucepan over medium heat. Dump in the flour all at once and stir vigorously with a sturdy wooden spoon. The mixture will roll away from the sides of the pan and come together in a ball. Keep stirring until the mixture is relatively smooth. Remove from the heat and leave to cool slightly.
3. Meanwhile, finely chop the cooked chicken breast. You want small pieces.
4. When the flour mixture has cooled, add the eggs one at a time, beating well after each addition until smooth and completely combined. Stir in the chicken, pecans, parsley, Worcestershire, poultry seasoning and celery salt and stir until well combined.
5. Line a rimmed baking sheet with parchment paper. Scoop the chicken bites onto the pan. I use a 2 Tablespoon cookie scoop for a nice hearty bite, which makes about 2 dozen. Feel free to scoop smaller bites if you’d prefer.
6. Cook the bites immediately for 20-30 minutes until firm and golden, or freeze the tray of unbaked bites for a few hours until firm, then remove to a zip-top freezer bag. Bake from frozen, but you may need to increase the cooking time accordingly. Serve warm or at room temperature.
For the Dip
1. Place the blue cheese, yogurt, and mayonnaise in a blender and blend until smooth. Add a little milk to thin it out to a dipping consistency as needed. Season generously with black pepper. Pour the dip in a bowl, cover and refrigerate until ready to use.
2. The dip can be made up to 2 days ahead. You may want to thin it with a little milk before serving.
