This creamy chicken and asparagus eintopf is a traditional dish from Northern Germany. It's rich and filling (and fairly calorific) which makes it an ideal winter warmer and comfort food classic. But the herbs and vegetables also give it very fresh flavours and, indeed, it is usually cooked in late spring when young green asparagus comes into season.
A hähnchen worth a mention
I first came upon this dish one blustery late spring Saturday afternoon on the island of Sylt, off Germany's west coast. It had been raining most of the day as the North Sea showed off its mood. So, I decided to pass the time with a leisurely lunch. I found a nice gastrostube with a very relaxed atmosphere and a far from prosaic menu. Even back then, Sylt, like various Scottish and Nordic islands, had started to be "rediscovered" by well-heeled city weekenders.
Monica, the proprietress, whose partner Tina was the chef, recommended their dish of the day, the chicken eintopf, a kind of traditional stew (the name means "one pot") very much in the vein of the British hot pot. Monica told me that it was a traditional dish, cooked by Tina, a native of the island. It was usually cooked at that time of year. Sometimes it would be done with fish or seafood or a combination of the two. But, today Tina had done the other traditional version, chicken; Monica's favourite. How could I resist?
After the kitchen closed serving lunch, I invited Tina and Monica to join me for a glass from a particularly good Riesling I had ordered from the restaurant's excellent list. I was feeling sated and merry. I had no intention of rushing out into the rain and wind. Of course, I also had a sneaky plan: get the recipe from Tina.
One thing I've noticed over the years is that chefs are far less suspicious of sharing their recipes with someone whose had a few glasses and isn't taking notes. More fool them: I have near perfect recall when listening to new recipes. But, that could be cynical. I've had plenty of experiences of chefs entirely open to sharing their recipes. I suspect Tina was simply one of those open people. In fact, I think she rather liked the idea that someone might want to cook what she described as a "local folkloric" recipe hundreds of miles away.
I listened intently to Tina's cautions and warnings about what one should and shouldn't do, making sure I put them into practice the first time I tried it myself. I'm glad I paid attention because it really paid off.
One of the things that is notable about this recipe is its combination of herbs and flavours that I very much associate with the far north of Germany on both the Baltic and North Sea coasts. And, of course, these are also flavours found in other Nordic and Baltic cuisines. That's hardly surprising: in terms of Sylt's length, more of the island lies to the north of Germany's land border with Denmark and, as an island, it's always had connections with Denmark as well as Germany.
I find the combination of herbal flavours in this dish—caraway seeds, pepper, mustard seeds, parsley, fennel seeds and apple cider vinegar—evocative of specific places and memories. I also find them a welcome change from the spices and herbs that dominate my day-to-day diet of Mediterranean and Asian flavours. Of course, I love those: that's why they dominate my day-to-day cooking choices. But, like that old cliché that claims a change is as good as a holiday, I return to this one and memories of an actual holiday on Sylt.
Through thick and thin
When I first made this dish, I instantly recognised its comparable dishes in other cuisines; the Flemish stoofpot or the classic French fricassée, complete with its use of cream and butter. In many ways, it is a North German fricassée. However, this dish is a lot lighter in flavours than many of those dishes, making it ideal for spring and summer. As with the French classic, it's important not to caramelise the onions nor any of ingredients added in the early stages of cooking, merely to sweat and soften. Browning them will darken the colour of the sauce and overshadow the specific flavours you want to retain. Thus, never cook it on too high a heat and note that it takes longer to cook than a classic fricassée. Also note, that if you don't do dairy or you're looking at reducing fats, this dish is still delicious without using any cream.
Then there's the issue of how thick you want the sauce. In the traditional version, Tina told me, flour, potato flour or cornflour are used to thicken the sauce. But she preferred not to "confuse" (zu verwirren) the sauce, preferring simple reduction on a low heat. After years of trying all the options, my vote is still with Tina's version. If, however, you really do prefer a thicker creamy sauce, sift the flour into the pot (1tbspn at a time)and stir constantly in the final reduction phase (see below).
