Chicken Fricassee
This comforting, flavorful chicken fricassee is a one-pot wonder featuring a velvety gravy. Enjoy a versatile and economical recipe that’s perfect as a weeknight family meal and an intimate date-night dinner.
Despite its fancy name and elegant flavors, this chicken stew is a simple dish. Busy moms will appreciate how quickly it comes together as well as how well-flavored the vegetables turn out. (Read: your kids will eat them without complaining.)
Thanks to the chicken thighs, it’s also budget-friendly. Not expensive, cooks up in a jiffy, kid-friendly; what’s not to love?
What Is Chicken Fricassee?
Fricassee is a French word referring to a cooking method that’s a cross between a sauté and a stew. As always, there’s a heated discussion over a cook’s interpretation of this dish. But we’re not going to add any fuel to that fire.
A good fricassee starts with sautéing, or some would say browning, the meat, followed by a handful of aromatics and spices. Depending on where you live, it could also include a tomato base. However, in this case, we’re using dry white wine and heavy cream to accompany the chicken stock. Let the meat simmer, add the vegetables, and voilà – you’ve made an impressively elegant dish!
How to Make Simple Chicken Fricassee
- Prep the vegetables for your mise en place, season and sear the chicken, and sauté the aromatics.
- Sauté the sliced mushrooms, add flour for the roux, then add the wine, broth, and cream.
- Return the chicken to the pan, add the carrots, and simmer until almost tender. Add the asparagus, simmer until it’s tender, and enjoy.
Recipe Variations
- For bright, citrus notes, add the juice of a freshly squeezed lemon to your sauce at the end.
- Add a teaspoon of Dijon mustard and a pinch of tarragon to the aromatics for more French vibes.
- More vegetables (bell peppers, green beans, summer squash, broccoli, cauliflower, etc.) deliver a plant-forward one-pan meal.
- Make Cuban chicken fricassee (fricase de pollo) by adding a splash of mojo marinade, some cumin, and tomato paste. Toss in a handful of green olives close to the end.
- If you prefer using a slow cooker, sear the chicken, make the sauce, and then put it all in a Crockpot. Turn it on low, then set it and forget it for 6-8 hours.
Make-Ahead and Storage Instructions
You can make this dish a day or two ahead of time. Let the chicken cool and refrigerate it for 3-5 days in an airtight container. It also freezes well; the same goes for leftovers.
Pop individual servings in the microwave or heat the whole dish on the stovetop over medium heat to reheat. Stir occasionally until the chicken heats through. But keep the heat low to keep the sauce creamy as it reheats. You’ll probably want to remove the skin from the thighs because it will be soggy.
What Goes With Chicken Fricassee
Make this dish even more satisfying with rice pilaf and green beans and potatoes or mashed potatoes. For dessert, try serving a lemon tart, which will pair well with a sweet white wine.
More Effortless Chicken Recipes to Try
- Chicken Madeira
- Bacon-Wrapped Chicken Thighs
- Chicken Tortellini Alfredo
- Bourbon Chicken
- Chicken and Gravy
Watch How to Make It
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This blog post was originally published in February 2018 and has been updated with additional tips, new photos, and a video.
Chicken Fricassee
Ingredients
- 6 chicken thighs
- 1½ teaspoons (9g) salt (adjust to taste)
- 1 teaspoon (3g) ground black pepper (adjust to taste)
- 2-3 teaspoons (8-12g) Creole seasoning
- 2 tablespoons (30ml) vegetable oil
- ½ cup (80g) diced onions
- ¼ cup (50g) diced celery
- 2-3 teaspoons (10-15g) minced garlic
- 1 large bay leaf
- 1-2 teaspoons (1-2g) minced thyme
- 4-6 ounces (113-170g) cremini mushrooms, sliced
- 2½ tablespoons (20g) all-purpose flour
- 2 cups (480ml) chicken stock
- ½ cup (120ml) dry white wine or chicken stock
- ¼ cup (60ml) heavy cream
- 2 medium carrots, peeled and sliced (about 1½ cups)
- 6-8 ounces (170-230g) asparagus, trimmed and sliced (about 1½ cups)
Instructions
- Wash chicken thighs and pat dry with a paper towel. Then rub them with salt, pepper, and a generous amount of Creole or your favorite spice mix.
- Heat a Dutch oven or skillet with a tablespoon of oil over medium-high heat (I used a 12-inch skillet). Add the chicken thighs skin-side up to the pan, browning for 4-5 minutes. Flip and brown on the other side. Remove the chicken to a plate and optionally wipe the pan clean with a paper towel.
