Vol-au-Vent with Chicken - Belgium's Royal Comfort Food
Master the art of 'Koninginnenhapje' with golden pastry and luxurious filling
Few dishes capture the heart of Belgian cuisine quite like Vol-au-Vent, affectionately known as 'Koninginnenhapje' or 'Queen's morsel' in Flanders. This isn't just comfort food - it's edible poetry, where buttery puff pastry shells cradle a symphony of tender chicken, delicate veal meatballs, and earthy mushrooms in a velvety cream sauce. Born in Paris but adopted as Belgium's own, this dish represents the pinnacle of home cooking elevated to restaurant standards. The name literally translates to 'flight in the wind,' perfectly describing the impossibly light pastry that seems to float on your palate. While the technique requires patience and precision, the reward is a dish worthy of royalty that transforms any meal into a special occasion.
Nutritional Benefits
Ingredients & Equipment
Ingredients
Equipment Needed
- •Large heavy-bottomed stockpot
- •Fine mesh strainer
- •Rolling pin
- •Round cookie cutters (8cm and 6cm)
- •Baking sheet
- •Whisk
- •Wooden spoon
- •Ladle
- •Kitchen twine
- •Pastry brush
Instructions
Preparation
- 1
Remove chicken breasts and legs, reserve carcass for stock. Season chicken pieces with salt and let rest at room temperature for 30 minutes.
⏱️ ~5 min💡 Tip: Pat dry before seasoning for better browning - 2
Prepare bouquet garni: tie bay leaves, thyme, and parsley stems with kitchen twine.
⏱️ ~3 min💡 Tip: Use fresh herbs for maximum flavor - 3
Make meatball mixture: combine veal mince, 1 egg, milk, pinch of nutmeg, salt, and white pepper. Mix gently with fingertips until just combined.
⏱️ ~10 min💡 Tip: Don't overmix to keep meatballs tender - 4
Roll marble-sized meatballs (about 2cm diameter) and refrigerate on parchment-lined tray.
⏱️ ~15 min💡 Tip: Wet hands prevent sticking - 5
Prepare vegetables: dice shallots, leek, carrot, and celery uniformly.
⏱️ ~10 min💡 Tip: Consistent size ensures even cooking
Cooking
- 6
Roast chicken carcass at 200°C for 20 minutes until golden. Transfer to stockpot with vegetables trimmings, cover with 2.5L cold water. Simmer 2 hours, skimming regularly.
⏱️ ~120 min🌡️ gentle simmer💡 Tip: Never boil stock - it becomes cloudy - 7
Strain stock through fine mesh. Return to pot, reduce by half to 750ml. Poach chicken breasts in stock for 15 minutes, then legs for 25 minutes. Reserve 500ml stock for sauce.
⏱️ ~40 min🌡️ barely simmering💡 Tip: Internal temperature should reach 75°C - 8
Prepare vol-au-vent shells: roll puff pastry to 4mm thickness. Cut 8cm circles for bases and 6cm circles for tops. Score lids lightly, brush with egg yolk. Bake at 200°C for 20 minutes.
⏱️ ~25 min🌡️ 200°C💡 Tip: Chill pastry between steps to maintain layers - 9
Make roux: melt 50g butter, whisk in flour. Cook 2 minutes without coloring. Gradually whisk in 500ml hot stock to create velouté. Simmer 10 minutes.
⏱️ ~15 min🌡️ medium heat💡 Tip: Cook roux properly to eliminate flour taste - 10
Sauté shallots in remaining butter until translucent. Add mushrooms, cook until golden. Deglaze with white wine, reduce by half.
⏱️ ~10 min🌡️ medium-high heat💡 Tip: Don't crowd pan - work in batches - 11
Poach meatballs in simmering stock for 5 minutes. Remove and keep warm. Dice poached chicken into 2cm pieces.
⏱️ ~10 min🌡️ gentle simmer💡 Tip: Test one meatball for doneness - 12
Combine chicken, meatballs, and mushrooms with velouté. Add cream, warm gently. Adjust seasoning with salt, white pepper, and nutmeg.
⏱️ ~5 min🌡️ low heat💡 Tip: Never boil after adding cream - 13
Assemble: place vol-au-vent shells on plates, fill generously with hot filling. Garnish with chopped parsley.
⏱️ ~5 min🌡️ serve immediately💡 Tip: Warm plates prevent pastry from cooling
Pro Tips
Peter Goossens insists on chilling the puff pastry between each step - this creates the characteristic layers that make Vol-au-Vent legendary
Use the chicken skin to enrich the stock by rendering it separately and adding the fat to the roux for deeper flavor
For authentic Belgian flavor, add a splash of Belgian white beer with the wine during the mushroom sauté
The filling should be thick enough to coat a spoon but still pourable - adjust with stock as needed for perfect consistency
Recipe Variations
Vol-au-Vent with Chicken represents the pinnacle of Belgian comfort cooking - a dish that transforms humble ingredients into something truly spectacular through patience, technique, and love. While the preparation requires time and attention, the result is a meal that creates lasting memories and showcases the sophisticated simplicity that defines Belgian cuisine. Serve this 'Queen's morsel' with pride, knowing you've mastered one of Europe's most beloved comfort foods.
Storage Instructions
Store filling separately from pastry shells in airtight containers. Filling keeps 3 days refrigerated, pastry at room temperature for 2 days. Do not freeze assembled dish as pastry loses texture.
Reheating:
Reheat filling gently over low heat, adding stock if too thick. Refresh pastry shells in 180°C oven for 5-7 minutes to restore crispness before assembling.
