Chicken Fricassee
Creamy chicken fricassee makes a delicious dinner on any busy weeknight.
Juicy, succulent chicken cooked in a delectable cream sauce with mushrooms and herbs. This is one of my favourite weekday meals.
This French stewed chicken, or fricassee, has been popular around the world since around the 16th century. It is quite simple to make and is certainly one of the more tastier ways to prepare chicken.
Chicken fricassee can be served over just about anything. Traditionally, it's rice, potatoes, or a short-cut pasta, but I also like this over couscous or quinoa.
For a more complex flavour, substitute 1/2 cup of the chicken stock with a chardonnay or other dry white wine. Add the wine in before the chicken stock and let it simmer for a minute to cook off the alcohol.
Ingredients
(Makes 8 servings)
8, 3oz skin-on, bone-in chicken thighs
1 teaspoon sea salt
1 teaspoon garlic powder
1 teaspoon onion powder
1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper
2 tablespoons unsalted plant-based butter
1 large sweet onion, chopped
3 cups cremini mushrooms, sliced
1oz dried porcini mushrooms, reconstituted and chopped
2 cloves garlic, minced
1/2 teaspoon dried parsley
1/2 teaspoon dried thyme
1/4 cup all-purpose flour
4 cups low-fat, low-sodium chicken stock
2 bay leaves
2/3 cup heavy cream
sea salt and ground black pepper to taste
Directions
Place chicken on a platter and pat dry before sprinkling both sides with the sea salt, garlic powder, onion powder, and ground black pepper. Let sit for 5 minutes.
In a 3-quart Dutch oven, or deep heavy-bottomed pan over medium-high heat, add the butter. Once the butter is melted and sizzling, add the chicken skin-side down, working in batches if needed to avoid crowding the pan. Cook for 5 minutes or until golden brown. Flip and cook on the opposite side for an additional minute or two then transfer back to the platter and set aside.
Add the onion and mushrooms to the pan and sauté until the onions soften and the mushrooms have lost most of their water and begin to brown (about 10 minutes). Add the porcini mushrooms and garlic then sauté an additional minute before adding the dried parsley and dried thyme, mix well. Sprinkle over the flour and mix well. Allow to sauté a few minutes to cook off the raw taste of the flour before adding the chicken stock and bay leaves. Stir well while scraping the fond from the bottom of the pan. Once it starts to come to a simmer, transfer the chicken back into the pan, skin-side up. Let it come back to a simmer before covering and lowering the heat to medium. Cook covered for 20 minutes before removing the cover and cooking an additional 20 minutes, or until the internal temperature of the chicken reaches 170°F / 77°C.
Transfer the chicken to a clean plate then stir the heavy cream into the pan. Bring to a simmer and taste, adjusting the seasoning if needed. Transfer the chicken back into the sauce and serve.
Nutritional Information Per Serving:
total calories = 371 | total fat = 29.73g | saturated fat = 13.2g | cholesterol = 196.44mg | sodium = 693.19mg | net carbohydrates = 12.42g | dietary fibre = 2.05g | sugars = 2.38g | protein = 32.46g