- Add another tablespoon of oil to the pan if needed. Sauté the onions, celery, garlic, bay leaf, thyme, and mushrooms until soft (2-3 minutes). Then add the flour and stir for about a minute.
- Pour in the chicken stock and wine, stirring constantly, until the sauce thickens slightly (4-5 minutes).
- Next, add the cream, adjust seasoning to taste with salt and pepper, and return the chicken to the pan.
- Cover the pan and lower the heat to medium-low. Simmer until the sauce slightly thickens and the chicken is almost cooked through (12-15 minutes).
- Take the lid off, and then stir in the carrots. Put the lid back on and simmer until the carrots and chicken are almost done.
- Add the asparagus, put the lid back on, and cook until the chicken reaches an internal temperature of 175-180℉ (80-85℃) and the asparagus is tender (7-10 minutes).
- Serve right away with rice or potatoes and a side salad.
Tips & Notes:
- Olive oil burns easily, so it’s not good for the cooking part. But if you want the olive oil flavor, drizzle a little over the chicken right before serving.
- Be watchful when browning the chicken so it doesn’t burn. Aim for the skin to turn golden brown, not dark brown or black.
- An instant-read meat thermometer will read 175℉ (80℃) if chicken thighs are done. If you want to swap out with chicken breasts, 165℉ (75℃) is more than enough.
- If your sauce is too thick, add a bit more chicken broth or white wine.
- Please remember that the nutritional information is a rough estimate and can vary significantly based on the products used in the recipe.
Do you suggest bone in or boneless chicken thighs?
Hi Jennifer. You can use either. For the price difference, I use the bone-in when making it for my family. However, I’ll use boneless if making it for company.
I absolutely loved this recipe
Thank you, Kelly !
Another BOMB recipe Imma! The seasonings are excellent, as usual.
Thank you so much, Christal. Would love to hear such compliments to keep my motivation at high level:)
I love all your recipes! Can I make this one in the slow cooker?
Hi Samantha, thanks for dropping by! I haven’t tried making this using a slow cooker.
Can something else be used instead of white wine and heavy cream? Can more chicken broth be used and milk? I don’t have heavy cream and white wine and I’m dying to make this dish tonight!
love your recipes!
Thanks Jen. Broth works just fine .
what can I use instead of asparagus? I love it, he hates it.
Hi, Michelle. Snap peas, green beans and leeks (cut it like a baton) would be great for this dish instead of asparagus.
Would it be okay if a left out the mushrooms or would it alter the consistency? Should I add more of something else if I don’t include mushrooms?
Hi Harry ,
It’s fine to completely leave it out .
I made this last night for my family. I had my grandson (14) helping me prepare it. He commented on the aroma which was mouth watering in itself. It took a little longer than I would have liked but that was due to lack of being prepared. My family devoured their dinner.
Next time, and there will be a next time, I see how it turns out by removing the skin. Just a preference. Other than that, I would not change a thing. You are definitely my go to when planning family meals.
Thanks Dottie! I SO thrilled!
I luv the dish. I’m sure I’ve made something similar in all the ways one can make Stew or Curried Chicken dish, often time each being different in some way. Still I luv the dish, it looks so delicious. But I’ve never seen a dish you’ve ever made that didn’t seem to be just that, salivatingly delicious. At best I always admire your Photography skills as the pictures always pop and always so well lit in lighting. I guess I admire it for obvious reasons. At some point you learn to cook and just reading the ingredients and the technique in how you make something, you can make it in your own mind and you can tell that this dish taste damn delicious without having actually tasted it.
I think I’ll make this tomorrow, because I have no idea what I’ll make today and that’s a different plan. But making this tomorrow allow me to pull that Whole Red Snapper I bought a few weeks back In my freezer and defrost it so can cook it tomorrow for this dish instead of using Chicken. Red Snapper Fricassee I guess it will be.
Your neighbors have to be some the luckiest people in your neighborhood with all your cooking.
Oh boy, was this fantastic! Sometimes I improvise with recipes, but I followed this one faithfully and the result was luscious. Another winner from this website!
Awesome! So happy to hear it worked out well for you. Thank you so much!!!!
I love love your website! I’m from Senegal and even though I considered myself an “excellent “ cook, I always find new and succulent recipes on this site. I’ve done almost cooked All the recipes that you have posted so far, and they all taste wonderful. Keep up the good work Imma and May God continue blessing your website as well as yourself and your family.
Thank you SO much Girl… You are just TOO SWEET! So happy that you would take time out to let me know. Wishing you all the best!