Recipe: how to make Rijsel’s brilliant poussin dish at home

Amsterdam restaurant Rijsel has been around for almost 10 years, so it was high time for a new cookbook sharing the well-known recipes for Rijsel classics. The book is packed with typical Rijsel dishes, such as this little chicken with mushroom sauce and the famous toast cannibaal. The recipes are also accompanied by handy kitchen techniques that you can apply straight away while preparing the dishes, making the end result even more delicious.

Piet: “Few things are as delicious as a little chicken with creamy mushroom sauce. To make this recipe perfectly, I recommend looking for an old Moulinex grill with a rotisserie – the kind of thing many people had at home in the 80s and 90s. The chicken turns out perfectly because it rotates, alternating between heat and rest, which also distributes the juices much better. But you can make it in the oven too, don’t worry. Brining the chicken is an absolute must, though. This true Rijsel classic obviously couldn’t be left out of the book. We previously won first prize when Het Parool tested the best little chickens in the city. With this recipe, you can now make this famous Rijsel dish at home too.”

How to make poussin with archiduc sauce

• Heat the salt, sugar, bay leaves and thyme together with 2 litres of water until the salt and sugar have dissolved. Leave to cool and place the poussins in the water. Brine for 24 hours in the refrigerator.
• Preheat the oven to 220 °C. After 24 hours, remove the poussins from the brine, pat dry and bring them to room temperature.
• Place the poussins in a roasting dish with a few sprigs of thyme underneath and coat generously with the butter. No need to add salt!
• Roast the poussins for 30 to 35 minutes, basting them regularly. If the chicken has not browned after 20 minutes, turn the oven up to full power. Check whether the chickens are cooked by holding them with the opening facing down: red juices mean they are not done, brown or cloudy juices mean they are almost done, and clear juices mean they are cooked. I always aim for brown/cloudy juices, then let them cook a little longer so the chicken stays juicy.
• Cut the mushrooms into quarters (or sixths if they are very large). Heat a frying pan until very hot and sear the mushrooms over high heat in a few tablespoons of sunflower oil (or one of these alternatives to sunflower oil), deglaze with cognac and turn the heat down low. Now add the cream and chicken gravy. The pan juices contain lots of flavour, so I recommend stirring them into the sauce as well. Reduce to a lovely sauce. Season with salt, pepper and sherry vinegar.
• Finely chop the parsley and stir it into the sauce at the very end.

Title: Rijsel
Author: Pieter Smits and Iwan Driessen
Price: €34.99
Publisher: Fontaine

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