CHICKEN VILLEROY

Submitted to the Chefs on the Internet Mailing List by Chef John Ketola <tellall@hooked.net>, and edited by me.

"A velouté is a veal, chicken or fish stock that is thickened with a roux. A thickened velouté is sauce Allemande. A thickened Allemande is sauce Villeroy," says John. "Chicken Villeroy is a wonderful dish where the breast floats in a thick rich sauce encased in a breaded shell."

"The breasts are poached until very nearly done, cooled, dipped in sauce Villeroy till thickly coated, cooled again, dipped in egg wash, rolled in bread crumbs and quickly fried in very hot fat till golden brown. (Description paraphrased from Escoffier's Cookbook, 1969, Crown Publishers, NY).

"I will assume that you have your velouté made with your homemade chicken stock and thickened with roux. I would use 3 ounces of flour and 3 ounces of butter to one quart of stock. Do not brown the roux."

• 2 cups cold chicken stock
• 1 quart thick chicken velouté
• Juice of half a lemon
• 4 ounces mushroom liquor
• 5 egg yolks
• 3/4 cup cream
• Salt and white pepper to taste
• 2 tablespoons ham essence
• 2 tablespoons truffle essence

• 4 large chicken breasts
• 3 eggs, beaten, for eggwash
• 2 cups bread crumbs
• Oil or clarified butter for frying

In a thick bottomed pan, combine the cold white stock, velouté, lemon juice, mushroom liquor and egg yolks. On to the fire and reduce, constantly stirring to a volume of one quart. Beat the eggs and cream together, and temper the liaison by adding a small amount of the hot liquid. Continue until about a third of the hot stock is combined with the liaison, then add to the rest of the stock. Keep reducing for a few minutes until very thick. Pass through a fine strainer and keep agitated till cool. "Congratulations, you have now made 1 quart of sauce Allemande!" says Chef John.

Take 1 pint of the sauce Allemande, add the ham and truffle essences and "reduce on an open fire and stir constantly until the sauce is sufficiently thick to coat immersed solids thickly". You now have Sauce Villeroy.

Poach the chicken breasts until nearly done, then cool completely. Dip each breast into the sauce Villeroy until thickly coated, then chill again. Dip each coated breast into egg wash, then coat completely with bread crumbs. Fry in 375F oil until golden brown and crispy on the outside.

"I really like this dish,", says John. "The crusty crisp shell, when cracked, will ooze out rich sauce and reveal a tender breast floating inside."

 

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Chuck Taggart   (e-mail chuck)