Poached Chicken with Cream Sauce

Slow-cooked all day in its own broth with celery, carrot, onion and a cheesecloth bundle of parsley, bay, thyme and clove, the chicken comes out tender enough to slice with the side of a fork. The poaching liquid does double duty as the base for the cream sauce.

The sauce itself is classic French velouté technique. Butter and flour cooked into a blond roux, broth whisked in until smooth, cream stirred through at the end, and finished with cold butter beaten in a tablespoon at a time off the heat. That last step, called monter au beurre, is what gives the sauce its silky mouthfeel and gloss.

Don’t rush the roux. A few minutes over low heat takes the raw flour edge off without browning the butter; that pale, biscuity roux is what you want under a cream sauce.

The cheesecloth herb bundle (a sachet d'épices) keeps the bay leaf and cloves from ending up between someone’s teeth. Pull it before serving.

Chef Tips

• Salt the chicken generously before it goes into the slow cooker. A bird this size needs more seasoning than the 1 teaspoon listed, especially since most of it ends up in the broth.
• Strain the cooking liquid before using it elsewhere. You’ll get a clear stock that freezes beautifully for soup.
• Whisk the broth into the roux gradually to prevent lumps. Cold broth into hot roux is fine; just go slow.
• Beat the cold butter in off the heat. If the sauce simmers after the butter goes in, the emulsion breaks and grease pools on the surface.

Variations

• Replace half the broth with dry white wine for a Sancerre-style brightness in the sauce.
• Stir a teaspoon of Dijon mustard into the finished sauce for a punchier poulet à la moutarde flavor.
• Serve over buttered egg noodles or mashed potatoes and spoon extra sauce over the top.