Onion panade (with balsamic grilled chicken)

I love autumn. And one of the reasons is the cooking. After a summer of salad and lighter fare, it is so satisfying to eat warm, comforting dishes, especially on these chilly days and evenings. I found this recipe on The Stone Soup blog. This is described as a “minimalist” recipe – only 5 ingredients! But with my modification, make that 6 ingredients (I added chicken to an originally vegetarian dish). I also subbed soy cheese for the real thing. No words – just mmmmmm!

(I looked up the definition of panade, since I never heard of it before. On the Stone Soup’s site, this recipe is called a pandade, but I could not find the meaning of that word anywhere. A panade, on the other hand, is described as a paste with the consistency of a very moist dough. It’s also described as a soup that your spoon can stand up in! Although this is not served as a soup, I could easily see turning it into one. I’ll be making more panades, no doubt about it.)

Onion panade (with balsamic grilled chicken)

4 large brown onions

1/2 bunch thyme, leaves picked

1/2 medium loaf rustic bread, torn into chunks

5 ounces grated soy cheese

1 bonless balsamic grilled chicken breast (from Trader Joe’s), cut into bite-sizes – or any kind of cooked chicken

3 1/2 cups vegetable or chicken stock

Preheat oven to 400 degrees F.

Cut onion in half lengthwise. Peel, then slice into half moons about 1/4″ thick. Heat 4 – 5 tablespoons olive oil in a large skillet. Cook onion, stirring occasionally, until soft and golden brown. Stir in the thyme.

In a medium heatproof dish layer about a third of the onions. Sprinkle over some of the bread, chicken, and cheese. Repeat until all the ingredients have been used. You want to be able to see a little of each on the top.

Bring stock to a simmer. Pour over the onion dish. Season with salt and pepper.

Cover and bake for 30 minutes. Remove cover and bake for another 20 – 30 minutes, or until the top is golden and crunchy and the stock has been absorbed by the bread. Makes 4 servings.

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