Welcome to the Land of Gluten-Free Living!
Everything seems to have Gluten in it.
The worst for me was finding out that in my go-to sauce (cream of Chicken soup) there was flour! I had no idea how to recreate it.
The funny thing about being Gluten-Free is that it really taught me a lot about cooking. I had no idea there was a thing called “Roux”. To Roux, is to thicken a sauce with butter and flour.
“But flour has wheat in it!”
yes, but Gluten-free flour works the same. . . or almost the same way.
I use this recipe to substitute all ‘cream of’ in dinners that I make.
Once you learn the basic principle of roux-ing. You’ll understand how to adapt it for any type of cream sauce you’d like.
I’d start with this recipe which is a dang delicious white chicken enchilada casserole. substituting gf flour, and corn tortillas instead of the normal tortillas. This recipe was actually how I stumbled upon the idea of making a roux. And it’s practically fool proof. https://www.gonnawantseconds.com/white-chicken-enchiladas/
To make a roux you need a 1:1 ratio of butter and flour (1 T to 1 T). Then A 1:1 1/2 C. ratio for liquid. (water, broth, milk, etc).
Let me rephrase: For every 1 Tablespoon of butter, put in 1 (1 1/2) Cup of liquid.
With Gluten-Free Flour you’ll need closer to 1 1/2 T ratio of flour to butter.
You’ll put the 1 T. butter in a hot pan and let it melt, put in the 1 1/2 T flour and using a whisk, mix the flour with the butter till it’s thick, but not clumpy, and it begins to bubble. you’ll want to continuously stir it for about a minute to let the flour taste disappear.
It may turn brown. if it’s a light brown, don’t worry about it. it changes the sight, but not the taste. Just remember to put the stove on a little less the next time. However if it’s dark brown it may taste burnt.
Immediately put your liquid in it. For this I usually put chicken stock in. I use better than bullion. Which is far better than bullion, because it actually disintegrates easily. and it is cheaper than canned broth, and it is easily accessible.
I pour in the broth and whisk till it begins to bubble and thicken. I add seasonings as desired.
When it is the thickness I want, I remove it from the heat, and usually add a white cream – either heavy whipping cream for thinner sauces, and sour cream for thicker.
The key to making sure the sour cream doesn’t curdle, is to put a little bit of the sauce into the sour cream, to warm it up a bit, then add the sour cream mixture to the sauce.
Now for the dinners that I use it in:
I already mentioned the Green Chille Enchiladas.
This Cheesy Chicken Chowder which is dreamy.
Hawaiian Haystacks is a favorite
Stroganoff (the original would use beef broth and adding mushrooms, my family’s version uses chicken broth) Beware. the recipe this is linked to calls for cream of mushroom. to substitute this, add an extra cup of broth, and a small can of mushrooms (or fresh sauteed mushrooms)
Understanding the ratio of gf flour to butter for the roux, has been a life changer for my gluten-free meals. I hope that it helps with your journey as well.
You may like my other Gluten Free Dinner Ideas:
Check Out my kids’ favorite Almond-Encrusted Parmesan Chicken
Or this hearty Quinoa Mango Bean Dip
