Chicken Velouté, One of the Five Mother Sauces

The Spruce Nutritional Guidelines (per serving)

Total: 35 mins 51 Calories
Prep: 5 mins 3g Fat
Cook: 30 mins 3g Carbs
Yield: 8 servings (2 oz. each) 2g Protein

Velouté (prounounced "vuh-loo-TAY") is one of the five mother sauces of classical cuisine, which means it's a
starting point from which a number of sauces can be made, rather than a finished sauce itself. It's sort of like a
blank coloring book—you start with the lines and shapes and then color it in any way you choose.
Like béchamel, velouté is considered a white sauce, and both are thickened with roux. Whereas béchamel has
milk as its base, velouté is made with stock. Since there are three types of white stock—chicken, veal, and
fish—there are likewise three types of velouté, but chicken is the most common.
One of the sauces that's derived from chicken velouté is called a suprême sauce, and it's made by finishing a
veloute with cream, butter, and lemon juice. Supreme sauce is known as a secondary mother sauce because it
can be served itself or used as the basis for still other sauce recipes.
Ingredients
 3 cups chicken stock  1 ounce clarified butter  1 ounce all-purpose flour
Steps to Make It
1. Gather the ingredients.

7. Simmer for about 30 minutes or until the

2. Heat the chicken stock to a simmer in a
medium saucepan, then lower the heat so
that the stock just stays hot.
total volume has reduced by about one-
third, stirring frequently to make sure the
sauce doesn't scorch at the bottom of the
pan. Use a ladle to skim off any impurities
that rise to the surface.

3. In a separate heavy-bottomed saucepan,

melt the clarified butter over medium heat
until it becomes frothy. Take care not to let
it turn brown.
8. The resulting sauce should be smooth and
velvety. If it's too thick, whisk in a bit more
hot stock until it's just thick enough to coat
the back of a spoon.

4. With a wooden spoon, stir the flour into the

melted butter a little bit at a time, until it is
fully incorporated, giving you a pale-yellow-
colored paste called a roux.
9. Remove the sauce from the heat. For an
extra smooth consistency, carefully pour
the sauce through a wire mesh strainer
lined with a piece of cheesecloth.

5. Heat the roux for another few minutes or

so, until it has turned a light blond color. 10. Keep the velouté covered until you're ready
This helps cook off the raw flour flavor. to use it.
Since this is a white sauce, you don't want
to let the roux get too dark.

6. Using a wire whisk, slowly add the hot

chicken stock to the roux, whisking
vigorously to make sure it's free of lumps.