← Nouns Cooking · Soup Pot

Ingredients

• 800 g skinless chicken thighs and breasts
• 1.5 l chicken stock
• 1 Bay leaves
• 4 sprigs Thyme
• 1 handful parsley, stalks and leaves separated
• 500 g small waxy potatoes, halved
• 2 Carrot, cut into thin batons
• 1 Leek, white and pale green part, cut into thin strips
• 2 celery sticks, cut into thin batons
• 30 g Butter
• 2 egg yolks
• 200 ml double cream
• 1 tbsp lemon juice
• Salt
• White pepper

Method

1. Put the chicken, stock, bay leaf, thyme and parsley stalks in a pot and bring to a bare simmer. Poach for 20–25 min, until the chicken is cooked through (75°C/165°F in the thickest part). Lift it out, strain the stock and keep it hot.
2. Meanwhile boil the potatoes in salted water for 12–15 min, until just tender, and drain.
3. Melt the butter in the pot over medium-low heat and soften the carrot, leek and celery for 5 min without browning. Pour in the strained stock and simmer for 8–10 min, until the vegetables are tender.
4. Pull or cut the chicken into large bite-size pieces.
5. Whisk the yolks with the cream in a bowl, then whisk in a ladle of hot broth. Turn the heat to low and stir the mixture into the pot. Keep stirring for 2–3 min, until the broth thickens slightly; do not let it boil or the yolks will scramble.
6. Add the chicken and potatoes to warm through, season with lemon juice, salt and white pepper and finish with chopped parsley leaves.

Tips

• Waterzooi was first made with river fish; swap the chicken for chunks of cod or monkfish poached for 5 min for the original version.
• Serve it in wide bowls with crusty bread to mop up the creamy broth. Check the stock is gluten-free if you need it to be.

Sources

Written in our own words after cross-checking these recipes:

Ohmydish Fulbright Belgium 196 Flavors