Chicken Fricassee is a classic French chicken stew. As with any stew, how you make it and what you put in it is entirely up to you. Some people add cream, some people add mushrooms and other veggies and in fact, you can even use veal or rabbit and make a slight name change. In my house, the dish is known simply as “Lemon Chicken” because I leave it pretty simple. Boneless chicken breasts, chicken stock, and lemons are all I really use. Oh, and white wine. That is a must if you want to call it Chicken Fricassee, but that’s really the only rule.
I’ve made it many ways but I’ve found this recipe to be quite simple and more importantly, it hasn’t failed me yet. Mine also isn’t so much a stew but rather, really tender pieces of chicken in a luscious sauce.
Ingredients:
4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
1/2 cup of all-purpose flour, plus 1 tablespoon
1 tablespoon of butter
3 garlic cloves, thinly sliced
1 cup dry white wine
3 cups of chicken broth
1 lemon, slice half thinly and seeds removed and leave other half intact
1 tablespoon of dried oregano
Small bunch of parsley, minced finely
Lots of olive oil (about 1 cup)
Salt
Directions:
1.) Starting at the thickest part of each breast, cut chicken in half. Place each half in a resealable bag and pound lightly to an even thickness. Season each side of the chicken lightly with salt.
2.) Place 1/2 cup of flour in a bowl and season with oregano and salt. Dredge chicken in flour mixture and set aside (you can just leave the chicken in the flour until ready to use).
3.) Make a beurre manie by kneading the butter and 1 tablespoon of flour together. The term ‘beurre manie’ is actually French for ‘kneaded butter’.
4.) Place most of the oil in a pan (I really prefer a stainless steel pan for this recipe) over medium-high heat. When hot, add chicken in batches. Cook hard and fast, rotating as needed to ensure even browning. Cook on one side until about 80 percent done and then flip. Cook other side hot and fast, rotating again to ensure even browning. After first batch is done, remove chicken to a plate and continue doing the same with other pieces.
5.) Once all chicken is cooked, drain oil from the pan and cool slightly.
6.) Add a small amount of new oil to the pan over medium-high heat. When hot, add garlic and cook for about 30 seconds while stirring.
7.) Add white wine to the pan (remove pan from heat first if using a gas stove). Turn heat up under pan and reduce wine until there are lots of little bubbles, about two to three minutes.
8.) Add chicken broth and bring to a boil. Reduce chicken broth until it is reduced about halfway.
9.) Add the beurre manie and whisk to incorporate and make sure there are no lumps. Bring mixture back to a boil.
10.) Add in slices of lemon and juice the remaining half into the broth. Taste and season with more salt, if necessary.
11.) Add chicken and any pan juices that collected on the plate back into the pan. Lower heat and simmer for 2 to 3 minutes, just to reheat the chicken.
12.) Finish the dish with fresh chopped parsley.
13.) Serve and enjoy!