Traditional French Dishes
Bouchée à la Reine: The Authentic French Recipe
An elegant and comforting French classic: crispy puff pastry vol-au-vents filled with tender chicken, mushrooms, and a creamy sauce made with cream, egg yolk, and lemon.
Bouchée à la Reine combines the contrast of golden puff pastry with a soft and flavorful filling of chicken and mushrooms. Heat the puff pastry pieces separately and fill them just before serving to preserve their texture.
01
Ingredients
Have everything ready before you begin.
- ✓4 large pre-baked puff pastry vol-au-vents
- ✓400 g boneless chicken breast
- ✓250 g mushrooms
- ✓1 large shallot
- ✓40 g butter
- ✓40 g wheat flour
- ✓400 ml chicken broth
- ✓150 ml liquid cooking cream
- ✓1 egg yolk
- ✓1 tablespoon lemon juice
- ✓2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley
- ✓1/2 teaspoon salt
- ✓1/4 teaspoon black pepper
- ✓1 pinch nutmeg
02
Step-by-step method
- 01
Cook the Chicken
Cut the chicken breasts into 2-centimeter cubes. Heat a saucepan over medium heat with half of the butter, add the chicken, and season with a pinch of salt and pepper. Cook for 5-6 minutes, stirring, until the chicken is fully cooked. Remove and reserve the cooking juices.
- 02
Prepare the Mushrooms
Clean the mushrooms with a cloth or brush, avoiding soaking them, and slice them into thin layers.
- 03
Sauté the Vegetables
Finely chop the shallot. Heat the remaining butter in the same saucepan, add the shallot, and cook for 2 minutes, until it is translucent. Add the mushrooms and cook for 5-7 minutes, until their liquid has evaporated. Add the parsley, mix, and reserve with the chicken.
- 04
Prepare the Roux
In the empty saucepan, melt the remaining butter or use the cooking juices. Add the flour and stir for 1 minute. Do not let it darken, to maintain a clear sauce.
- 05
Add the Broth
Gradually pour in the chicken broth while stirring constantly to avoid lumps. Continue until you have a smooth mixture.
- 06
Reduce the Sauce
Add the cream, remaining pepper, and nutmeg. Cook over medium-low heat for 5 minutes, stirring, until the sauce lightly coats the spoon without being too thick.
- 07
Temper the Egg Yolk
Beat the egg yolk with the lemon juice. Add 2 tablespoons of hot sauce while stirring and return the mixture to the saucepan with the heat very low or off. Stir carefully and do not let it boil.
- 08
Combine the Filling
Return the chicken and mushrooms to the saucepan along with their juices. Mix gently, taste, and adjust the salt if necessary. If it is too liquid, heat over low heat; if it is too dense, add a small amount of reserved broth.
- 09
Heat the Vol-au-Vents
Carefully remove the top lids, if they have them, and preserve the puff pastry border intact. Place them on a tray and heat at 180 °C for 5 minutes, without filling them beforehand.
- 10
Fill and Serve
Distribute the hot filling into the vol-au-vents up to the edge, without overflowing the sauce. Place the lids on top or slightly to the side and serve immediately, with a bit more fresh parsley if there is any left from the chopped amount.
- Cook the mushrooms until their liquid has evaporated to concentrate their flavor.
- Add the egg yolk off the heat to avoid the sauce breaking.
- Heat the vol-au-vents separately and fill them just before serving to preserve the crispy puff pastry.
- Avoid reheating the dish several times: the sauce with egg yolk and cream retains its texture better with a single moderate heating.
- The filling can be prepared in advance, refrigerated, and gently heated before filling the vol-au-vents.