And finally, there is the issue of carbs. When I first tasted this dish, it was served with some local side dish with a very Danish-sounding name that was a bit like a hybrid between a pancake and a potato dumpling. Whatever they were, they were delicious, but I had my eye on the prize of the main dish, so forgot to pry too heavily on those. Years later, in Denmark, I think I tracked them down. But, when I discovered what a palaver they were to make, I decided to stick to other options.
As Tina pointed out, it's a dish most commonly served with simple boiled potatoes. And, indeed that is a great choice. However, on a later trip to the German Baltic island of Rügen, I came across a carb served with a creamy seafood dish, one of pearl barley with chives and dill and that has since become my go-to carb of choice with this dish.
Furthermore, cooked pearl barely keeps well for quite a long time in the fridge, able to be reheated in the microwave or to make delicious lunchtime salads. Simply add diced cucumber, celery and apple and a little mustard vinaigrette and you're laughing.
I love to serve this dish with the pearl barley and a good dollop of sauerkraut garnished with a few pickled wild mushrooms. I have made my own sauerkraut in the past but came to the conclusion that you're far better off buying a readymade version from a good producer. My current favourite is the sauerkraut with carrot produced by Polish Specialities, but any decent version works well.
But, if you want to the low-effort (or day-after) version, simply serve it with some good rustic bread as the only accompaniment. I love it with a good light rye bread served with horseradish butter which simply involves combining slightly softened butter with creamed horseradish. It's utterly delicious and works so well with the flavours in this dish.
In a pickle
The other thing that usually causes confusion are the "used pickle herbs". What that is is literally the drained mix of herbs from the bottom of a gherkin jar. It's usually a mix of shallots, dried dill, mustard seeds and chopped mild paprika that goes into the pickle brine. I fell in love with the idea of using these as an ingredient; the ultimate recycling. But, I can't objectively say that they make a huge difference, hence, they're optional.
And finally there's the question of the parsley. The traditional version uses the tougher curly parsley used in many Northern European dishes, though Tina preferred to use flat leaf parsley since it integrated more easily into the dish. I'm parsley agnostic: both types work for me since it cooks down either way.
This recipe is for 2 to 3 diners but can easily be scaled up for larger groups. NB: the images illustrating it here are not 100% indicative of quantities since I have scaled it down a little.
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Shopping list
for the creamy chicken and asparagus eintopf
1 large chicken breast per diner; filleted vertically into large slices
Approx. 250g young green asparagus (sprue), washed and cut into irregular lengths
4 small brown onions, peeled and quartered
3 echalion shallots, peeled and cut in half
3 sticks of celery, finely sliced
100g small whole closed cup mushrooms
Approx. 3 tbspns unsalted butter
500ml chicken stock (or vegetable stock)
4 rashers of smoked back bacon, rind-on, cut horizontally into thick slivers
100ml apple cider vinegar
1.5 tspns caraway seeds
½ tspn fennel seeds
2 tspns mustard seeds
3 handfuls of parsley, roughly chopped
2 tspns "used pickle herbs" (optional)
1.5 tspns black pepper, coarsely ground
Approx. 2 tbspns plain white flour (optional and only if needed)
salt to taste
125ml single cream (optional)
the pearl barley with herbs
1 cup pearl barley, rinsed
500ml vegetable stock
250ml hot water
A generous clutch of dill, finely chopped
A generous clutch of chives, finely chopped
A pinch of white pepper
salt to taste (optional)
other accompaniments to consider
sauerkraut
green salad
pickled mushrooms
Bread with horseradish butter
Cooking method
the creamy chicken and asparagus eintopf
Melt the butter on a medium-high heat in a large pan with a lid. As soon as the butter begins to bubble (we're not going for beurre noisette) seal the chicken on all sides. Don't worry if it actually browns heavily in certain places. Once fully sealed, remove from the pan
Reduce to a low-medium heat and add the celery to the butter and juices and stir thoroughly. NB: add a little additional butter if it appears too little. Cover and sweat for about 5mins
Add the onion quarters and shallots, Add the caraway and fennel steeds. Stir to ensure they're fully coated. Re-cover and sweat for about another 5mins on a medium heat
When the celery and onions have softened somewhat, add the bacon and stir in, stirring until the bacon begins to exude juices. Re-cover and sweat on a low heat for approx. another 5 to 7mins
When the bacon is essentially cooked, add 1 tspn of mustard seeds and the mushrooms and stir in. Re-cover and sweat the ingredients for approx. 5mins
Once the mushrooms have browned a little and slightly softened, pour in the vinegar and increase to a medium heat. Stir as the vinegar cooks off
Push the ingredients to the side of the pot and gently lay the chicken back into the centre of the pot. Gently pour in all of the stock and sprinkle on the used pickle herbs (if using). Re-cover and simmer on a low heat for approx. 8mins. Add the parsley to the top of the dish. Re-cover and simmer for a further 3mins before stirring in
Add the sprue and gently fold in. Re-cover and simmer on a low-medium heat for at least 15mins, stirring occasionally. Then add the cream and stir in. Re-cover, reduce to a low heat. Gently simmer for 20mins or until the chicken is cooked optimally. NB: if your sauce is not thickening notably, remove the lid in order to aid the process
About 5mins before it seems it will be perfectly cooked, add the additional teaspoon of mustard seeds and stir in and then re-cover
When optimally cooked, pour in a little additional cream, only minimally stirring. Cover and keep warm until plating or taking to table in a tureen. Guten Essen!
