Chicken Frickassee

 

I always joke in our house that we’re going to have fricassee for dinner. I think it’s just a fun word to say, and it gets a lot of quizzical looks.

 

One night I said it and my daughter asked what that was. Hmm… let’s look it up and see. It was an interesting little lesson in the wording of foods we eat.

 

 

We found that Fricassee is very similar to Couq a vin, or chicken in a white wine sauce. Of course, that takes much longer to cook as it needs to braise the wine off, leaving the flavors behind.

 

 

It’s also very similar to Chicken Marsala, which is a recipe we make often in our house. When I described that, we realized it’s probably something we would enjoy trying out.

 

 

This was a lot of fun to explore with my kids. Recipes like this allow you to use veggies you’d like to use, and omit ones you’re not as much a fan of. We serve it with rice, but it would also go great with noodles or a potato mash. It keeps everyone happy with a sauce and a starch to soak up all the yumminess.

 

 

Chicken Fricassee

 

8 pieces chicken; boneless, skinless (thighs are best, but breast works too)

2 Tbs EVOO

1 tsp salt

 ½ tsp pepper

1 Tbs butter

½ medium onion, chopped

2 cloves garlic, minced

2 carrots, peeled and roughly chopped

8 oz mushrooms, roughly chopped

1 tsp dried thyme

2 Tbs flour

½ c white wine

1 ½ c chicken stock

½ c heavy cream

 

 

Heat a deep cast iron skillet (I use my le creuset for this) to high heat. Pat the chicken pieces dry and add salt and pepper for seasoning. Add some oil to the skillet and sear the pieces of chicken in batches, so as not to overcrowd the pan. Between each batch allow the pan to heat back up and add a bit more oil. Once all of the chicken has been seared, set aside and heat the pan to a medium heat. Add the butter and the onion and brown it without over cooking, maybe a couple minutes. Add the mushrooms and carrots and allow them to soften a bit. Next add the garlic and thyme and cook for just another minute. Finally add the flour and cook it into the mix, making sure it’s all incorporated and becomes a bit of a brown with the butter.

 

Now it’s time to add the wine. Add it slowly and use it to clean the bottom of the pan. Reduce the heat to a simmer and allow the wine to cook off, it should be half the amount of liquid, about 3-5 minutes. Now add the pieces of chicken and the chicken stock and bring it to a boil with the lid on. Reduce the temperature and allow it to simmer for about 45 minutes, until the chicken is cooked through and the sauce has reduced a bit. To finish it off, add the heavy cream and turn the heat up a bit to allow it to simmer for a few minutes. Serve with rice, noodles, or potatoes.