Chicken 'stew' with vin jaune

This delicious French chicken dish is made with the addition of vin jaune ('yellow wine – a special type of white wine that is made exclusively in the Jura region of France). Chef Alan Stuart shared this recipe with Guillaume Brahimi on Plat du Tour.

Credit: Kitti Gould

• serves

  4

• prep

  2 hours

• cook

  3:15 hours

• difficulty

  Ace

Ingredients

• 1 whole free-range chicken (about 1.5–1.8 kg)
• Salt and black pepper
• 2.5 litres court bouillon (see Note)
• Baby vegetables, to serve (see Note)
• Alyssum flowers, garlic flowers, chervil, thinly sliced spring onion, to serve

For the vin jaune sauce (makes 300 g)

• 400 g chicken wings and bones (raw, meaty preferred)
• 1 tbsp neutral oil, plus extra for drizzling
• 30 g eschallots, thinly sliced
• 1 small garlic clove, crushed
• 50 ml dry white wine
• 100 ml Vin Jaune (see Note)
• 2 cups (500 ml) chicken stock
• 2 sprigs thyme
• 2 parsley stems
• 1 small bay leaf
• 5 white peppercorns
• 10 g diced carrot
• 10 g diced celery
• 2 g finely chopped chervil

For the mousse

• 200 g chicken breast, diced, chilled
• 1 egg white
• 150 ml thick cream, chilled
• Salt and white pepper
• 40 g diced blanched carrot
• 40 g diced blanched celery
• 40 g diced sautéed mushrooms
• 10 g finely chopped chervil

For the velouté

• 30 g butter
• 30 g plain flour
• 600 ml white chicken stock, hot
• Salt and white pepper
• 30 ml thick cream

For the vichyssoise purée (makes 200 g)

• 10 g butter
• 50 g leek, thinly sliced
• Salt  
• 50 g potato, finely chopped
• 100 ml unsalted chicken (or vegetable) stock
• 50 ml thick cream

Instructions

1. Start with the vin jaune sauce. Preheat the oven to 200°C. On a large baking tray, toss the chicken wings and bones in the neutral oil. Roast for 25-30 minutes, or until golden-brown.
   
2. Five minutes before the bones finish roasting, heat an extra drizzle of neutral oil in a large saucepan. Add the eschallot and garlic and sauté for 3-5 minutes, or until softened. Add the roasted bones to the pan. Deglaze the pan with the dry white wine, then stir through the vin jaune, stock, herbs, bay leaf and peppercorns. Bring to the boil, then reduce to a simmer and cook, uncovered, for 45-60 minutes, skimming any scum that rises to the surface as needed. Strain through a fine mesh strainer, discard the solids, then reduce the remaining liquid to about 200 ml. Just before serving, stir through the diced vegetables and chervil. Set aside until needed.
   
3. To make the mousse, chill your food processor bowl in the refrigerator before using. Once chilled, blitz the chicken and egg white until smooth. While pulsing, gradually add the chilled cream. Season with a generous pinch of salt and white pepper, then pass the mixture through a fine sieve. Fold in the vegetables, mushrooms and chervil and keep refrigerated until required.
   
4. To stuff the chicken with the mousse, gently loosen the skin around the breasts of the chicken and separate the skin from the meat with your fingers, taking care not to tear the skin.
   
5. Transfer the prepared mousse to a piping bag or use a spoon to gently insert the mousse under the chicken skin, spreading it evenly over each breast. Smooth the skin down, then season the chicken skin with salt.
   
6. Bring the court bouillon (see Note) to a simmer, around 80–85°C. Gently lower the stuffed chicken into the court bouillon and poach at 80–85°C for 45-60 minutes, or until the thickest part of the chicken thigh registers an internal temperature of 75°C on a digital thermometer. Carefully remove the chicken from the liquid and allow to rest for 10-15 minutes, then carve the chicken, showcasing the poached mousse under the breast skin in slices.
   
7. While the chicken poaches, make the velouté. Melt the butter in a heavy-based saucepan over medium heat. Whisk through the flour to make a roux and cook for 2-3 minutes. Remove the roux from the heat and slowly whisk in the hot chicken stock in small batches, to avoid lumps. Return the sauce to medium heat. Bring to a gentle simmer. Cook over gentle heat for 20-30 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the sauce thickens. Season to taste with salt and white pepper, then whisk through the thick cream.
   
8. While the velouté simmers, make the vichyssoise purée. Melt the butter in a small saucepan over low heat. Add the leeks and a generous pinch of salt. Sauté for 3-5 minutes, until the leeks are soft (but not coloured). Stir through the potato and stock. Bring to a gentle simmer. Cook, uncovered for 12-15 minutes, or until the potatoes are tender. Stir through the cream, then transfer to a high-speed blender and blitz until smooth. Strain through a fine mesh strainer if required (for a silky finish). Keep warm.
9. To serve, spoon a large dollop of vichyssoise purée just off-centre on each serving plate. Arrange baby vegetables (see Note) on the purée. Gently re-warm the chicken in a steamer, then glaze with the velouté. Garnish with alyssum flowers, garlic flowers, chervil, and spring onion. Place the chicken next to the purée. Finish the dish with the vin jaune sauce.
   

Note

1. Vin Jaune is a type of French white wine.
2. To make the court bouillon, in a large stockpot, combine 2.5 litres water, 1 small sliced onion, 1 sliced carrot, 1 stick celery, 1 bay leaf, 4-5 parsley stalks, 5-6 black peppercorns, 100 ml dry white wine (or a splash of vinegar) with 1 tsp salt. Bring to the boil, reduce the heat and simmer for 30 minutes. Remove from the heat, strain and return to the stockpot and return to a gentle simmer. Use as needed.
3. To make the baby vegetables to serve, blanch your selection of baby vegetables and refresh in iced water to serve. This recipe used 8 each of baby carrots, navets (turnips), radishes, potatoes and 4 trimmed pencil leeks that were blanched in salted water until tender.
4. If the velouté requires additional thickening, make a slurry with 15 g cornflour to thicken to your desired consistency.

Watch how to make this recipe on Episode 20 of Plat du Tour Season 6, streaming free on SBS On Demand.

Cook's Notes

Oven temperatures are for conventional; if using fan-forced (convection), reduce the temperature by 20˚C. | We use Australian tablespoons and cups: 1 teaspoon equals 5 ml; 1 tablespoon equals 20 ml; 1 cup equals 250 ml. | All herbs are fresh (unless specified) and cups are lightly packed. | All vegetables are medium size and peeled, unless specified. | All eggs are 55-60 g, unless specified.