Chicken Fricassee Recipe
Chicken Fricassee is a classic French dinner that’s made with a creamy white wine sauce and a medley of fresh vegetables. This simple, yet sophisticated chicken entree is perfect for a dinner with the family or entertaining your guests!
Chicken Fricassee
What exactly is chicken fricassee? It’s a classic French dish that is so good, it’s made its way into kitchens across the world. Chicken is browned to perfection before being soaked and baked in a creamy, savory white wine sauce with vegetables like cremini mushrooms.
Next time you’re looking for a chicken dinner that breaks out of your usual weeknight dinner routine, this is the recipe to turn to! I love how sophisticated it is and you can make it in one pot, all while being easy to make AND kid friendly. You might have to cut the chicken off the bone for your little one, but even the pickiest eaters will still love this meal.
Whipping up this French chicken fricassee recipe will make you feel like a French chef. Really, this recipe is tried and true. After having my fair share of chicken fricassee at restaurants (and always loving it), following this recipe always gives me a more delicious serving of chicken than I’ve had at those restaurants.
Treat yourself and impress whoever you’re serving with this chicken fricassee tonight!
Ingredients
- Chicken – I like to use a combination of bone-in chicken thighs and bone-in chicken legs. The chicken meat stays tender and succulent. You can substitute with chicken breasts if that’s what you have on hand. Make sure the chicken is room temperature before starting.
- Butter – Salted butter was used to test this recipe.
- Vegetables – Sautéed onion, carrots and celery lay the foundation for great flavor.
- Mushrooms – I like baby portabella mushrooms or cremini mushrooms. Any variety of mushrooms, like white button mushrooms will work.
- White Wine – Try a dry white wine, like sauvignon blanc or Pinot Grigio, it adds phenomenal flavor to the sauce. If you prefer no alcohol, you can substitute with apple juice.
- Chicken Stock – Homemade Chicken Stock is perfect for this recipe but you can use your favorite store-bought brand or a low-sodium chicken broth.
- Dairy – Half and Half is used for less calories but heavy cream adds richness.
- Herbs – I leaned into all the French herbs with Herbs de Provence, tarragon, kosher salt and black pepper.
For the full ingredient list and instructions, see the recipe card below.
How to Make Chicken Fricassee
Don’t worry, you don’t need to be a trained French chef to make the perfect chicken fricasseé! It all starts with a simple Mirepoix (a mix of vegetables). While there are quite a few steps to making this delicious French cuisine dish, they’re fairly simple and hassle free.
- Preheat. Of course, start the preparation by preheating your oven to 350F.
- Season and brown. Pat the chicken pieces dry with paper towels. Season the uncooked chicken with salt and pepper on both sides before browning it in a deep dutch oven over medium heat once the butter melts or use olive oil. Work in batches, so you don’t overcrowd your pan! Brown chicken on both sides of the chicken pieces until the skin is golden brown before transferring to a plate.
- Cook the vegetables and herbs. At a low heat, cook the onion, carrot and celery until they’re soft. Then, stir in the herbs de Provence and mushrooms. Cook the mushrooms until they’re dark. (To save time, you can do this step in a large skillet and transfer to the pot with the chicken.)
- Create the sauce. Add the cornstarch, or all purpose flour, stirring to coat the vegetables. Cook for a minute longer, then add the white wine and scrape the bottom of the pot with a wooden spoon to release the brown bits. Next, add the stock to the pot and bring the mixture to a boil!
- Cook. Transfer the browned chicken back to the pot, skin side up. Pour the juices that have accumulated on the plate into the pot as well. Add a bay leaf before covering the pot and transferring it to the oven. Cook for 45 minutes or until the internal temperature reaches 165˚F.
- Stir, season, and serve. Remove the pot from the oven and stir in the half and half, lemon zest, and tarragon. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Serve immediately over white rice, if desired, and enjoy!
Best Sides for Chicken Fricassee
As you can see in my pictures, I love serving warm chicken fricassee over buttered egg noodles! It’s similar to eating stroganoff, another one of my favorite comfort foods. However, it’s also delicious when served over mashed potatoes or jasmine rice.
I also love garnishing this chicken with freshly cut parsley! Served with cooked veggies on the side too, like asparagus, this comfort dish can easily be made a bit healthier.
How To Store Leftovers
In an airtight container in the fridge, chicken fricassee will stay fresh for up to 3 days. While you can always reheat it in the microwave, I recommend heating it back up in a skillet over medium-high heat. That way, it maintains it’s texture.
How To Thicken The Sauce
Easy! Simply stir in more cornstarch until your creamy white sauce reaches the desired consistency. If it’s too thick, however, consider stirring in a little bit more white wine or broth until it thins out enough for you.
More Easy French Recipe Ideas
- Croque Madame Recipe
- Beef Bourguignon
- Easy Traditional Bouillabaisse
- French Lyonnaise Potatoes
- Beef Bourguignon Burger with Horseradish Creme Fraiche
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Get the Recipe: Chicken Fricassee Recipe
Ingredients
- 4 bone-in skin-on Chicken Thighs
- 4 bone-in skin-on chicken legs
- Kosher salt and pepper
- 2 tablespoons butter
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1 cup diced onion
- 1/2 cup diced carrot
- 1/2 cup diced celery
- 1 tablespoon herbs de Provence
- 8 ounces cremini mushrooms, cleaned and cut in half
- 2 tablespoons cornstarch
- 1 cup dry white wine
- 32 ounces chicken stock
- 1 bay leaf
- 1 cup half and half, or heavy cream
- 1 tablespoon lemon zest
- 2 tablespoons chopped tarragon
Equipment
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350˚F
- Season the chicken with kosher salt and pepper on both sides.
- Heat the butter and olive oil in a large, deep dutch oven or other pot over medium heat.
- Add the chicken to the pot, skin side down, working in batches so as to not crowd the pan.
- Cook the chicken until the skin is golden brown and crispy, approximately 7-8 minutes. Flip the chicken and cook on the opposite side until golden.
- Transfer to a plate and repeat with the remaining chicken.
- Reduce the heat to low and add the onion, carrot and celery. Cook until softened, approximately 4-5 minutes.
- Stir in the herbs de Provence and mushrooms cooking until the mushrooms darken.
- Add the cornstarch, stirring to coat the vegetables and cooking for 1 minute longer.
- Stir in the wine and bring to a boil, scraping the bottom of the pan to release the brown bits.
- Add the stock to the pot and bring to a boil.
- Transfer the chicken back to the pot, skin side up and pour the juices that have accumulated on the plater into the pot.
- Add the bay leaf and cover.
- Transfer the pot to the oven and cook for 45 minutes.
- Remove from the oven and stir in the half and half, lemon zest and tarragon.
- Season with salt and pepper, to taste, if needed.
- Serve immediately.
4 Comments on “Chicken Fricassee Recipe”
Made tonight following directions except I didn’t have lemon zest. Used half &half. Is the broth (juice)?? Supposed to be thin like water? I thought it would be thicker.
Hi Brenda, It would be thicker like a gravy. I’ll definitely retest this recipe soon to see if there’s an error.
Made this tonight with mashed potatoes and my family loved it! I’ve enjoyed all of the recipes that I have tried on your website. Thank you!
I love how flavorful this recipe is!! It was an instant hit at my house!