Crockpot Chicken Fricassee Recipe
If chicken fricassee sounds a little old-fashioned to you, you're not wrong. It's a classic French stew that dates back to the medieval era, and it's been said that chicken fricassee was a favorite of President Abraham Lincoln. If the words "traditional" and "French" in a recipe scare you off, however, don't be alarmed! This Crockpot chicken fricassee recipe from recipe developer and chef Julianne De Witt is straightforward and does not require any advanced cooking skills. If you want a dinner recipe for a night when you need to multitask, remember that you don't need to watch the Crockpot once you've closed the lid.
If you do have some experience with French cooking, you might be surprised to see a beurre manié and not a roux in this recipe. "Beurre manié is essentially an uncooked roux," De Witt says. "Made with equal parts softened butter and flour, it's the perfect thickener for the Crockpot."
Gather your ingredients for Crockpot chicken fricassee
To make this Crockpot chicken fricassee, you'll need avocado oil, diced onion, carrots, celery, garlic, assorted mushrooms, chicken stock, white wine, fresh thyme, softened butter, heavy cream, all-purpose flour, salt, fresh ground black pepper, frozen pearl onions, and bone-in, skin-on chicken thighs.
Step 1: Heat the oil
Place the avocado oil in a saute pan over high heat.
Step 2: Season the chicken thighs
Season chicken thighs with 1 teaspoon salt and ½ teaspoon black pepper.
Step 3: Sear the chicken
Working in batches, sear the chicken on both sides until browned, approximately 2 minutes per side.
Step 4: Move the chicken
Once browned, add the chicken to a Crockpot.
Step 5: Saute the vegetables
Add onions, carrots, celery, and garlic to the same pan you cooked the chicken in and saute for 2 minutes.
Step 6: Add the mushrooms
Add mushrooms and cook for 1 minute.
Step 7: Switch over to the Crockpot
Add the contents of the saute pan to the Crockpot.
Step 8: Add the liquid
Next, pour in chicken stock and white wine.
Step 9: Add herbs
Add thyme sprigs and bay leaves. Stir.
Step 10: Cook the chicken fricassee
Cook on high for 2 hours 30 minutes.
Step 11: Make a beurre manié
While the chicken cooks, create a beurre manié by combining the softened butter and flour together to form a paste.
Step 12: Remove the chicken thighs
After cooking, remove the chicken thighs from the Crockpot and set aside.
Step 13: Add the beurre manié
Add the beurre manié to the Crockpot and whisk.
Step 14: Add the heavy cream
Add heavy cream. Season with salt and pepper, to taste.
Step 15: Add the chicken and the pearl onions
Return the chicken to the Crockpot and add the pearl onions.
Step 16: Cook on low
Stir, cover, and cook on low for 30 minutes, until the sauce has thickened and the chicken has reached a minimum of 165 F.
Step 17: Garnish and serve
Garnish with minced parsley to serve.
What should you serve with this Crockpot chicken fricassee?
Chicken fricassee is a hearty, comforting dish, and De Witt recommends serving this recipe with hearty, comforting sides. "I like to serve chicken fricassee with mashed potatoes, steamed green beans, and some crusty bread for soaking up all the delicious sauce," De Witt says. She also notes that this Crockpot chicken fricassee is a great dinner option during the colder months of the year.
This Crockpot chicken fricassee should last 3–4 days in the refrigerator, and, according to De Witt, should taste even better after one day in the fridge. You can also keep this dish in the freezer for up to 3 months. As with any frozen dish that involves chicken and liquid, be mindful about how you thaw and reheat. "Reheat by thawing in the fridge and then reheating gently in a saucepan over medium heat, stirring occasionally," De Witt says.
Why should you use bone-in chicken thighs when making this Crockpot chicken fricassee?
Chicken fricassee is traditionally made with a whole chicken. In fact, this dish became popular in the South during the Great Depression because a single chicken in a stew could feed a large family. In this recipe, however, De Witt uses bone-in chicken thighs. "Traditionally, fricassee is made from a whole chicken cut into pieces, but I use chicken thighs here to save time," De Witt says. "I recommend using bone-in chicken for the flavor. You could substitute boneless chicken thighs, but watch the cooking time, as boneless meat tends to fall apart if cooked too long in the Crockpot."
De Witt uses another time-saver ingredient in this recipe: frozen pearl onions. "Fresh pearl onions can be used instead, but they'll take longer to cook," De Witt says. If you do use fresh pearl onions, add them to the Crockpot once you begin cooking and not at the end, as is written in the recipe.
- 2 tablespoons avocado oil
- 8 bone-in, skin-on chicken thighs
- 1 teaspoon salt, plus more to taste
- ½ teaspoon fresh ground black pepper, plus more to taste
- ½ small onion, diced
- 2 carrots, peeled and diced
- 3 stalks of celery, diced
- 3 cloves of garlic, minced
- 10 ounces assorted mushrooms, trimmed and cut into bite-sized pieces
- 1 ½ cups chicken stock
- ¼ cup dry white wine
- 3 sprigs fresh thyme
- 2 bay leaves
- 3 tablespoons unsalted butter, softened
- 3 tablespoons all-purpose flour
- ½ cup heavy cream
- 10 ounces frozen pearl onions, thawed
- Minced Italian parsley, for garnish
- Place the avocado oil in a saute pan over high heat.
- Season chicken thighs with 1 teaspoon salt and ½ teaspoon black pepper.
- Working in batches, sear the chicken on both sides until browned, approximately 2 minutes per side.
- Once browned, add the chicken to a Crockpot.
- Add onions, carrots, celery, and garlic to the same pan you cooked the chicken in and saute for 2 minutes.
- Add mushrooms and cook for 1 minute.
- Add the contents of the saute pan to the Crockpot.
- Next, pour in chicken stock and white wine.
- Add thyme sprigs and bay leaves. Stir.
- Cook on high for 2 hours 30 minutes.
- While the chicken cooks, create a beurre manié by combining the softened butter and flour together to form a paste.
- After cooking, remove the chicken thighs from the Crockpot and set aside.
- Add the beurre manié to the Crockpot and whisk.
- Add heavy cream. Season with salt and pepper, to taste.
- Return the chicken to the Crockpot and add the pearl onions.
- Stir, cover, and cook on low for 30 minutes, until the sauce has thickened and the chicken has reached a minimum of 165 F.
- Garnish with minced parsley to serve.
| Calories per Serving | 1,233 |
| Total Fat | 92.2 g |
| Saturated Fat | 30.9 g |
| Trans Fat | 0.7 g |
| Cholesterol | 437.5 mg |
| Total Carbohydrates | 25.6 g |
| Dietary Fiber | 4.3 g |
| Total Sugars | 9.2 g |
| Sodium | 1,090.2 mg |
| Protein | 71.6 g |
