This is more of a winter dish than something we eat in the middle of April! But, although spring has sprung here in the UK, there is still a bit of a chill in the air. So, something warm and comforting is a good compromise while we wait for the temperatures to catch up with the calendar. So here you have it my "chicken blanquette" or "blanquette de poulet" as we say in France, in its rich and creamy sauce!
800g Chicken thighs or breast, cut into large chunks
1 Large onion, chopped
2 Carrots, peeled and cut into big chunks
1 Leek, cut into big chunks
1 Bouquet garni (thyme and bay leaf)
750ml of water
250g mushrooms, quartered
40g Butter
40g Plain flour
200ml Double cream
Start by browning the chicken pieces in a little bit of butter, season with salt and pepper (preferably white pepper as we don’t want to darken the sauce too much). Once lightly brown, set aside and add the onions and garlic, then the carrots, leek and bouquet garnie, deglaze with a glass of white wine.
Place the chicken pieces and all those lovely veg in a large pot and cover with the water. Bring to a light boil, lower the heat, cover, and simmer gently for an hour.
While the chicken simmers, melt a small knob of butter in a pan and sauté the mushrooms.
Once the chicken is cooked, strain the liquid into a bowl—do not throw it away! Keep the chicken and vegetables warm in the pot.
In a separate pan (remember, it has to be large enough to take chicken and veg), melt the 40g of butter. Whisk in the flour and cook for 1 minute (don’t let it brown). Gradually whisk in about 500ml of the hot cooking liquid until you have a smooth, thick sauce. Add the double cream and stir.
Then, pop the chicken, cooked vegetables, and mushrooms back into the creamy sauce. Simmer for another 30 minutes and serve with a sprinkle of chives or fresh parsley.
In France, we eat it with rice but mash potatoes is a good fit too.
Bon appétit!
Corinne
P.S: you can also find this recipe on YouTube
A blanquette is traditionally made with veal in France. What makes a blanquette is its white sauce. Veal is used because of its tenderness and its light flavour as compared to beef or lamb. That’s why chicken is the best fit in this dish if you can’t get hold of veal.