I did the fava beans thing a bit backwards this time around, as I got the fava beans to experiment with the pods, and then I ended up with the leftover beans! I decided to double shell them and serve them with a chicken leg and a white wine and chicken reduction sauce. This turned out to be a great combination and the colors are also very nice to look at.

To stay within the theme of using everything, I got a whole chicken and used the carcass to make a stock for the sauce. I used the legs for the dish, and reserved the breast for another use. This chicken came from France and got to grow for at least 81 days. That is twice that of a ‘normal’ chicken, which adds a lot of flavor. As chicken of such an age is a tad less tender, I decided to cook it sous-vide for 24 hours at 60ºC/140ºF and that turned out to be just right. If you don’t have sous-vide equipment, you could just as easily prepare the chicken in the oven.

Ingredients

For 2 servings

200 grams (7 oz) shelled fava beans, from about 1 kg (2.2 lbs) of fava bean pods

120 ml (1/2 cup) dry white wine

1 shallot, minced

1 Tbsp thyme leaves

1 clove garlic, minced

60 ml (1/4 cup) cream

1 Tbsp corn starch

salt and freshly ground white pepper

500 ml (2 cups) brown chicken stock

2 Tbsp clarified butter or olive oil

For the chicken

2 chicken legs, seasoned with salt and freshly ground black pepper and vacuum seal them with a half tablespoon of butter each

Preparation

The day before, heat up the sous-vide to 60ºC/140ºF. Submerge the chicken legs and cook for 24 hours. When using a younger chicken, 12 hours at 62ºC/144ºF should be sufficient.

Start with the rest about 45 minutes before you’d like to serve. Bring a pot of water to a boil and add the fava beans.

Parcook for 2 minutes.

Drain the beans and plunge them into cold water.

After parcooking it is easier to double shell the fava beans, which means to remove the bitter white membrane that surrounds the green tender beans inside. Simply break the membrane with your fingernail, then the bean will pop out easily.

Double shelling is still a bit of work, but it is worth it as otherwise fava beans can be bitter little bastards.

Open up the sous-vide pouches and take out the chicken legs, but reserve the juices. Pat the chicken legs dry with paper towels.

Heat 2 Tbsp of clarified butter (or olive oil) in a frying pan. Add the chicken legs and brown them on both sides over high heat.

Wrap the chicken legs in aluminum foil while you finish the sauce.

Add a minced shallot to the frying pan and stir until the shallot is translucent.

Add a minced garlic clove and a tablespoon of fresh thyme leaves, and stir for another minute.

Deglaze with 120 ml (1/2 cup) of dry white wine.

Scrape with a wooden spatula to pick up any browned bits.

Add 500 ml (2 cups) of brown chicken stock…

…and the juices from both sous-vide pouches.

Bring to a boil and reduce to about 120 ml (1/2 cup) over medium high heat.

Strain the sauce into a saucepan with a sieve to remove the solids.

Add 60 ml (1/4 cup) of cream.

Make a slurry of a tablespoon of corn starch with about two tablespoons of cold water, make sure there are no lumps, and add the slurry to the sauce.

Bring to a boil and cook, stirring, until the sauce thickens. Season to taste with salt and freshly ground white pepper.

Heat up the double shelled fava beans in the microwave, a minute at full power should do the trick. Season them with salt.

Serve the chicken with the sauce and the fava beans on preheated plates.

Wine pairing

This is great with an aged full bodied white that does not have high acidity.

Flashback

Pôchouse is a traditional freshwater fish stew from Burgundy that is prepared with eel, bass, pike, and tench. The fish is poached in aligoté (white wine from Burgundy) and served with a cream sauce.