Chicken Fricassee Recipe
A classic French braised chicken recipe. One Pot meal.
Servings 8
Calories 346kcal
Ingredients
- 1 whole chicken cut into 11 pieces (reserve back and wing tips for another use, such as stock), 3 ½ to 4 pounds
- Coarse salt and freshly ground pepper
- 3 tablespoons unsalted butter softened, divided
- 1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
- 1 small yellow onion chopped
- 1 carrot chopped
- 1 celery stalk chopped
- 8 ounces cremini mushrooms trimmed and quartered
- 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
- ⅔ cup dry white wine
- 4 cups chicken broth
- 2 sprigs fresh flat-leaf parsley
- 2 sprigs fresh thyme
- 1 bay leaf
- 2 large egg yolks room temperature
- ¼ cup heavy cream
- 2 tablespoons fresh tarragon leaves chopped
- 2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
Instructions
- Season chicken on both sides with 1 tablespoon salt and ½ teaspoon pepper.
- Preheat a Dutch oven or other large heavy pot over medium-high heat. Add 2 tablespoons butter and the oil to pot. When butter melts and foam subsides, add half the chicken, skin side down, in a single layer; do not crowd pot. (If butter begins to blacken, lower heat.) Fry chicken, turning once, until golden brown on both sides, about 10 minutes total, and transfer to a plate. Repeat with remaining chicken.
- Reduce heat to medium, and add mirepoix (onion, carrot, and celery) to pot, scraping up any browned bits with a wooden spoon. Saute mirepoix, stirring occasionally, until soft and golden brown in places, 8 to 10 minutes.
- Add mushrooms, and cook, stirring occasionally, until mushrooms darken, become glossy, and begin to release liquid, 4 to 5 minutes. Stir in flour, and cook until flour is absorbed by vegetables and is no longer visible, about 1 minute.
- Add wine to pot, and bring to a boil, stirring until liquid just thickens, about 45 seconds. Add broth, and stir.
- Place chicken, skin side up, in a single layer on vegetables; pour juices that have accumulated on plate into pot. Tie parsley sprigs, thyme sprigs, and bay leaf together with kitchen twine; add to pot.
- Bring to a boil, then reduce to a simmer. Cover partially. Cook until internal temperature of thickest part of chicken registers 165 degrees, 25 to 30 minutes. Transfer chicken to a clean plate. Simmer liquid, uncovered, until reduced slightly, about 5 minutes. Discard herbs.
- To make the liaison (sauce thickener), whisk together egg yolks and cream in a medium bowl. Whisking constantly, pour ½ cup cooking liquid, 1 tablespoon at a time, into liaison to temper it. Stir tempered liaison into pot.
- Return chicken to pot. Add tarragon, lemon juice, and the remaining butter. Bring to a simmer, stir gently to combine, and serve.
Nutrition
Calories: 346kcal | Carbohydrates: 7g | Protein: 21g | Fat: 25g | Saturated Fat: 9g | Cholesterol: 139mg | Sodium: 512mg | Potassium: 515mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 2g | Vitamin A: 1815IU | Vitamin C: 14mg | Calcium: 60mg | Iron: 2mg
