My recently deceased Aunt Liz was, let’s say, a little different. When I was a teenager, I thought my mother’s older sister was beyond eccentric.
For example, she wore high heels — all the time. In the kitchen, in the laundry, running the sweeper, walking to church.
But she was smart, creative and a gifted musician. When they were young, big sister Liz loved going to school; my mother hated school. My mother liked listening to music; Liz loved to make her own music. My aunt taught herself to play the piano and the violin and could make clothes without a pattern.
As they grew older, the big sister/little sister routine was a joy to observe. At a family gathering, my mother mentioned that her laundry always smelled like bleach and wanted to know how much bleach should be added to a load of wash. Before I could answer Aunt Liz asked for a cup of water. Aunt Liz told my mother to go outside with her and we all followed. Instead of just telling my mother to pour one cup of bleach into the washing machine, she demonstrated by pouring the cup of water over the side of the porch. “And that, Ceil, is the way to put bleach into the washer,” Aunt Liz explained. You can’t make this stuff up.
While rummaging through my stack of family tree information I ran across one of Liz Reese’s recipes — for “Sick Chicken.” I knew there would be a funny story behind it.
Aunt Liz made her special chicken whenever a family member was recovering from the flu, a cold or any other illness. Of course, she wasn’t going to cook individual meals, so the entire family ate the chicken. Hence, her kids named it “Sick Chicken. ”
They often joked that they couldn’t wait for someone to get sick so their mother would make one of their favorite meals.
Arlene Burnett: aburnett@post-gazette.com.
LIZ REESE’S SICK CHICKEN
PG tested
The original recipe reads like many old family recipes do — with ingredients only estimated. I’ve added amounts to each ingredient. I also added minced parsley and, instead of simmering the chicken in water, I used chicken broth. I also added olive oil to the pan before frying the chicken.
2½ pounds chicken pieces, skin on and bone-in (I used chicken breasts)
Salt and pepper to taste
½ to ¾ cups flour
2 to 3 tablespoons olive oil
1 onion, peeled and pierced all over with a fork (this keeps it whole through cooking.
2 to 2½ cups chicken broth
Sprinkle chicken with salt and pepper. Dredge chicken in the flour, shaking off excess flour. Place olive oil in a deep frying pan (about 2 inches deep). Add the chicken and onion to the pan. Fry chicken on medium heat until a thermometer reads 165 degrees.
Remove cooked chicken and onion. Discard grease. Return chicken and onion to pan. Add enough chicken broth to cover the chicken.
Simmer long and slowly until chicken is very tender and the broth begins to thicken slightly, about 20 minutes. Remove chicken from pan. Remove skin and bones. Return chicken to pan.
[The following directions are part of the original handwritten recipe:]
Set onion aside, if someone will eat it. Otherwise, toss it. Slowly simmer the meat and sauce about 10 minutes.
Option: Add 2 cans mushrooms, drained
Serve with mashed potatoes and buttered peas.
Easy on the tummy.
— Liz Reese
First Published: May 27, 2015, 4:00 a.m.