Creamy chicken sauce is a staple in the kitchen, and serves as a base for many other excellent sauces and dishes.Of course this creamy chicken sauce pairs well with chicken; but it also goes well with many green vegetables like asparagus, chicory, lettuce or artichokes.This sauce should be served hot, and you can make it in advance and reheat it gently – but there will be a risk of curdling the sauce, so I would recommend making it when you can enjoy it straight away.As with all sauces, you want to measure the quantities and timings accurately, and take your time – if you cook at too high a temperature that's when sauces split or curdle!
Ingredients
- 500 ml chicken stock
- 300 ml double cream
- 200 ml white wine
- 150 g crème fraîche
- 60 g mushrooms (sliced)
- 30 g butter
- 2 egg yolks
- 1 shallot (finely diced)
- 2 cloves
- 10 white peppercorns
- a pinch of salt and cayenne pepper
Instructions
- Heat the butter in a saucepan until it foams, then add the shallot and mushrooms and sweat them at a medium heat.
- Crush the cloves and peppercorns and add them to the pan, and add all the white wine too.
- Reduce the white wine down almost completely, and then add the chicken stock.
- Let the sauce reduce down again until it becomes syrup-like.
- Add half the cream, and all of the crème fraîche and bring to the boil and then season to taste with a pinch of salt and cayenne pepper.
- Let the sauce heat through again, and then give it a mix with a hand blender to smooth the sauce.
- Pass the smoothed sauce through a sieve and return to the saucepan and gently simmer it again.
- In a jug, mix the two egg yolks with the remaining cream and add to the simmering sauce – this will bind, and thicken the sauce.
- Remove from the heat, give it a good stir and serve hot.
