Chicken Fricassee

Those initiated in the wonderful world of French cuisine might be familiar with chicken fricassee. It’s a classic chicken dish with an indulgent cream sauce that comes together with foundational ingredients like mirepoix, mushrooms and fresh herbs. While this recipe doesn’t include carrots like other versions do, the mushrooms and chopped onion are more than enough to flavor the sauce.

Made with beautifully browned chicken thighs and a host of veggies, it’s a super easy way to elevate your midweek meals. After all, who doesn’t love an excuse to swap out typical chicken breasts for a juicier cut? Save our chicken fricassee recipe for when the cold weather strikes and you need cozy, comforting meals to warm you from the inside out.

What is chicken fricassee?

This creamy French dish is part saute, part stew. The sauce comes together by lightly flouring and sauteeing chicken, then gently braising the meat in liquid with an array of fragrant vegetables and herbs. The braising liquid can be milk, wine, cream, water or stock. Chicken ranks among the most popular proteins that you can fricassee, but veal and rabbit are traditionally not far behind. That said, you can fricassee proteins like turkey and fish, or even whip up an oyster fricassee. Versions of this recipe date back to 14th-century France, with certain variations calling for egg yolk to thicken the stew.

Ingredients for Chicken Fricassee

• Flour: Coating the chicken in all-purpose flour helps thicken the fricassee sauce.
• Herbs and seasonings: You’ll use a combination of salt, pepper and dried thyme to season the flour and flavor the chicken. Adding a bay leaf to the simmering braising liquid subtly enhances the other flavors merging in the stew. A little parsley goes a long way as a finishing touch.
• Chicken: Where so many other recipes call for chicken breast, fricassee demands chicken thighs, which give the dish incredible depth of flavor. Keep the skin on for more complexity.
• Vegetables: Celery and onions form two-thirds of the traditional mirepoix that starts many French recipes. Chicken fricassee recipes often include carrots—the third member of the mirepoix trio—to the mix.
• Mushrooms: Make this recipe extra special and prepare it with delicately flavored chanterelle mushrooms, or splash out on a few pricy, nutty morels.
• Water: Good old water serves as our braising liquid in this recipe. Swap it out for stock or low-sodium broth to boost the flavor in your sauce.
• Milk: Whole milk imbues the sauce with a delightfully creamy texture. Substitute half-and-half or heavy cream to make a richer, more velvety sauce.
• Butter: Butter adds a mellower flavor to the chicken than olive oil, and since everything is cooked in the same pan, the other ingredients will pick up on the flavor too.

Directions

Step 1: Season and cook the chicken

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In a resealable plastic bag, combine 2-1/4 teaspoons of flour with the salt, pepper and thyme. Add the chicken, and shake well to coat.

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In a small skillet brown the chicken in butter, then transfer the chicken to a plate.

Editor’s Tip: Traditional fricassee recipes avoid browning the meat, yielding a white stew, but rules are meant to be broken! Browning the chicken makes it even tastier, though you can opt to saute the chicken at a lower temperature so it cooks without taking on color. Just be sure it cooks to a safe internal temperature.

Step 2: Saute the vegetables

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In the same skillet, saute the mushrooms, onion and celery until they’re crisp-tender.

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Add the chicken back to the pan. Pour in the water and add the bay leaf, then bring the water to a boil. Reduce to a simmer, then cover with a lid and cook for 30 to 35 minutes or until the chicken juices run clear, turning the chicken occasionally.

Editor’s Tip: When the chicken reaches an internal temperature of 165°F, it’s ready to serve. Keep your instant-read meat thermometer handy.

Step 3: Add the milk

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Pour the remaining flour into a small bowl. Add the milk and whisk until smooth.

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Stir the slurry into the skillet with the pan juices.

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Bring the sauce to a boil, stirring it for two minutes until it has thickened. Remove and discard the bay leaf and garnish the chicken with parsley.

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Chicken Fricassee Variations

• Add carrots: To complete the mirepoix that fricassee is normally cooked with, add 1/4 cup of chopped carrots.
• Pile on the pork: Bacon, lardons or pancetta can bring loads of savory, satisfyingly salty depth to fricassees. Try chorizo for a smokier flavor.
• Spike it with wine: Using a combination of dry white wine (for example, sauvignon blanc, pinot grigio or an unoaked chardonnay) and chicken stock as a braising liquid for the chicken is a game-changer.

How to Store Chicken Fricassee

Allow any leftovers to cool down, then transfer them to an airtight container. Store the container in the fridge until you’re ready for round two. While technically you can freeze chicken fricassee, the texture of the creamy milk-based sauce will change after defrosting. The easiest way to avoid this problem? Add the milk as a final step once you’ve defrosted and reheated the dish.

How long does chicken fricassee last?

Refrigerated chicken fricassee will stay fresh for up to four days. Frozen chicken fricassee should be thawed and enjoyed within three months.

How do you reheat chicken fricassee?

In a skillet on the stove is the best way to reheat chicken fricassee. Heat it over medium-low heat until it’s piping hot and the sauce is happily simmering away once more. You can also pop the fricassee and sauce into a microwave-safe container and ‘wave it until warmed.

Chicken Fricassee Tips

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Can you use other cuts of chicken for chicken fricassee?

While this fricassee chicken recipe calls for thighs, you can use any cut: chicken breasts, legs, a mixture of both or even the whole bird. Chicken breasts are leaner with a milder flavor while the darker leg and thigh meat is juicier and bolder thanks to it higher fat content. In short, it’s all about preference.

What wine goes well with chicken fricassee?

As a traditional French dish, pairing chicken fricassee with French wine is the natural choice. Burgundian pinot noirs and chardonnays are stellar here, or look to the Loire Valley’s ripe, fresh chenin blanc. Outside of France, keep an eye out for albarino or gruner veltliner. In a similar vein, bubbles are a knock-out here; try a budget-friendly, dry French cremant or a Spanish cava. Have something to celebrate or just feel a bit fancy? Splurge on a bottle of rosé champagne.

What can you serve with chicken fricassee?

A heap of silky mashed potatoes is a near-universal favorite side dish with fricassee, but other starchy sides like rice, noodles, polenta or risotto (we love Ina Garten’s risotto recipe) are close seconds. Roasted root vegetables, a mixed green salad, Swiss chard with onions and garlic or haricots verts (aka French green beans) are wonderful for the veggie part of the meal. As a final touch on the table, bake a homemade baguette or French bread to mop up your plate.