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Chicken Waterzooi — Creamy Stew with Leek and Vegetables
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Source: https://recipheon.com/en/recipes/main-dishes/chicken-waterzooi-creamy-stew-with-leek-and-vegetables
About this recipe
Chicken waterzooi is a Belgian stew with leek, carrots and potatoes in a delicate, creamy broth. Associated with Ghent, the dish has plenty of vegetables and a fluid, lightly thickened consistency, so it is best served in deep soup plates. In this version, boneless chicken thigh meat simmers gently in broth, and the vegetables are added in stages so they retain their shape. Cream combined with egg yolks gives the broth a velvety texture without adding flour. Gentle heat is the key: after the tempered yolks are added, the stew needs to be warmed gently without letting it boil. The potatoes cook in the same pot and form part of the finished dish.
Ingredients
Chicken and vegetables
800 g raw chicken thigh meat without skin or bones, edible weight
600 g peeled raw waxy potatoes
250 g peeled raw carrots
250 g trimmed raw leek, white and light green parts only
150 g trimmed raw celery
100 g peeled raw onion
1000 ml unsalted ready-to-use poultry broth, regular strength, not a concentrate
25 g unsalted butter
2 sprigs fresh thyme, removed after cooking
1 dried bay leaf, removed after cooking
8 g fine salt
0.5 g ground white pepper
Creamy finish
250 ml liquid whipping cream (30% fat)
2 raw egg yolks from size M eggs
15 g fresh parsley
Steps
Cut the potatoes into pieces about 3 cm across, the carrots into sticks about 5 mm thick and the celery into thin slices. Halve the leek lengthwise, rinse thoroughly between the layers to remove any sand and cut into half-moons about 1 cm thick; finely chop the onion. Cut the chicken thigh meat into large pieces about 5 cm across, then chop the parsley and set it aside for finishing.
Melt the butter in a large pot over medium-low heat, add the onion and cook for about 5 minutes, stirring, until translucent but not browned. Pour in the broth, add the chicken, thyme and bay leaf, then add the salt and white pepper. Bring to a gentle boil over medium heat; this will take about 8–12 minutes. Reduce the heat and simmer with the lid slightly ajar for 10 minutes, keeping just small, gentle bubbles; do not brown the meat first.
Add the potatoes, carrots and celery to the pot. Stir gently to submerge the vegetables in the broth, briefly increase the heat to return to a gentle boil, then reduce it again. Simmer with the lid slightly ajar for 10 minutes; the potatoes will start to soften but will still be firm in the center.
Add the leek and simmer gently with the lid slightly ajar for another 10–15 minutes, stirring carefully from time to time. The potatoes should yield easily to a fork, the carrots should be tender and the leek should remain in visible pieces. The chicken cooks for about 30–35 minutes in total: check the thickest piece, which should be cooked all the way through and pull apart easily with a fork; if the center is still raw, cook for a few minutes longer. Remove the thyme sprigs and bay leaf.
AI-generated Thoroughly mix the cream and egg yolks in a bowl. Take the pot off the heat and wait until the broth stops bubbling. Ladle out about 200 ml hot broth and pour it into the bowl in a thin stream in several additions, whisking constantly, until the mixture is smooth and warm. Preparing the yolks this way allows them to blend evenly into the stew.
Pour the contents of the bowl into the pot, stirring gently between the pieces of meat and vegetables. Set the pot over the lowest heat and warm for about 3–5 minutes, stirring often, until the broth is steaming and lightly coats a spoon; do not let it boil, so the yolks do not curdle into lumps. The waterzooi should remain fluid, like a hearty soup, not a thick sauce. Divide the stew among 4 deep soup plates, sprinkle with parsley and serve right away.
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