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.

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. Just a delicious glass of Westmalle Tripel is all it needs to make it complete . Te. Beer is brewed by the monks of the Westmalle Trappist abbey. It’s a world-class beer, high in carbonation, sweet at the outset, immaculately balanced, fruity in the middle and wonderfully, gently bitter in its final act. It’s a true icon and a classic example of the style.

• Beer: Westmalle Tripel

• Brewery: Westmalle (BE)

• Volume: 33CL

• Alcohol by Volume %: 9,5%

• Colour: Bright, gold yellow with a stable white head

• Nose: Very refined hop nose, with a fruity touch (banana) and sweet malt

• Taste: Malty with refined hop bitterness, smooth and creamy with a nice fruity touch

Ingredients

• 1 fresh chicken leg

• 1 fresh chicken breast

• 3 cups water (720 ml)

• 1 small fresh carrotpeeled

• 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

1. Place the chicken, water and one garlic clove in a large saucepan. Place it over 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.

2. 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.

3. Then add the sliced vegetables. Season with pepper and salt.

4. Stir and cook the vegetables for 3 minutes. Then add the shredded and diced chicken.

5. 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.

6. 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.

7. 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.