*that’s the French flag, btw Feeling the French vibes, but not the chicken? My boneless pork chops with apples and cider offer the same creamy sauce and can be served with all the suggestions below.
What is Chicken Fricassée?
The French might call it fricassée, but we might call it chicken casserole, or chicken stew! It’s a gently comforting dish of chicken stewed to juicy perfection in white wine and cream with plump mushrooms lazily bobbing about in the sauce. Although we tend to view French cuisine as the epitome of class and elegance, this chicken thigh recipe dates back to 14th century France and came from more humble, practical beginnings. It is prepared in two steps; the ingredients are first sautéed and then stewed, this way the sauce becomes intensely flavoured by the meat and vegetables so the dish can be served with a relatively plain side, like rice or mashed potato. Chicken fricassée is definitely the lowlier cousin of another French chicken recipe classic, Coq au Vin. If you prefer your chicken in a red wine sauce, this one’s for you!
Ingredients and variations
The ingredients of the dish originally would have varied depending on what was in the stores and needed to be used up that day. Generally, that would have been chicken, but veal or rabbit could also have been the main meat component in the Middle Ages. I’ve used chicken thighs as they’re the most affordable of the three in today’s supermarkets! And thighs tend to be the most succulent. For me, there’s no other vegetable better suited to a creamy chicken recipe than an earthy chestnut mushroom! Carrots, potatoes and squash all cook well alongside chicken too absorbing all the rich saucy flavour, and they come out deliciously soft. But you can really make like a 13th century French peasant and use up whatever you have! Early recipes would use egg yolks as a thickener for the sauce. You can expect a protein rich and super silky sauce using this method. However, if you’re short on time you can just use flour, as I have in my recipe. It’s certainly more convenient! White wine and chicken thighs are the classic French version of fricassée, but since its introduction to foreign soils, national variations have emerged. For example, the Germans make a fricassée with a whole chicken and green peas or asparagus. Spanish Caribbean versions are made with a red wine and tomato-based sauce and carrots. What makes it a fricassée is the method rather than the ingredients. So feel free to tamper with the recipe.
Serving suggestions
This dish can be dressed up or down to suit your mood and your diners. You can take the express route and serve this French chicken casserole over traditional rice or my herb and garlic mashed potatoes for a weeknight family meal. Or plan a three-course fine dining experience a la France with an elegant menu du jour and a bottle of white wine, French, of course! Mine would look a little like this: L’entrée: A rich and creamy cauliflower cheese soup Le plat principal: Chicken Fricassée ou Le plat végétarien: roasted butternut squash with lentils and feta Le dessert: strawberry galette ou plum tarte tatin with lavender cream
Storage and leftovers
Any leftover fricassee can be stored in an airtight container in the fridge for 2-3 days. To reheat, add a splash of water to loosen and cook over a medium heat until the chicken is hot all the way through. Although you can freeze the leftover chicken casserole, due to the cream content it will be a little grainy on thawing and not at its best. I suggest enjoying this one on the day or reheated from the fridge.
Favourite French Chicken Recipes
Chicken in Wine and Mustard Sauce French Chicken Casserole a la Normande Chicken Provencal Chicken Chasseur Chicken Forestière
