Poulet Sauce Suprême

Prep: 0h20m Cook: 2h00m Servings: 4

Source: YouTube [Danny Kim]

Ingredients

For the chicken and stock

  • 1 whole chicken
  • 2 carrots, peeled and cut into 2" pieces
  • 1 yellow onion, quartered
  • 4 scallions, trimmed and halved
  • 4 fresh thyme sprigs
  • 6 parsley stems
  • 1 tbsp salt

For the rice pilaf

  • 2 cups long-grain white rice
  • 2 cups reserved chicken stock (approx)
  • 1 tbsp unsalted butter (optional)

For the sauce suprême

  • 3 tbsp unsalted butter
  • 3 tbsp all-purpose flour
  • ~2 cups reserved chicken stock
  • 2 tbsp crème fraîche (optional)

For the garnishes

  • 200 g small white mushrooms (beech or oyster), trimmed
  • 4 scallions, chopped 1/2 inch pieces (in addition to above)
  • 1 tbsp unsalted butter
  • 1/2 lemon
  • 2 tbsp neutral oil

Equipment

  • Large stockpot
  • Rice cooker
  • Saucepan, 2+ qt (for sauce)
  • Small frying pan (for garnish)
  • Fine sieve (optional)

Instructions

  1. [t-2h30:chicken] Prepare garlic, onion, carrots, and scallions for blanching with chicken. Place the chicken in a large stockpot with vegetables, along with thyme and parsley stems. Season well with salt.

  2. [t-2h20:chicken] Cover the chicken with cold water and bring to a boil. Skim off impurities thoroughly as they rise, about 20 minutes.

  3. [t-2h00:chicken] Reduce to a bare simmer and cook until the chicken is tender, about 1.5 hours.

  4. [t-0h45:rice] Rinse the rice until the water runs clear and soak for 15 minutes in water.

  5. [t-0h30:chicken] Remove the chicken and let it rest. Strain the stock through a fine sieve and reserve.

  6. [t-0h30:rice] Drain the soaked rice and add to the rice cooker with reserved chicken stock (exact amount per cooker guidance), and start the cooker.

  7. [t-0h25:sauce] In a saucepan, melt 3 tbsp butter. Whisk in the flour and cook until pale and nutty, about 3 minutes. Slowly ladle in about 2 cups warm reserved chicken stock, whisking constantly. Cook gently until thickened to gravy consistency, about 10 minutes to thicken. Keep warm.

  8. [t-0h20:chicken] Break down chicken into parts for serving. Remove the skin and save for crisping.

  9. [t-0h15:garnish] While the sauce cooks, heat neutral oil in a small pan and fry the reserved chicken skin until golden and crisp, about 5 minutes. Drain on paper towel and reserve the rendered fat.

  10. [t-0h07:garnish] Using the same small pan after frying, melt butter and with a splash of remaining chicken stock and cook mushrooms gently for about 6 minutes, keeping them pale — no browning. Finish with a squeeze of lemon.

  11. [t-0h05:rice] Rice should be done cooking. Fluff with fork and add butter, if using.

  12. [t-0h02:garnish] Add chopped scallions to soften along with mushrooms, about 1 minute.

  13. [t-0h01:sauce] Strain the sauce through a fine sieve. Off the heat, stir in the crème fraîche if using.

  14. [t-0h00:plate] Mound rice pilaf into bowl, incorporating butter. Top with crisped chicken skin. On warmed platter, add the poached chicken, drape with sauce suprême, and arrange mushrooms and scallions over top.

Notes

  • Skim the poaching liquid aggressively in the first 15 minutes for a clean, pale sauce.
  • Whisk constantly when adding stock to the roux to avoid lumps.
  • Reserve the rendered chicken fat for finishing the rice or leftover sauce.