Chicken, slowly simmered with a fine julienne of carrot, leek and celery, finished with cream and egg yolk to a silky, creamy stew. The proud classic of Ghent, originally made with river fish, nowadays at least as often with chicken.
Waterzooi, Ghent style (with chicken)
Region: Ghent
Waterzooi, Ghent style (with chicken)
Region: Ghent
Method
01
Simmer the chicken
Put the chicken with the stock or water, the onion, bay leaves and thyme in a large pan. Bring to the boil, skim off the scum, cover and leave to simmer gently for 40–45 minutes until the chicken is cooked.
02
Take out the chicken
Take the chicken out of the stock, leave to cool slightly and pull the meat off the carcass in rough pieces. Strain the stock and set aside.
03
Cook the vegetables
Melt the butter in a clean pan and sweat the carrot, leek and celery julienne for 5 minutes without colouring. Add the strained stock and simmer gently for 10–12 minutes until the vegetables are al dente.
04
Add the chicken
Add the chicken meat and warm through for another 5 minutes.
05
Thicken
Beat the egg yolks loose with the cream. Add a ladle of hot stock to temper, then pour this back into the pan, stirring. Heat gently, do not boil again, until the sauce thickens lightly.
06
Finish
Stir in the lemon juice and parsley. Season with salt and pepper.
07
Serve
Spoon into deep plates and serve with boiled new potatoes.
Tips & notes
Really cut the vegetables into a fine, even julienne; that is the hallmark of a good waterzooi. Once the sauce has been thickened with egg, don't let it boil again; as with advocaat or custard, it will split after all. Keeps for a maximum of 2 days in the fridge; reheat gently without boiling. Freezing is not recommended, because the sauce splits.
Variations
- Make the original Ghent version with river fish (perch, pike-perch) instead of chicken.
- Add a splash of white wine to the stock for extra depth.
Contains:
Eggs
Milk
Celery
| Calories | 328 kcal |
|---|---|
| Protein | 9 g |
| Carbohydrates | 17 g |
| Fat | 26 g |
| Fibre | 3 g |
Estimated values, calculated from standard nutritional values per ingredient.