the pearl barley side dish
Pour 500ml of vegetable stock (i.e 2 cups) into a large pot with a lid. Add an additional cup of hot water. Only salt the liquid if you are using low-salt stock, otherwise, it's not necessary. Cover and bring to the boil
As the water comes to the boil, add the cup of pearl barely and stir. In total, it will take about 19 to 20mins to cook. Cover for the first 10mins and allow to boil fairly vigorously, stirring only occasionally. After 10mins, stir, re-cover and reduce to a medium heat, keeping it at a healthy simmer for another 5mins, stirring occasionally
By now, the pearl barley will have swelled substantially, but is probably not optimally cooked. From this point, cooked uncovered, stirring regularly to prevent sticking as all of the moisture cooks down; very similar to cooking a risotto. Taste individual grains frequently. If all the liquid has cooked off before it's optimally cooked, add approx. 30ml of water at a time. Stir constantly until it is cooked i.e. a bit "spongy" without any "grit" when you bite into an individual gain
Remove from the heat and immediately add the chopped chives and dill, mixing in thoroughly. Add a knob of butter if you wish, seasoning with a little white pepper
Cover and keep warm until ready to plate or take to table in a serving dish
Alternatives
No deception: this one does present challenges for vegans and vegetarians. It intrinsically relies heavily on dairy products. I have, on various occasions, cooked lacto-vegetarian versions using Quorn pieces in lieu of the chicken and tempeh or other veggie "fake bacon" products. But, the results have always been variable (from tasty to grim) an somewhat "unrepeatable": using the same products and method that worked out well on one occasion could result in "clotting" on another. So at your own discretion...
However, pescatarian versions, which are traditional, work very, very well. All versions I've cooked with fleshy cold water fish and/or seafood have been delicious. My personal favourite was a version with Arctic char and shell-on langoustine tails that I cooked for some Norwegian friends.
With pescatarian versions, obviously you do not add the fish or seafood nearly as early in the cooking process. Depending on the cut of your fish or the size of your seafood, it should only be added between about 10 and 3mins before the end of cooking to the largely already cooked dish. Also, while the traditional version uses chicken stock even with fish and seafood, I preferred the versions I cooked using fish stock instead. It somehow enhances the very fresh flavours in this dish, especially in spring. Don't be worried about the combination of bacon and fish stock, especially when slowly cooked. Think about it: how many British people love Worcestershire sauce on their bacon?
Pairings
This is a dish that I usually pair with a Riesling (though rarely as good as the one with which I first experienced this eintopf ) or a Grüner Veltliner. I'm not always a fan of the Grüner Veltliners that one finds in the UK because they tend towards more acidity than I usually like. However, with this dish, that very acidity works very well as a kind of palate-cleanser, cutting through the excess of creaminess and pulling out those green notes.
Other wines I find work well with it are Spanish whites from the Basque Country and certain Sauvignon Blancs from New Zealand that have something a little "spiky" in them.
But, this is also a great dish to pair with apple ciders or a simple Apfelschorle if you don't want anything alcoholic.
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