Chicken Waterzooi Recipes

Steps:

• Trim and wash the vegetables and cut them into julienne matchsticks one and three-quarters inches long and one-eighth inch wide. (This should come to about five cups in all.) Toss them in a large mixing bowl with the tarragon and a sprinkling of salt and pepper.
• Wash and dry the chicken pieces and set aside.
• Using a casserole large enough to hold the chicken and the vegetables comfortably, layer in the following order: one-third of the vegetables, half of the chicken, half of the remaining vegetables, the rest of the chicken and the remaining vegetables. Pour in the vermouth and enough chicken broth to barely cover the chicken. Up to this point, the recipe may be prepared several hours in advance. Cover and refrigerate.
• When ready to cook, bring to the simmer, covered, and cook slowly 25 to 30 minutes or until the chicken pieces are tender and, when pierced, the juices run clear.
• Strain out the cooking liquid, degrease it and adjust the seasonings.
• Blend the cream and cornstarch in a small mixing bowl. Whisk the egg yolks in a large bowl and stir in the cream mixture. Slowly whisk in the hot cooking liquid. Pour the sauce over the chicken. Set over medium-low heat, swirling the casserole gently, until the sauce is warmed and thickens slightly, but do not bring to the simmer or the egg yolks will curdle.
• To serve, ladle the chicken, vegetables and sauce into large warm soup bowls and sprinkle each serving with parsley.
• Serve with boiled potatoes, noodles, gnocchi or just good French bread.

Steps:

• In a deep pot over moderate heat melt butter and saute the vegetables for 5 minutes. Season with salt and white pepper. Tie together bay, parsley and thyme and add to the pot with stock or broth. Cover the pot and raise heat to bring liquid to a boil. Add chicken to the pot, cover and reduce heat to medium low. Poach the chicken 10 minutes. Uncover the pot. Remove chicken and slice. Whisk cream and egg together. Add a ladle of cooking broth to cream and egg to temper it. Stir cream and egg mixture into the waterzooi and stir constantly for 2 to 3 minutes to thicken. Add chicken back to the pot along with chopped parsley. Adjust seasoning. Ladle waterzooi into warm shallow bowls and serve with crusty baguette for dipping.

Steps:

• Heat the oil in a large Dutch oven over medium -high heat and quickly brown the chicken pieces. Remove and set aside.
• In the same pot, saute the leeks, onion, celery and salt until the vegetables are tender crisp. Return the chicken to the pot and add the water, bouillon and nutmeg. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat to low; cover and simmer for 35 to 40 minutes, until the chicken is tender.
• In a small bowl or cup, combine the flour and lemon juice; pour into the pot and stir.
• Beat the cream and the egg yolks with 2 tablespoons of the hot liquid; stir into pot. Heat through, but do not allow to boil as the cream will curdle. Sprinkle in the parsley before serving.

Steps:

• Remove excess fat from chicken cavity. Rinse the chicken inside and out. Place 1 bay leaf, 2 sprigs parsley, and 1/4 teaspoon thyme in cavity. Season with salt and pepper.
• Melt butter in heavy Dutch oven over medium heat. Add onions and cook, stirring occasionally, until onions are translucent (but not browned); about 5 minutes.
• Place the chicken, breast side up, in the Dutch oven, on top of the onions. Add chicken broth (and water, if necessary) to mostly cover the chicken (by about two-thirds). Cover and simmer gently over low heat for 30 minutes.
• Skim the suface to remove any foam and fat. Add the carrots, leeks, and celery. Add the remaining parsley sprigs, thyme and bay leaf. Cover, and adjust heat to maintain a slow simmer for another 30 minutes.
• Add the potatoes and continue to simmer until potatoes are done and chicken is very tender, about 20 or 30 minutes. Remove from heat.
• Remove chicken and transfer to a large plate. Use a slotted spoon or similar tool to remove parsley and bay leaves from broth. Let the chicken rest until it is cool enough to handle, then just use your fingers to remove the skin and peel meat from the bones. Discard skin and bones. Continue to use your fingers to shred the meat into bite-sized pieces.
• Place Dutch oven with broth (which has cooled a little) over medium heat. While that's heating up, beat the cream and the egg yolks together in a bowl. Now, take a ladleful of hot broth and slowly add to the egg yolk mixture, while stirring. This tempers the yolks. Then, slowly stir the tempered egg yolk mixture into the larger pot of broth and vegetables. Do not boil or the egg yolks might curdle. Add the chicken. Garnish with fresh chopped parsley.
• Serve in bowls, making sure everyone gets equal amounts of chicken, vegetable and broth. I serve a with a hearty loaf of hand-sliced bread.
• Note: Waterzooi can be prepare almost entirely in advance, and the flavors are actually enhanced by sitting overnight in the refrigerator. The day before you plan to serve the dish, prepare the recipe through Step 5. Let cool completely and refrigerate the broth and vegetable separately from the chcken. The following day, before serving, reheat the chicken in the broth. Prepare the egg yolk and cream mixture and proceed with the last steps of the recipe. (The chicken may remain in the broth.).

Steps:

• Stock: Place the chicken in a pot of water, covering the chicken entirely. Add 2 carrots, 2 celery stalks, and 1 onion, cut into approximately 1-inch pieces. Add parsley, thyme and a bay leaf and bring to a boil. Turn the heat to medium low and cook until chicken is cooked, about 20-30 minutes. Add salt and pepper, to taste.
• Cut the remaining carrots, celery, onions into 1-inch sticks and place them in a saucepan with water to cover. Cut the leeks into 1-inch sticks, slice the mushrooms and add to saucepan. Parboil vegetables in salted water about 15 minutes. Take out the chicken when poached (no red color must be seen under the skin) and discard vegetables from stock. Strain the chicken stock through a strainer. Remove the skin from the chicken and cut chicken into 8 pieces. Put the chicken and the parboiled vegetables into the stock. Mix the egg yolks with the cream and add to the stock. Add the lemon juice and butter. Season with salt, pepper and nutmeg.
• Note:
• I cook the second set of vegs. in the chicken stock to give more flavor. You could use canned chicken broth too.
• Serve in soup plates with boiled potatoes or white steamed rice. Enjoy!

Steps:

• Lightly season the capon with salt and pepper. Melt the butter in a heavy casserole. Spread the vegetables and parsley over the bottom of the casserole and sprinkle them with salt and pepper. Add the capon and seasonings. Cook over low heat for 10 minutes.
• Heat the broth and pour it over the capon just to cover. Cover the casserole and simmer for 1 hour, or until the capon is tender.
• Remove the capon. Discard all bones and skin. Cut the capon into strips about 1 inch by 2 inches. Place them on an oven-proof platter. Moisten them with 1 cup of the broth and keep them warm in a low oven.
• When the broth in the casserole has cooled somewhat, strain it through a sieve into a large bowl, pressing down on the vegetables before discarding them.
• Return the broth to the casserole and add the mixture of egg yolks, cream and lemon juice, very gradually, stirring constantly. Cook over lowest heat until the soup thickens a little.
• Return the pieces of capon to the casserole. Add the parsley and garlic. Serve in soup plates. Garnish each portion with a slice of lemon.