Waterzooi

Gentse Waterzooi van Kip

A creamy, comforting Belgian stew from Ghent made by gently poaching chicken with leeks, carrots and celery in a broth thickened with cream and egg yolk. Traditionally finished with a pat of herb butter and served with crusty bread or boiled potatoes.

Prep

20 min

Cook

60 min

Total

80 min

Serves

4

Difficulty

Medium

Recipe ingredients

• •1.4 kg (3 lb) whole chicken, skin on, a freerange or stewing bird gives the best flavor
• •2 l (8½ cups) water, or light chicken stock if you have it
• •1 whole large leek, white and pale green parts only, split lengthwise and rinsed well
• •2 whole carrots, peeled and cut into 4 cm pieces
• •2 stalks celery, cut into 4 cm pieces
• •1 whole small onion, studded with 1 clove
• •1 whole bay leaf
• •6 whole black peppercorns
• •10 g (¼ cup loosely packed) fresh parsley stalks, with leaves reserved for garnish
• •8 g (1½ tsp) fine salt, plus more to taste
• •200 ml (¾ cup + 1 tbsp) heavy cream, minimum 30% fat
• •2 whole egg yolks, large, from refrigerated eggs
• •30 g (2 tbsp) unsalted butter, softened
• •2 tbsp fresh chervil or flat-leaf parsley, finely chopped, to finish

Steps

1. 1 Rinse the chicken and place it breast up in a heavy pot just large enough to hold it snugly. Add the water, leek, carrots, celery, studded onion, bay leaf, peppercorns, parsley stalks and salt. The liquid should almost cover the bird; if it does not, top up with a little more water.
2. 2 Bring slowly to a bare simmer over medium heat, then reduce the heat so the surface only trembles. Skim any grey foam that rises. Poach gently, partially covered, for about 50 minutes, turning the chicken once halfway through. The chicken is safely cooked when an instant-read thermometer inserted into the thickest part of the thigh reads 75°C (165°F) and the juices run clear.
3. 3 Lift the chicken out onto a warm platter and set aside. Strain the broth into a clean saucepan through a fine sieve, pressing gently on the vegetables to extract flavor; discard the aromatics. You should have about 1.2 l (5 cups) of broth. Skim off excess fat if you wish.
4. 4 Bring the strained broth back to a gentle simmer and reduce slightly for 5 minutes so it tastes concentrated, not watery. Lower the heat to its minimum.
5. 5 In a small bowl, whisk the egg yolks with the cream until completely smooth. Temper the liaison by slowly ladling about 250 ml (1 cup) of the hot broth into the yolk mixture while whisking constantly, then pour this back into the saucepan. Stir over very low heat for 1 to 2 minutes until the broth lightly coats the back of a spoon. Do not let it boil or the yolks will curdle.
6. 6 Pull the warm chicken meat from the bones in large pieces (skin discarded if you prefer a lighter dish) and divide among 4 deep bowls. Taste the broth and adjust the salt. Ladle the creamy broth and the leek and carrot pieces over the chicken.
7. 7 Off the heat, beat the softened butter with the chopped chervil or parsley until creamy. Drop a small spoonful of the herb butter onto each portion and let it melt into the sauce for a glossy finish. Serve immediately with crusty country bread or boiled new potatoes.