Chicken Veloute Supreme

If you’ve ever taken a cooking class, more than likely the five classic French Mother sauces have been addressed. Bechamel, espagnole, tomato, hollandaise and veloute. Each consists of a liquid and a thickening agent, three of these are thickened using a roux. If you like a superior macaroni and cheese sauce, or a good gumbo, one of these sauces is more than likely responsible for the luscious creamy saucy texture.

For this recipe we’re using a veloute sauce.

What Is Veloute Sauce?

Don’t let it’s fancy name trick you, pronounced “vuh-loo-tay” it’s simply an easy technique to make a quick blond gravy. Starting with a light roux of butter and chicken stock or broth. For this recipe, we’re turning it into veloute supreme, a daughter sauce of chicken veloute, by adding heavy cream. I’m also adding garlic, a little bit of rosemary and some lemon to brighten the end flavor.

Adding Chicken

We’re turning it into a meal by drizzling chicken veloute over mashed potatoes and chicken cutlets.

This is a recipe inspired by my favorite local Italian restaurant, Farro. I hardly ever order chicken in a restaurant, but their chicken cutlets served on top of mashed potatoes and drizzled with this glorious rosemary garlic chicken veloute is simply outstanding.

The dish is then sprinkled with an olive mix and a simple gremolata, which is made of fine diced parsley and lemon zest.

I simply couldn’t resist recreating this recipe in my own kitchen.

Let’s get started.

1. Step 1: Before we start with the meal, let’s zest the whole lemon.
2. Step 2: Make a quick gremolata by chopping parsley and lemon zest together. Grab your small chopper machine to make this an easy task.

3. Step 3: We’ll start by making the roux for veloute sauce. Over medium heat stovetop, add the butter. Once the butter melts add the flour and whisk constantly until a thick roux develops. This will take about two minutes. I like to make this a dark blond roux, but watch it closely so it doesn’t turn too brown or start to burn.
4. Step 4: When the roux is almost done, add diced garlic and rosemary. Cook for about 30 seconds, stirring, until just fragrant. Again, you don’t want any of this to burn or brown.

5. Step 5: Add chicken stock and whisk. Keep the whisk moving until the sauce has thickened into a thin gravy like consistency.
6. Step 6: Remove from heat and stir in the heavy cream, white pepper and lemon juice. Keep warm while you prepare the chicken cutlets.

To Make Chicken Veloute A Meal

1. Step 7: Place chicken cutlets on a cutting board and use a meat mallet to even out the cutlets. Sprinkle with salt and pepper and a dusting of flour
2. Step 8: Cook cutlets in a large fry pan with neutral oil until cooked through. This will take about 5 – 6 minutes per side.

Variations

• You can keep veloute sauce dairy free by not adding the cream. You’ll have a simple straight forward chicken veloute sauce.
• The beauty of this sauce is adding herbs of your choice to ramp up the flavor. Thyme, rosemary or even a pinch of tarragon. Make it yours.
• If you’d like the sauce to be smooth and creamy, strain it through a sieve strainer. I didn’t do this because I didn’t want to lose any of the garlic and rosemary flavor.