The story also includes this recipe form Helen Hettenbach, the kitchen manager at Kennedy Grade School from the mid 1970s to mid 1990s. She shared her home-style version of Huntington Chicken with me years ago.
Huntington Chicken Yield: 8x12-inch pan
8 tablespoons (1 stick) margarine or butter
8 tablespoons (½ cup) all-purpose flour
4 cups chicken broth (homemade, canned or use bouillon cubes
or granules to make broth)
1 to 1½ teaspoons salt
½ to 1 teaspoon pepper
4 cups cooked & diced chicken
2 cups (before cooking) shell macaroni — cook in salted
water according to package
directions
About ½ lb. cheese, shredded
(about 2 cups+) — use American, Cheddar or preferred choice
4 cups bread crumbs
2 tablespoons margarine or butter
1. Over
low heat in a saucepan, melt margarine or butter.
2. Stir
in flour until smooth, and cook 3 to 5 minutes to develop flavor.
3. Gradually
add chicken broth and whisk to thicken as mixture continues to cook over low
heat.
4. Add
salt and pepper and continue cooking to improve flavor. Taste and adjust
seasonings accordingly.
5. In
a large bowl, combine and mix: prepared chicken & macaroni, cheese and
thickened broth.
6. Place
mixture in a greased 8x12-inch baking pan or dish.
7. In
a skillet, brown bread crumbs in melted margarine or butter; then spread on top
of chicken mixture.
8. Bake
in a preheated 325° oven for about 30 minutes until hot and bubbly.
