Waterzooi

Ingredients

• 1 chicken (ca. 1.2 kg)
• 4 sprigs thyme
• 1 bay leaf
• 1 stalk Parsley
• 1 tsp peppercorns
• 1 tsp allspice berries
• 2 tbsp butter
• 1 onion
• 1 tbsp flour
• 100 ml heavy cream
• Salt
• pepper (ground)
• 2 chicory heads
• 150 g small broccoli florets
• arugula (for garnish)

Instructions

1. 1.

   Wash and pat dry the chicken. In a pot, bring about 2 l of water to a boil. Add the chicken and let it come to a simmer. The chicken should be fully covered by water; add more water if needed and skim off any foam that forms. Let it gently simmer for about an hour. During the last 15 minutes, add thyme, bay leaf, parsley, peppercorns, and allspice berries to the broth.

2. 2.

   Remove the chicken from the pot, let it cool slightly, skin it, debone it, set aside the whole breast as a filling, and use the remaining meat elsewhere. Strain the broth through a sieve and reserve about 600 ml for the sauce (remove excess fat if desired). In a hot pan, quickly brown the breasts in 1 tbsp of hot butter, then remove them from the pan. Add the remaining butter. Peel, dice, and sauté the onion in the butter until translucent. Stir in the flour and gradually pour in the broth while stirring. Add the cream and let it simmer gently for about 5 minutes until slightly thickened. Season with salt and pepper and briefly purée with a stick blender (or strain through a fine sieve).

3. 3.

   Wash the chicory, trim off the tough stem, and slice the heads into wide strips. Wash, trim, and drain the broccoli florets. Add the vegetables to the sauce and let them cook for about 5 minutes. Slice the chicken breast into thick slices, heat them in the sauce, and adjust seasoning.

4. 4.

   Plate on dishes and serve garnished with arugula.