As the days are getting shorter and cooler, I find I am craving comfort food. For me, that is inspired by my French upbringing, family gatherings, and how could I not lean to a Bocuse inspired dish to pair with my holiday POV?

Prep. Time:  40 minutes

Ingredients to serve 6

  • Chicken:
  • 1 chicken about 3.5 lbs
  • Salt and pepper to season
  • 4 Small shallots
  • 1 small carrot
  • 1 clove garlic
  • 2 oz butter
  • 1 bouquet garni
  • 1 cup Dry French white wine (Sauvignon blanc or Chablis)
  • 1 cup mineral water
  • For the sauce
  • 1 ¾ cups heavy cream
  • 2 egg yolks

Directions:
Break down the chicken into 6 pieces, then cut the chicken carcass into pieces and the wings into halves. Season the chicken with salt and pepper.

In a large sauté pan or pot, melt the butter over medium heat, then add the chicken pieces, and leave to cook for minutes on each side until lightly brown in color. Follow by adding the carcass pieces, wings, and vegetable garnish (garlic, shallots, carrot, and the bouquet garni).

Add the water and the wine, then leave to cook partially partly covered for 20 -25 minutes or until the chicken is cooked through. Once the chicken is cooked, remove the noble pieces (breast, legs, and thighs) from the pot and reserve them in a serving dish. I leave the carcass and offcut pieces behind to further flavor the sauce later. Pour a few tablespoons of cooking juices over the chicken and place the serving dish covered in the oven at 125 degrees – just to keep it warm while you make the sauce.

Discard the bouquet garni from the pan used to cook the chicken and add the cream.  Boil the sauce for 10 minutes to reduce. When done, turn off the heat.

Mix the egg yolks in a bowl with a little of the warm sauce and pour that mixture back into the sauce. Give it a whisk to bind it. (Note that once the eggs yolks are in, the sauce cannot boil anymore, as the eggs will cook).

To Serve: Take the serving dish out of the oven and filter the sauce through a sieve over the chicken, pressing down with a spoon to extract as much sauce as possible.

Serve with rice pilaf.

Suggested sides: green beans, garden peas, or sautéed spinach.

Bon appétit!