Directions

• In a large pot, boil the chicken in 3 L of cold water with 1 teaspoon of salt and a few peppercorns. Do not cover the pot with a lid! When the meat started to boil, I reduced the flame under the pot and collected the foam that formed on the surface until the soup remained clear. Then I added the cut vegetables, I had already prepared a mix of root vegetables in the freezer and added as much as I considered necessary for my soup. I let the chicken soup boil slowly for about 20-30 minutes, during which I took care of the rest of the steps of the recipe.
• I took the boiled meat and vegetables out of the soup and put them in a colander. I removed the skin and large pieces of bones from the backs, to have nice pieces of meat in the stew. The skinless meat is kept warm in the soup, so that it does not dry out on the surface. I threw away the onion and kept the carrot plus the rest of the root vegetables, to add them to the stew at the end. I strained the soup and measured 600 ml of it, which I put separately in a saucepan. I kept the rest of the soup in a jar in the fridge, which I used the next day for ramen.
• I chopped the onion and minced the garlic. I cut the mushrooms into quarters. I heated a pan with high walls and put a little oil and butter in it. I sauteed the onion and garlic for a few minutes, on low to medium heat, until they became glassy (without browning them!). I also put the mushrooms and increased the flame. I mixed them well with the spatula and heated them until they were slightly browned and the water left by them evaporated. I seasoned with salt and pepper and set them aside.
• I chose to use a higher, non-stick pan, the last step of the recipe requires a lot of attention and it is a shame to spoil the last part of the stew, namely the creamy-veloute sauce. I melted the butter together with the flour and a pinch of salt, not very much, be careful that the soup is also salty, as are the mushrooms!. I started a white roux, that is, I waited for the butter to melt and sizzle a little, without browning. I continuously mixed with the wooden spoon. Everything is done on low heat!
• I started to pour from the 600 ml of soup set aside, gradually, with the help of a ladle. After each trance I stirred vigorously to break up the lumps. We have to move fast at this stage.
• I continued until I put all the soup and got a yellowish and thinner sauce, much thinner than a bechamel.I let it boil slowly for 5-6 minutes, stirring continuously. It is important to cook the flour, otherwise we will have a horrible taste on the plate. During this time, the sauce thickens a little more. Look at what a nice and smooth sauce I got! If you still haven’t gotten rid of the lumps, you can strain the sauce through a sieve. I left the sauce on the fire for a few minutes, to let the cream boil a little. It’s perfect! Smooth and velvety, as the name suggests-sauce veloute and I have to admit, I was a little proud of myself 🙂
• Finally, I put the sauteed mushrooms in this wonderful sauce. The flavors are crazy!! Now is the time to add 2-3 crushed cloves of garlic, but taste the sauce before adding them and decide if you still need them or not, I chose not to add them, the garlic from the mushrooms was enough. Finally, I put the chicken meat in the sauce with cream and mushrooms, I added freshly ground pepper, an optional step, but I love pepper in food. I carefully mixed them with the sauce and added the finely chopped boiled root vegetables, fresh parsley and turned off the heat. I covered the pan with a lid and kept the stew warm until serving time.
• The traditional side dish for this chicken stew is mamaliga, it is prepared from water, corn flour, butter and salt. A slightly similar version would be Italian polenta.