While Coq au Riesling uses a whole jointed bird, the poulet au Riesling et spätzle (chicken with Riesling and spätzle) represents the weeknight incarnation of this pairing: chicken pieces (often supremes or thighs alone) sautéed and sauced in a simplified Riesling cream sauce, served over freshly made spätzle — the dish that fills more Alsatian family tables than any other. The technique centres on the spätzle, Alsace’s signature fresh egg noodle-dumplings, whose preparation is a study in efficient home cooking. The batter: 300g flour, 3 eggs, 100ml water or milk, a teaspoon of salt, and optionally a scraping of nutmeg, beaten vigorously until the batter is smooth, elastic, and falls from a spoon in thick ribbons (it should be thicker than pancake batter but thinner than pasta dough). The batter is rested 15 minutes to relax the gluten and allow air bubbles to dissipate. For forming, three traditional methods exist: the spätzle board (Spätzlebrett), a small wet board held over boiling water, the batter spread on top and small strips scraped directly into the water with a palette knife; the spätzle press (Spätzlepresse), a potato ricer-like device that extrudes the batter through holes; or the colander method, where the batter is pushed through the holes of a large-holed colander with a spatula. The spätzle are poached for 2-3 minutes until they float, then scooped out and either tossed in butter for immediate serving or spread on an oiled tray to cool for later pan-frying. The pan-fried version (spätzle sautées) is the Alsatian favourite: cooled spätzle are fried in butter in a single layer until golden and slightly crispy on the edges, then topped with the Riesling-sauced chicken. The marriage of crispy-edged dumplings, tender chicken, and creamy Riesling sauce is one of Alsatian cuisine’s most complete and satisfying compositions.
Spätzle batter beaten until smooth and elastic. Thick ribbon consistency. Rest 15 minutes before forming. Poach 2-3 minutes until floating. Pan-fry in butter until golden for best result. Riesling sauce simplified with crème fraîche.
For the fluffiest spätzle, separate one egg and fold the beaten white in last. The board method produces the most irregular, rustic shapes that hold sauce best. A large-holed box grater works as an improvised spätzle maker in a pinch. Fresh spätzle can be frozen: spread on a floured tray, freeze, then bag.
Batter too thin, producing shapeless wisps. Batter too thick, producing heavy dumplings. Not resting the batter. Overcrowding the poaching water. Not drying spätzle before pan-frying (they steam rather than fry). Overcooking until they become gummy.
La Cuisine Alsacienne (Simone Morgenthaler)