Chicken Brouet with Bread and Sweet Spices
A creamy stewed chicken ragout, thickened not with flour but with soaked breadcrumbs, flavoured with saffron and ginger — the everyday cooking of great Norman households.
A creamy stewed chicken ragout, thickened not with flour but with soaked breadcrumbs, flavoured with saffron and ginger — the everyday cooking of great Norman households.
For days without feasting, my kitchen made the brouet. We put the hen in the cauldron until the flesh fell away, then thickened the broth with soaked breadcrumbs, as my people knew how. An ounce of saffron for the golden colour, ginger for warmth, and there is enough to sustain a man from morning until vespers. Dip your bread in it — that is how we eat in my house.
- •Hen — one (stewed meat)
- •Stale breadcrumbs — several handfuls (thickener)
- •Saffron — a few threads (colour and aroma)
- •Ginger powder — a pinch (spice)
- •Onions — two (aromatic)
- •Verjuice — a dash (acidity)
- •Salt — to taste (seasoning)
Chicken Brouet with Bread and Sweet Spices
A creamy stewed chicken ragout, thickened not with flour but with soaked breadcrumbs, flavoured with saffron and ginger — the everyday cooking of great Norman households.
Why this dish? Roasted or stewed poultry was the daily fare on a table as well-stocked as William's. This thick bread-thickened brouet is the typical everyday Norman dish, nourishing a duke-builder and his men.
For days without feasting, my kitchen made the brouet. We put the hen in the cauldron until the flesh fell away, then thickened the broth with soaked breadcrumbs, as my people knew how. An ounce of saffron for the golden colour, ginger for warmth, and there is enough to sustain a man from morning until vespers. Dip your bread in it — that is how we eat in my house.
Ingredients (period version)
- Hen — one (stewed meat)
- Stale breadcrumbs — several handfuls (thickener)
- Saffron — a few threads (colour and aroma)
- Ginger powder — a pinch (spice)
- Onions — two (aromatic)
- Verjuice — a dash (acidity)
- Salt — to taste (seasoning)
Ingredients
- Chicken legs and thighs (hen or free-range chicken) — 1 kg (meat)
- Stale country breadcrumbs — 100 g (thickener)
- Saffron — 1 dose (0.1 g) (colour and aroma)
- Ground ginger — 1 tsp (spice)
- Onions — 2 medium (aromatic)
- Verjuice or grape juice + vinegar — 2 tbsp (acidity)
- Salt — to taste (seasoning)
Method
- Sauté the sliced onions, add the chicken pieces, and cover with water.
- Simmer for 50 minutes on low heat with the saffron, until the meat is tender.
- Soak the breadcrumbs in a ladleful of broth, mash them, and stir back in to thicken the sauce.
- Add the ginger and verjuice, adjust salt, let thicken for 5 minutes.
- Serve hot, spooned over bread or in a bowl.
How it was made : Thickening a sauce with breadcrumbs (rather than flour or cream) is one of the great hallmarks of medieval cuisine. Saffron, imported at great expense, coloured dishes a gold that displayed the wealth of the household.
The contemporary twist : Call it ‘Ducal Golden Brouet’ and serve in a deep bowl, sprinkled with toasted slivered almonds for crunch.
William the Conqueror · Charactorium