Chicken and Mushroom Julienne
Julienne in Russian cooking is not a way of cutting vegetables: it is the name of a hot appetizer (жюльен, zhulyen), chicken and mushrooms in cream sauce baked under cheese in small individual cocotte dishes. The word comes from French, where it means thin strips, but in Russia it stuck to this dish, a popular item on Soviet restaurant menus. You boil the chicken, sauté the mushrooms, make the sauce, fill the dishes and bake; start to finish takes under an hour.
Ingredients
- 400 gchicken fillet
- 400 gchampignon mushrooms
- 1 onion
- 50 gbutter
- 3 tbspall-purpose flour
- 400 mlheavy cream
- 100 ghard cheese
- to tastesalt and black pepper
- to tasteground nutmeg
Method
- Boil chicken fillet in salted water for 15–20 minutes from the point the water returns to a boil, until the juice runs clear when you pierce the thickest part. Cool and cut into cubes. Slice mushrooms thinly, dice onion finely.
- Melt 20–30 g butter in a skillet. Sauté mushrooms on high heat until all liquid evaporates. Add onion and cook until golden and translucent. Add chicken, season with salt and pepper, stir.
- For the sauce: melt remaining butter in a saucepan, add flour and whisk for 1 minute. Pour in cream in a thin stream. Warm over low heat for 2–3 minutes, stirring, until the sauce coats the back of a spoon; do not let it boil. Season with salt, pepper and nutmeg.
- Combine chicken, mushroom mixture and sauce. Fill cocotte makers or small ramekins. Top with grated cheese. Bake at 180 °C for 15–20 minutes until golden brown; if your oven has a grill, switch it on for the last 2–3 minutes for a deeper crust.
FAQ
A watery sauce results from too little flour or incorrect technique. Fry the flour in butter for 1–2 minutes until lightly golden (this removes the raw flour taste), then add hot cream in portions, whisking constantly. Pre-fry the mushrooms thoroughly — they release a lot of water. If the sauce is still too thin, simmer for another 3–5 minutes over medium heat, stirring continuously. The sauce is a classic béchamel with cream instead of milk, so the same rules apply: cook the flour first and add the liquid gradually.
Yes. Small ceramic ramekins, silicone muffin molds, small clay pots, or even edible 'cocottes' made from large portobello mushroom caps work perfectly. You can also bake it in one large baking dish — you get a family-style julienne rather than individual portions, but the flavor is identical. When using a single dish, increase the baking time to 20–25 minutes at 180 °C.
Ideal choices: Gruyère (nutty aroma, melts beautifully), Emmental, Gouda, or young cheddar. For a beautiful golden crust, mix the grated cheese with 1 tsp breadcrumbs. Parmesan adds bold flavor but burns quickly — use it in a blend rather than alone. Soft cheeses like brie or camembert don't work — they melt without forming a crust.
Replace cream with: 15–20% sour cream (slightly more acidic, thick sauce), a 50/50 mix of milk and sour cream, or 10% Greek yogurt (add at the end off heat — it curdles if boiled). For a dairy-free version, use coconut cream — it gives a neutral taste and the right consistency. With sour cream, whisk it into the sauce off the heat and do not boil afterwards, or it will split. The sauce will taste slightly tangier and set a little thinner; cook it 1–2 minutes longer over low heat if it looks loose.
Julienne in cocotte makers keeps in the refrigerator for up to 2 days, covered with plastic wrap or foil. Reheat in the oven at 160 °C for 10–12 minutes — this prevents the sauce from curdling and revives the crust slightly. A microwave works (2 minutes on medium) but the crust will soften. Freezing is not recommended — the cream sauce separates upon thawing.
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Comments (1)
This chicken and mushroom julienne works best at room temperature. I take it out of the fridge 15 minutes before serving. Cold dulls the flavors of the chicken fillet, and you want every note to come through clearly.