Name: Chicken Fricassee (Fricassee de Poulet a L'Ancienne)
Prep time: 30 min
Cook time: 80 min
Total time: 110 min
Ingredients: 1 whole chicken (3 ½ to 4 pounds), cut into 11 pieces (reserve back and wing tips for another use, such as stock); Coarse salt and freshly ground pepper; 3 tablespoons unsalted butter, softened, divided; 1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil; 1 small yellow onion, cut into ¼-inch dice (1 cup); 1 carrot, cut into ¼-inch dice (½ cup); 1 celery stalk, cut into ¼-inch dice (⅓ cup); 8 ounces cremini mushrooms, trimmed and quartered; 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour; 0.667 cup dry white wine; 4 cups chicken broth; 2 sprigs fresh flat-leaf parsley; 2 sprigs fresh thyme; 1 bay leaf; 2 large egg yolks, room temperature; 0.25 cup heavy cream; 2 to 3 tablespoons roughly chopped fresh tarragon leaves; 2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice

Prep Time:

30 mins

Cook Time:

1 hr 20 mins

Total Time:

1 hr 50 mins

Servings:

4 to 6

The original French comfort food, rich and saucy chicken fricassee is a classic for a reason—and has as many variations as there are grandmothers in France. It's halfway between a sauté and a stew, and features bone-in chicken pieces and mushrooms simmered in a creamy, flavorful sauce. And while it may look decadent, the dish relies on humble ingredients and requires just a single pot to cook. Traditionally, chicken fricassee is served over rice, creamy mashed potatoes, or lightly buttered egg noodles. You'll also want to have a loaf of crusty bread on hand to sop up the extra sauce.

What Is Chicken Fricassee?

Chicken fricassee, or, as it's known in France, fricassee de Poulet à l'Ancienne, is a classic French recipe made with a whole, cut-up chicken and petite cremini mushrooms in a rich sauce fortified with egg yolks and heavy cream. The sauce gets its deep flavor from mirepoix—a mixture of carrots, celery, and onion—and herbs including thyme, parsley, bay leaf, and tarragon. To keep it from feeling heavy, it's brightened with white wine and lemon juice,

Chicken fricassee is comforting enough for a weeknight, elegant enough for entertaining, and the perfect dish to make as soon as cold weather arrives.

Key Ingredients for Chicken Fricassee:

Chicken: Using bone-in chicken pieces is essential to keep the meat from drying out as it cooks. While we prefer to use a whole chicken that's cut up into 11 pieces for this recipe, you can swap in your preferred mixture of bone-in chicken thighs, drumsticks, and breasts. If using bone-in breasts, we recommend cutting them in half to make them easier to serve.
Cremini mushrooms: Bite-size cremini mushrooms, also known as baby bella mushrooms, lend umami depth and wonderful texture to this dish. If you can't find them, feel free to swap in white button mushrooms instead.
White wine: This recipe calls for a generous 2/3 cup of white wine, which is used to deglaze the pot and lend some welcome acidity to the sauce. Use a dry, non-oaky white, such as sauvignon blanc or pinot grigio. Avoid wines labeled "cooking wine," which contain salt and preservatives.
Herbs: Fresh and dried herbs including parsley, thyme, bay leaf, and tarragon add flavor and complexity to the sauce. Tying herbs together with twine in step 5 makes it extra easy to remove them from the pot before serving.

Egg yolks and heavy cream: These two ingredients make up a liaison, or sauce thickener, which lends body to an otherwise thin and runny sauce. Before adding it to the pot, you'll temper it by whisking in some of the hot cooking liquid a tablespoon at a time. This will help it from curdling when incorporating it into the sauce.

Have your butcher cut the chicken breasts in half, keeping the wings attached but removing the wing tips.

Ingredients

1 whole chicken (3 ½ to 4 pounds), cut into 11 pieces (reserve back and wing tips for another use, such as stock)
Coarse salt and freshly ground pepper
3 tablespoons unsalted butter, softened, divided
1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
1 small yellow onion, cut into ¼-inch dice (1 cup)
1 carrot, cut into ¼-inch dice (½ cup)
1 celery stalk, cut into ¼-inch dice (⅓ cup)
8 ounces cremini mushrooms, trimmed and quartered
2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
⅔ cup dry white wine
4 cups chicken broth
2 sprigs fresh flat-leaf parsley
2 sprigs fresh thyme
1 bay leaf
2 large egg yolks, room temperature
¼ cup heavy cream
2 to 3 tablespoons roughly chopped fresh tarragon leaves
2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice

Directions

Brown Chicken:

Season chicken on both sides with 1 tablespoon salt and 1/2 teaspoon pepper. Preheat a Dutch oven or other large heavy pot over medium-high heat. Add 2 tablespoons butter and the oil to pot. When butter melts and foam subsides, add half the chicken, skin side down, in a single layer; do not crowd pot. (If butter begins to blacken, lower heat.) Fry chicken, turning once, until golden brown on both sides, about 10 minutes total, and transfer to a plate. Repeat with remaining chicken.
Sauté mirepoix:

Reduce heat to medium, and add mirepoix (onion, carrot, and celery) to pot, scraping up any browned bits with a wooden spoon. Sauté mirepoix, stirring occasionally, until soft and golden brown in places, 8 to 10 minutes.
Cook mushrooms, then stir in flour:

Add mushrooms and cook, stirring occasionally, until mushrooms darken, become glossy, and begin to release liquid, 4 to 5 minutes. Stir in flour, and cook until flour is absorbed by vegetables and is no longer visible, about 1 minute.
Pour in wine and broth:

Add wine to pot and bring to a boil, stirring until liquid just thickens, about 45 seconds. Add broth, and stir.
Add chicken and herbs:

Place chicken, skin side up, in a single layer on vegetables; pour juices that have accumulated on plate into pot. Tie parsley sprigs, thyme sprigs, and bay leaf together with kitchen twine; add to pot.
Simmer chicken:

Bring to a boil, then reduce to a simmer. Cover partially. Cook until internal temperature of thickest part of chicken registers 165°F, 25 to 30 minutes.
Remove chicken and reduce liquid:

Transfer chicken to a clean plate. Simmer liquid, uncovered, until reduced slightly, about 5 minutes. Discard herbs.
Make and add liaison:

To make the liaison (sauce thickener), whisk together egg yolks and cream in a medium bowl. Whisking constantly, pour 1/2 cup cooking liquid, 1 tablespoon at a time, into liaison to temper it. Stir tempered liaison into pot.
Finish with tarragon, lemon, and butter:

Return chicken to pot. Add tarragon, lemon juice, and the remaining butter. Bring to a simmer, stir gently to combine, and serve.

Making Chicken Fricasee Ahead

You can make Chicken Fricassee up to 1 day before you plan to serve it. (If making it ahead, we recommend leaving out the tarragon and adding it just before serving to preserve its flavor and color.) Be sure to let the stew cool to room temperature before covering and refrigerating it.

To reheat, bring it up to a gentle simmer on the stove until chicken pieces are heated through, then stir in tarragon.

What to Serve With Chicken Fricassee

Chicken Fricassee is typically served alongside buttered egg noodles, rice, or mashed potatoes, but any starchy side will do; try it with orzo, pureed or riced cauliflower, or couscous.

In addition to a neutral starch, a crisp green salad or simply cooked vegetable, such as steamed green beans or carrots, would also make a great accompaniment to the rich, warming stew.