Apicius Thyme sauce for chicken

Original sources

Pullum elixum ex iure suo:
teres piper, cuminum, thymi modicum, feniculi semen, mentam, rutam, laseris radicem, suffundis acetum, adicies caryotam et teres. melle, aceto,
liquamine et oleo temperabis. pullum refrigeratum et mittis siccatum, quem perfusum inferes.

John Edwards translates this as:

Chicken in its own broth:
[in a mortar] grind pepper, cumin, a little thyme, fennel seed, mint, rue, and laser root. Moisten with vinegar. Add dates and pound. Blend with honey, veinegar, stock, and olive oil. [Take the boiled] chicken, cool it, and dry it [with a cloth]. Pour [sauce] over and serve.

and then interprets the quantities:

1/2 tsp ground pepper
1 tsp thyme
1/2 tsp cumin
pinch of fennel
1 tsp mint
pinch of rosemary
1 tsp wine vinegar
1/4 cup of dates, finely chopped
1 tsp honey
2 cups chicken stock
2 tsp olive oil or butter

He then grinds the herbs and spices, blends everything together, brings to the boil and simmers for 30 minutes with the cooked chicken.

Interpretation

I must admit, I find Mr. Edwards' use of thyme rather puzzling. He (correctly, as far as I know) translates "thymi modicum" as "a little thyme", then uses a full teaspoon of that herb where others only get a pinch, and finally entitles the whole thing "thyme sauce". Maybe, like me, he simply likes thyme with chicken.

Personally I think of this as "sweet and spicy sauce for chicken". I keep the herbs and spices as listed by Mr. Edwards, but increase both the honey and the vinegar to a tablespoon rather than a teaspoon. I use those squashed packets of dates, and find that about half a packet of these and 16 fl oz. of stock (one stock cube) gives a nice result. Increasing the quantities of herbs (especially the thyme!), but not of spices, can be an improvement, as of course would using fresh herbs rather than dried.

These quantities make enough for about 4lb of chicken. I personally find it easiest to keep the two separate until it's time to serve. The sauce can be made well in advance and reheated without any trouble, though stir well: anything this sweet will tend to stick.

Most recent revision 3rd September 1999