Look at this delicious waterzooi recipe! Do try out my chunky chicken stew with fresh leeks, celery, carrots and lots of cream… This is Belgian comfort food at its best!
Have you ever heard of this dish before?
Waterzooi?
It is a lovely classic and I prepare it a lot here at home. Especially for Sunday lunch. Not sure why, maybe because it is a heartwarming one pot creamy stew that you can place in the middle of the dinner table.
And let everyone scoop up as much of it as they want.
Sunday Lunch
Cream sauces are very popular here.
However I hate to make cream stews thicker by adding flour to it. Or start the sauce off with a very light bechamel sauce. No, I prefer to add thick cream. And a strong chicken stock as well for extra flavor and depth.
Waterzooi is a very popular dish back in Belgium.
It looks like something in between a chunky stew and a creamy chicken and vegetable soup. The sauce makes or breaks this recipe. Key ingredient in it: the egg yolk that I add in the end.
Because the yolk binds the ingredients together just like I do in my chicken vol au vent recipe.
Egg Yolk Cream Sauce
It is a cooking technique that you see very often in French classic cuisine to thicken sauces without having to add flour, cornstarch or sauce thickener.
This technique is called ‘liaison’.
There are two versions of this waterzooi stew.
You can prepare this Ghent waterzooi (from the lovely historical Belgian city called Ghent) with chicken and also with fish. It is totally up to you! But I can tell you right away that both taste absolutely lip smacking great.
Waterzooi is a family favorite as it is easy to make in large quantities and can be kept for several days in the refrigerator.
Easy Belgian Waterzooi Chicken Recipe
Where does its funny name come from?
The name waterzooi comes from the Flemish verb ‘zooien’ which means cooking or boiling, but then ‘zootje’ also means a mess. And water, well that is because the dish looks kind of watery and runny.
So this dish literally means watery cooked mess – but a delicious one in this case.
Because this chicken dish already contains potatoes, there is nothing else you have to serve with it. Just a delicious glass of crisp ice cold white wine I think is all it needs to make it complete!
Or maybe just a little bit of bread to mop up the leftover cream sauce in the end.
Enjoy!
Easy Belgian Chicken Waterzooi Recipe
Belgian Waterzooi
Prep Time
1 hr
Cook Time
1 hr
Total Time
2 hrs
Waterzooi, Belgian chicken stew with leeks, carrots and cream!
Course: Main Course
Cuisine: Belgian
Servings: 2 people
Calories per serving: 520 kcal
Ingredients
- 1 fresh chicken leg
- 1 fresh chicken breast
- 3 cups water (720 ml)
- 1 small fresh carrot peeled
- 4- inch fresh leeks (10 cm)
- 4- inch fresh celery (10 cm)
- 3,5 oz potatoes (100 g), chopped
- 2 large garlic cloves
- 1 sprig fresh rosemary
- 1 ½ cup cream (360 ml)
- 2 bay leaves
- 1 tbsp unsalted butter
- 1 egg yolk
- pepper
- salt
Instructions
Put the chicken, water and one garlic clove in a large saucepan. Place it over medium-high heat until boiling. Then turn the heat low, cover the pan and simmer the chicken for 10 minutes. Remove the chicken leg and breast. Keep the fresh chicken stock for later.
Let the chicken cool. Then dice the chicken breast up. Pick the meat off the leg. Discard any bones and skin. Slice the leek, celery and carrot finely (julienne). Add the butter, rosemary and bay leaves to a large pan and place it over medium heat until melted.
Then add the sliced vegetables. Season with pepper and salt.
Stir and cook the vegetables for 3 minutes. Then add the shredded and diced chicken.
Cover the pan and cook the chicken and vegetables for 5 minutes. Then add the cream and ½ cup (120 ml) of the fresh chicken stock.
Cover the pan and cook the stew for 20 minutes until the potatoes are tender. Add the egg yolk and 2 tablespoons of the warm cream from the pan to a cup. Whisk and add it back to the pan to thicken the sauce.
Stir all the ingredients and then turn the heat very low. Check the seasoning and add extra pepper or salt to taste. Remove the rosemary and bay leaves. Divide the stew over deep plates and drizzle with the remaining cream sauce. Serve hot.
Waterzooi Chicken or Fish
What fish should you buy to make a fish waterzooi?
Usually white fish is used a fish stew like that. Fish like cod, haddock and even fillets of lemon sole. It has been a while since I have made a fish waterzooi, I should make it again soon.
And let’s not forget to also add a handful of grey north sea shrimp to that fish and cream sauce in the end as well!
Here is another idea.
You can also just leave the protein out and go for a vegetarian version of this dish. I have done that before and my vegetarian guests were extremely chuffed!
A dish to remember.
Potatoes vs. Fries
Some chefs sometimes leave our the potatoes and just serve the remaining chicken or fish and vegetable cream stew with golden Belgian fries. To which I can never say no of course.
I love my fries!
Do you love this creamy Belgian chicken stew?
Then you should also check out my Belgian chicken stew: chicken vol au vents with mushrooms and meatballs! That is also a very popular Belgian treat that you can find in just about every restaurant around here – waterzooi however is a bit harder to find nowadays.
But no worries, you can make it at home from now on!
Waterzooi: A Belgian Comfort Food with a History
Waterzooi is a creamy stew that originated in the Flemish region of Belgium, especially in the city of Ghent.
It is a hearty dish that can be made with fish or chicken, and is usually served with bread or potatoes. Waterzooi is one of the most popular dishes in Belgian cuisine, and has a long and interesting history.
The name waterzooi comes from the Middle Dutch words sode, zo(o)de and soot, which mean “to boil” or “the ingredients being boiled”.
The dish was first created in the 11th century by a Dutch peasant family living near Bruges, according to some sources. They used burbot, a freshwater fish that was abundant in the rivers and canals of Flanders at the time.
Charles V
Waterzooi was originally a simple dish of fish cooked in water with vegetables and herbs.
However, waterzooi evolved over time as it became more popular and refined. In the 16th century, Charles V, the Holy Roman Emperor who was born in Ghent, was a fan of the dish and ate it even after suffering from gout.
The dish also became associated with the city of Ghent, where it is called Gentse Waterzooi. The recipe changed to include cream, egg yolks, and butter, which gave the stew a richer and smoother texture.
The fish also changed from burbot to cod, eel, pike, carp, bass, or turbot, depending on the availability and preference.
Chicken vs fish
However, in the 19th and 20th centuries, the rivers around Ghent became polluted and the fish disappeared.
This led to the substitution of chicken for fish, which became more common and widespread than the original version. Chicken waterzooi is made with the same ingredients as fish waterzooi, except for the fish stock and the fish itself.
The chicken is cooked until tender and then removed from the broth, which is then thickened with cream and egg yolks. The chicken is then added back to the stew along with vegetables such as carrots, onions, celery, leeks and potatoes. The dish is seasoned with parsley, thyme and bay leaves.
Today, waterzooi is a versatile dish.
Versatile
It can be adapted to personal taste and preference.
Some chefs add wine or beer to the broth for extra flavor. Some people prefer a thicker or thinner consistency for the stew. Some people like to add cheese or mustard to their waterzooi. Some people still make waterzooi with fish, especially in medieval cities like Bruges.
It is a dish that reflects the history and culture of Belgium.
Waterzooi is a perfect dish for cold and rainy days, as it warms up the body and soul. It is best enjoyed with a basket of bread and butter to soak up the delicious broth, or with boiled or mashed potatoes.
