Quick Chicken Fricassée (French Chicken Stew)
This easy Chicken Fricassée is a quick, one pot French stew with crispy chicken, mushrooms, and a luxurious creamy white wine sauce. Elegant comfort food ready in under an hour!
Ingredients
For the Chicken:
- 4 bone in skin on chicken thighs
- 4 bone in skin on chicken drumsticks
- 1 tsp kosher salt
- ½ tsp black pepper
- 4 tbsp unsalted butter
For the Stew:
- 10 oz white mushrooms halved
- 2 medium yellow onions sliced
- 2 garlic cloves minced
- 1 bay leaf
- 3 sprigs fresh thyme or ½ tsp dried
- 3 tbsp all purpose flour
- ½ cup dry white wine e.g., Chardonnay
- 3 cups low sodium chicken broth
- ¼ tsp kosher salt
- ¼ tsp black pepper
- ⅔ cup heavy cream
- 2 tbsp chopped fresh parsley
Instructions
- Brown Chicken: Pat chicken dry; season with 1 tsp salt & ½ tsp pepper. Melt butter in large pot over medium high heat. Brown thighs skin side down 4-5 mins, flip 1 min, remove. Brown drumsticks 2 mins per side; remove.
- Cook Veggies: In same pot, add mushrooms, onion, bay leaf, thyme. Cook 5 mins until soft.
- Make Roux: Add garlic; cook 30 sec. Add flour; cook 1 min, stirring.
- Deglaze & Simmer: Add wine, scrape pot. Add broth, ¼ tsp salt & pepper. Stir. Return chicken to pot skin side up.
- Simmer: Bring to simmer. Cover, simmer 10 mins. Uncover, simmer 20 mins until chicken is cooked (165°F).
- Finish Sauce: Remove chicken. Stir cream into sauce. Simmer 2 mins. Taste, adjust seasoning.
- Serve: Return chicken to sauce. Garnish with parsley. Serve over mashed potatoes, pasta, or rice.
Notes
- Chicken: Bone in, skin on is essential for flavor and prevents drying out.
- Wine Substitute: Use extra ½ cup broth + 1 tbsp lemon juice.
- Serving: Excellent with mashed potatoes, egg noodles, or crusty bread.