1 Breast meat from 1 boiled chicken (approximately 1 1/2 cups / 200 g cooked, shredded)
1 stalk celery
2 cups (480 ml) whole milk, scalded
1 slice onion
0.25 cup (60 ml) cold whole milk
0.25 tablespoon (3/4 teaspoon / 4 g) salt
8 tablespoons (113 g) unsalted butter
1 Yolks of 3 hard-boiled eggs
3 tablespoons (24 g) all-purpose flour
Instructions
1. Combine the White Stock III with the peppercorns, celery stalk, and onion slice in a large heavy saucepan (4-quart / 3.8-liter). Bring to a simmer over medium heat and cook for 20 minutes, until the stock is fragrant and the vegetables are fully softened. Strain through a fine-mesh sieve and discard solids; return strained stock to the pot.
2. Press the yolks of the hard-boiled eggs through a fine-mesh sieve into a medium bowl until completely smooth with no lumps visible.
3. In a small bowl, soak the cracker crumbs in the cold whole milk until fully softened and the milk is absorbed, approximately 3-5 minutes. Add the softened crumb mixture to the sieved egg yolks and stir to combine.
4. Chop the boiled chicken breast meat into rough pieces, then press through the fine-mesh sieve (or process in a food processor until a smooth paste forms). Add the sieved chicken to the egg-and-cracker mixture and stir until uniform.
5. Scald the 2 cups (480 ml) whole milk by warming it in a small saucepan over medium-low heat until small bubbles appear around the edge and steam rises but the milk does not boil (approximately 180°F / 82°C). This technique — scalding — deactivates enzymes that could thin the finished soup.
6. Slowly pour the hot scalded milk into the chicken-egg-cracker mixture in a thin stream, whisking constantly to combine without scrambling (this is a tempering step — gradually raising the temperature of the egg mixture before adding it to the hot stock).
7. Slowly add the tempered mixture to the warm strained stock, stirring constantly. Bring the soup just to a boil over medium heat, then maintain a gentle boil for 3 minutes, stirring frequently, until the soup is slightly thickened and uniformly opaque.
8. Prepare a beurre manié (butter-and-flour liaison): using a fork or your fingers, work the 8 tablespoons (113 g) butter and 3 tablespoons (24 g) flour together in a small bowl until a smooth paste forms. Add this paste to the simmering soup in small pieces, whisking after each addition, until fully incorporated and the soup coats the back of a spoon, approximately 2-4 minutes. Taste and adjust salt before serving.
9. Serve immediately in warmed bowls. The finished soup should be creamy, pale ivory in color, and lightly thickened — not stiff or gluey.
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