Bouchées à la reine

Cooking the chicken and preparing the broth:

1. 1Cut the carrots and leek into large pieces.
2. 2Stud the onions with the cloves.
3. 3Pour the water into a large pot.
4. 4Add the whole chicken.
5. 5Add the carrots, onions, leek, and bouquet garni.
6. 6Simmer for 2 hours and a half.
7. 7Once the chicken is cooked, remove it from the pot and let it cool at room temperature.
8. 8Debone the chicken and cut the meat into small cubes.

Preparing the sauce:

1. 9Melt the butter over medium heat in a saucepan.
2. 10Once the butter has melted, add the flour and mix with a whisk.
3. 11Cook the mixture for 2 to 3 minutes, stirring constantly with the whisk.
4. 12Pour the white wine into the pan in a thin stream while stirring to avoid lumps.
5. 13Add the crème fraîche and mix.
6. 14Gradually pour in the chicken broth (about 1 liter) while stirring until you get a smooth mixture.
7. 15Keep whisking the béchamel over medium heat until it boils, and cook for a few minutes.
8. 16Season with salt and pepper.

Assembling the bouchées à la reine:

1. 17Cut the mushrooms into quarters.
2. 18Sauté the mushrooms in a pan with a drizzle of olive oil, salt, and pepper.
3. 19Add the chicken meat and cooked mushrooms to the sauce.
4. 20Simmer for about 5 minutes.
5. 21Warm the vol-au-vent shells in a hot oven at 180°C for 5 minutes.
6. 22Fill each vol-au-vent shell with the chicken filling.