A creamy Flemish soup or stew of chicken or fish with leek, carrot and celery, thickened with cream and egg yolk. It is the signature dish of Ghent.

Waterzooi is called Gentse waterzooi after Ghent, where it originated. The second half of the name comes from Middle Dutch words for boiling. Visit Gent says the original was made with fish from the Lys and the Scheldt, and the most accepted theory is that the fish vanished when the rivers became too polluted. Chicken waterzooi is now the more common version.

Where to eat Waterzooi in Bruges

The editor picks for Waterzooi in Bruges are still in research. Meanwhile, see the Bruges signature-dishes index or the Bruges food guide.

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Make it at home

Serves 41 hr 15 minIntermediate

Ingredients

  • 1 whole chicken, jointed, or 4 chicken legs
  • 2 leeks, 3 carrots, 3 celery sticks, all julienned
  • 1 onion, 2 bay leaves, parsley stalks
  • 1.2 litres chicken stock
  • 2 egg yolks
  • 150ml double cream
  • 50g butter, salt, white pepper, nutmeg

Method

  1. Poach the chicken gently in the stock with the onion, bay and parsley stalks for 35 minutes.
  2. Lift out the chicken, strip the meat and keep warm. Strain and keep the broth.
  3. Sweat the julienned leek, carrot and celery in the butter for 8 minutes without colouring.
  4. Add the broth and simmer 10 minutes until the vegetables are tender.
  5. Whisk the egg yolks with the cream, then temper in a ladle of hot broth.
  6. Off the heat, stir the cream mixture back into the pot; do not let it boil.
  7. Return the chicken, season with salt, white pepper and nutmeg, and serve in deep bowls.

Editor tip. Keep the pot below a simmer once the egg and cream go in, or the broth will split into curds.

Common allergens: Dairy, Egg, Celery.