FOOD NEWS
What Makes Classic French Fricassee Chicken So Distinctive
BY RYAN CASHMAN
At first glance, the French dish chicken Fricassee looks like a simple, creamy chicken stew, but the process of cooking it is quite different from a typical hearty meat braise.
Fricassee is a cooking method in which meat is cooked in butter and oil and then braised in broth. However, the ingredients are not browned in any way during this whole process.
For chicken Fricassee, you'd cook the chicken in a pan very gently so it browns as little as possible. Only cook it for a few minutes per side before removing it from the heat.
Next, you cook vegetables in the chicken fat with flour to make a roux, again being very gentle to avoid browning. Once the vegetables soften, add white wine to deglaze the pan.
Add chicken stock and herbs, return the chicken to the pan, and cook covered for 10 minutes, then uncovered for 20 minutes. Once the gravy thickens, add cream.
The best pan for this dish is a sturdy Dutch oven, but a large pasta pot or cast-iron skillet will also do the trick. This one-pot dish is full of pure and simple chicken flavor.
The best pan for this dish is a sturdy Dutch oven, but a large pasta pot or cast-iron skillet will also do the trick. This one-pot dish is full of pure and simple chicken flavor.