Velouté sauce: The French white sauce that is the mother of it all
This Recipe includes:
 | All purpose flour |
 | Butter |
 | Chicken stock |
 | Crème fraiche (heavy cream) |
 | Salt and pepper |
One of the most classic French sauces is a velouté, which is simply a thickened stock, typically made with chicken or veal stock. Velouté is the French version of something you may know as “white sauce” or “cream sauce.” It’s an incredibly versatile sauce that is also very quick and easy to make at home.
A good vélouté sauce recipe is the perfect example of how chicken stock and flour can be used as a savory foundation for a warm meal. Pronounced “veh-loo-tay”, it can be used to enliven a variety of dishes, including white meats and vegetables. The chicken blanquette is a version of a velouté sauce.
Now, there can be a bit of confusion because in France, velouté is also used to refer to a blended soup. The Velouté soup is a finely pureed creamy soup, usually made with vegetables. The Velouté sauce on the other hand, does include some chicken stock, but also includes butter and flour. So let’s get to the velouté sauce recipe, shall we? Allons-y!
Mother and Daughter sauces
In 1833, French chef Antonin Carême, one of the most important French chefs and cookbook authors of the 19th century, published a classification of French sauces in his reference cookbook L’art de la cuisine française au XIXe siècle (“The Art of French Cuisine in the 19th Century”).
In it, the velouté sauce with butter, flour, and chicken stock was considered one of the 5 mother sauces. In addition, the sauce is a base for several daughter sauces such as:
- Allemande: chicken or veal velouté with lemon juice, egg yolk, and cream.
- Poulette: chicken velouté with heavy cream and mushrooms.
- Hongrais (Hungarian): chicken or veal velouté with onion, paprika, butter, and white wine.
- Vénitienne (Venetian): chicken or fish velouté with tarragon, shallots, and parsley.
- Normande: fish velouté with cream, butter, and egg yolks.
French Velouté Sauce
Equipment
Ingredients
- 50 g Butter
- 1/3 cup of flour
- 4 cups of chicken stock low sodium if possible
- 1 tablespoon of crème fraiche or heavy cream
- Pinch of salt and pepper
Instructions
- Melt the butter in a saucepan at low heat. (Don’t let the butter burn or turn brown.)
- Take the pan off the heat and add the flour.
- Mix well with a whisk.
- Put the saucepan back on the stove at low temperature, and add the chicken stock and heavy cream while mixing.
- Season to your liking with salt and pepper.
- Whisk until the velouté is smooth and creamy.
- Serve while warm or room temperature.
Notes
Nutrition
Please note: We are not certified nutritionists and these estimates written and produced for entertainment purposes only.
What to serve with Velouté sauce?
Sauce velouté often is served with poultry, like steamed, poached or baked chicken. You can also serve it as a topping with grilled vegetables or mashed potatoes or brown rice.
What drinks to serve with it?
A dry white wine from Burgundy or the Loire will be lovely when served with chicken and velouté sauce. You can read more about French wines here.
How to store it?
Velouté sauce can easily be kept in the refrigerator and can even be frozen. Portion the velouté sauce in an airtight container or silicone ziplock bags, so that you can defrost the sauce for a single serving. (Do not defrost and then refreeze.)
To defrost velouté sauce, place in the fridge overnight. Place in a saucepan and whisk over low heat for a few minutes to return to its original consistency. Serve while warm.
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