Chicken Fricassee

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Chicken fricassee is a classic dish that combines the best that French cuisine has to offer. There are notes of butter, cream, and white wine, which are some of the most classic flavors in French cooking. This is a braised chicken recipe but stewed in a rich cream sauce along with vegetables.

If you love French chicken recipes, try my Coq Au Vin as well!

cooked meal of chicken thighs and legs with mixed vegetables in creamy white sauce

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French cuisine has always been one of my absolute favorites because of the rich and exquisite dishes that they’ve created. The recipes are often complimented with notes of butter, wine, cream, cheese.

This chicken dish encompasses wonderful rich favors of butter, white wine, and cream thickened with flour. The chicken is soft, tender, and has an amazing flavor from braising in the white wine cream sauce for about an hour.

As you may remember, braising is a cooking method when you first sear the meat at high temperature, and then cook it slowly in liquid sauce.

What is Chicken Fricassee?

This is a traditional French dish that combines tender braised/stewed chicken with vegetables and a rich white wine cream sauce! It’s a ultimate comfort food but you can enjoy it year-round.

The French word fricassee actually has two meanings. First, it describes a method of cooking that falls somewhere between braising and stewing.

Fricassee is also the name for the dish itself. In this case, you first sear chicken and vegetables at high heat and then slowly cook them in liquid, similar to a stew. Finally, you finish the dish with cream to make an amazing, velvety chicken dish!

overhead photo: chicken fricassee, ready for serving

Ingredient Notes For Chicken Fricassee

Chicken – Traditionally, you would use a whole chicken and break it down yourself. (Learn how to break down chicken yourself here!) It’s best to use bone-in chicken for fricassee, so if not using a while chicken, opt for chicken drumsticks or bone-in thighs.

Vegetables – Onions, carrots, and mushrooms are traditional vegetables. Feel free to swap out some of the vegetables, but don’t use anything soft or that releases a lot of liquid when cooked.

Cream – heavy whipping cream is a key ingredient since the essence of the dish is that velvety finish.

White wine – Because wine a very specific flavor to the sauce, no replacement will taste quite the same. However, if must, additional stock or a lesser amount of white grape juice can be used to make this dish alcohol free.

Flour – use regular all-purpose flour to thicken the dish and if you need to make it gluten free, use gluten free all-purpose flour.

PRO TIP: It’s always best to prep all of your ingredients first, before starting to cook. So cut the vegetables, break down the chicken, and measure out the liquids and dry ingredients.

How To Make Chicken Fricassee

PRO TIP: For best results, use a Dutch Oven or cast iron pan to prepare Chicken Fricassee.

Preheat your pan. This recipe works best in a Dutch oven or large cast iron skillet since both retain heat better and cook more evenly than other cookware. It’s important to heat the pan before adding the chicken in order to get a nice sear.

Brown chicken thighs. Cook on both sides in melted butter until golden brown, then remove to a plate while you continue. (Work in batches if you have to, so chicken doesn’t get overcrowded.)

raw pieces of bone-in chicken in frying pan of oil

browning chicken pieces in cast iron skillet

Sauté the aromatic vegetables. Add the onion, celery, and carrots to the pan and cook until they turn a nice golden color. These create the base of flavor for the entire sauce.

closeup: sauteing slices of carrot, celery and shallot in skillet

Add the mushrooms. Next, cook the mushrooms with the other vegetables until soft and darkened in color. Stir occasionally but not too often, and make sure to keep everything spread out in the pan.

mushrooms, celery, carrot, and shallot cooking in pan of melted butter

Coat vegetables in flour. Sprinkle the flour over the entire pan. Stir, and be sure to coat the vegetables evenly.

adding white flour to pan of cooked vegetables to make a roux

Deglaze the pan. Pour in the wine while slowly stirring the vegetables to prevent the flour from clumping. Be sure to scrape any bits off the bottom of the pan as well.

adding white wine to skillet of cooked vegetables for fricassee recipe

Add stock and seasoning. Stir in the remaining liquid and spices until everything is well combined.

Simmer the chicken. Place the chicken pieces back in the pan, including any liquids that came out of the chicken, making sure to nestle it into the liquid. Reduce the heat to low, cover with a lid, and cook for about 1 hour and 30 minutes. (Chicken should be at 165°F internal temperature.)

chicken fricassee simmering in white skillet on stove top

Finish the sauce. Finally, add heavy whipping cream and mix gently until combined. Simmer for another minute or two before serving.

pouring heavy cream into skillet of cooked chicken stew

Storing, Reheating, and Make Ahead Tips

Storage: Refrigerate any leftovers in an air-tight food storage container for 3 to 4 days. I don’t recommend freezing chicken fricassee because the sauce will become unpleasant when thawed and reheated.

Reheating: You can reheat everything at the same time of individual portions. For individual portions, reheat it in a microwave in increments of about 45 seconds, until heated through. You can reheat everything at the same time on stovetop over medium-low heat until warmed through.

Need to prep ahead? If you know you’ll be short on time, you can chop all of your vegetables the day before and store them covered in the refrigerator. You can also break down a whole chicken at any time and freeze the pieces for later. Just pull out what you need the night before and let it thaw in the refrigerator.

closeup: French chicken fricassee in serving bowl with spoon

Recipe FAQs

What is the best white wine for cooking?

Chardonnay is a common choice because of its versatility, but any not sweet variety with a high acidity will do. These are crisp wines, including varieties such as Chenin Blanc, Pinot Grigio, and Sauvignon Blanc.

What other vegetables can I use?

You can always add some potatoes right into the pot with other vegetables. Choose baby gold potatoes and cut them in half.
Peas and haricots verts (French green beans) will also be a great addition to this stew but note that they will be soft at the end.
Personally, I also like to add cauliflower and/or broccoli. Or, serve it on a bed of steamed cauliflower and broccoli.

How to serve chicken fricassee?

Chicken Fricassee is best to serve with rice, noodles or other pasta, mashed potatoes, or gnocchi. Don’t forget the Baguette to soak up all that wonderful sauce!
If you want something a little lighter pair it with roasted cauliflower or mashed cauliflower.

overhead: chicken fricassee in serving dish with spoon

More Chicken Recipes To Try

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