This is our chef JB‘s Chicken Fricassée recipe. It’s a traditional French chicken stew made with browned chicken pieces braised in a creamy white mushroom sauce. A rustic family-style meal that’s easy enough for midweek, it’s a bit like a white sauce version of Coq au Vin – except it’s so much faster to make!
This is a reader-favourite recipe included by popular demand in my debut cookbook “Dinner”!
Chicken Fricassée
Pronounced “fri-ka-say”, this is a terrific recipe to get a cosy stew fix any night of the week without hours of slow cooking. This dish is a traditional French chicken stew made with a creamy white sauce with mushrooms, instead of the more common rich, dark brown sauce like you ordinarily see with stews, such as with Coq au Vin and this baked Chicken Stew.
I’m just going to tell it to you straight: the chicken is lovely (juicy, golden brown, etc etc) … but this dish is all about the creamy white sauce!!!
Ingredients in Chicken Fricassée
Here’s what you need to make Chicken Fricassée.
1. Chicken pieces
This dish is best made with skin-on, bone-in chicken pieces that stay nice and juicy after simmering in the sauce. Mind you, this is a quick stew that only calls for 30 minutes of simmering time. But still, boneless breast or thigh would overcook in this time. Having said that, I’ve included in notes in the recipe for how I would make Chicken Fricassée with breast and boneless thighs, because I know some of you will ask!!
2. Other ingredients in Chicken Fricassée
Here are the other ingredients required for Chicken Fricassée:
Garlic and onion – The foundation upon which many savoury dishes are built, and Chicken Fricassée is no exception!
Bay leaves and thyme – The herb flavourings for the sauce. Fresh is best if you have them, else dried is fine.
Butter – It’s a French dish. Say no more! 😂
Mushrooms – The traditional vegetable included in the sauce. Though really, this is such an adaptable dish that it can be made with any vegetable suitable for braising. Add those that can withstand a 30 minute braising time at the beginning, and faster-cooking vegetables (like green beans and asparagus) towards the end.
White wine – Any white wine that’s not too woody or sweet will work great here. Chardonnay in particular adds really good flavour. Substitute with more low-sodium chicken stock/broth for a non-alcoholic version.
Chicken stock/broth – This dish is extremely tasty made with regular store-bought chicken stock. But it becomes a restaurant-quality treat if you make it with homemade chicken stock! Homemade chicken stock is straightforward to make and really worth it for the added deliciousness. (Bonus: It’s lower sodium than store bought and you get extra nutrients from the bones).
Flour – Used to lightly thicken the sauce.
Cream – This also thickens the sauce as well as making the sauce rich, creamy and decadent!
How to make Chicken Fricassée
In a nutshell, Chicken Fricassée is made by browning chicken pieces in butter, then braising them in a creamy mushroom sauce thickened with a little flour. It’s a quick stew so it’s only simmered for 30 minutes on the stove which is all you need for the chicken to cook through.
Brown chicken – First, we sprinkle the chicken with salt and pepper. Then in a large skillet or pot that has a lid, melt the butter over medium-high heat. (If your pot/skillet doesn’t have a lid or you don’t have a lid from another pot that is the same size or larger, don’t stress, there’s options – I outline these in the simmering step.)
Brown the chicken thighs first, placing them in the butter skin side down. Cook them for 4 – 5 minutes until nice and golden, then turn and cook the other side for just 1 minute. Remove the thighs from the skillet to a plate or tray. Now do the drumsticks. For drumsticks, I usually sear 3 sides which gets decent coverage all around – about 2 minutes on each side. Once done, add them to the plate holding the thighs.
There will still be plenty of butter left in the skillet, which has now transformed into browned butter. Which means it’s extra tasty – woo!
Sauté mushrooms – To start the sauce, sauté the onions, mushrooms, thyme and bay leaves for around 5 minutes in the residual butter, adding the garlic towards the end. The mushrooms will change from white to light golden, but won’t go a deep golden brown. There’s no point browning mushrooms well because they will lose the colour when braised.
Then add the flour and cook it for 1 minute to cook out the raw floury taste.
Add stock and wine – Then add the wine and chicken stock. Stir well, scraping the base of the pot to dissolve all the golden bits stuck on the base of the pot into the sauce. This stuff is called “fond” and it’s concentrated flavours that makes the sauce even tastier!
Return chicken to pan – Return the chicken to the pot, skin side up. It will mostly be submerged, and that’s exactly what we want. The braising liquid will keep the chicken nice and juicy, while the chicken will absorb the tasty sauce flavour!
Simmer covered 10 minutes – Once the chicken is in the sauce, bring the liquid back up to a simmer. Then adjust the heat so it’s bubbling constantly but not boiling rapidly – see video to see what this looks like. On my stove, it’s medium heat.
Cover with a lid and cook for 10 minutes.
Uncovered 20 minutes – Remove the lid then simmer for a further 20 minutes. In this step, the sauce will reduce and thicken into a thin gravy consistency.
“When is the chicken cooked?” – By this time, the chicken will be cooked. 30 minutes mightn’t sound like long for a stew, but that’s all you need because the chicken is cooked submerged in a very hot liquid. It will be completely cooked and quite tender, though not at the “fall-apart-at-a-touch” stage which is intentional.
Now make the sauce creamy … – Remove chicken from the sauce to a plate. Add the cream, stir, then bring the sauce back up to a simmer.
Garnish and serve! Once the sauce comes back up to a simmer, return the chicken to the sauce. There’s no need to simmer the sauce after the cream is added.
Garnish with a good amount of parsley, and it’s ready to serve!
Matters of serving and eating!
How to serve Chicken Fricassée
Chicken Fricassée can be served directly in individual servings. Otherwise, serve it family-style by placing either the cooking vessel on the table or transfer the Chicken Fricassée to a large serving bowl so people can help themselves.
Starchy sides
As for what to serve with Chicken Fricassée, any sauce this good demands a starchy partner! Mashed potato is traditional (Cauliflower Mash for those going low-carb) though I was interested to learn that rice is not unheard of either.
Short pastas like macaroni, penne and ziti would also be ideal. Basically anything that let’s you enjoy every drop of that gorgeous creamy mushroom sauce!!
Side salad
We’re a little light on the vegetables in Chicken Fricassée! So round off your meal with a nice side of greens. Try a big bowl of roasted vegetables, Garlic Sautéed Spinach, a fresh French Bistro Salad, Roasted Asparagus or a big bowl of leafy greens tossed with a French Vinaigrette.
If you try this Chicken Fricassée, share below in the comments what you served it with. People want to know! 😊 – Nagi x
Watch how to make it
This recipe features in my debut cookbook Dinner. The book is mostly new recipes, but this is a reader favourite included by popular demand!
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Chicken Fricassée (French creamy chicken stew)
Ingredients
Chicken
- 4 chicken drumsticks (~150g/5oz each, Note 1)
- 4 chicken thighs , skin-on and bone-in (~250g/8oz each, Note 1)
- 1 tsp salt (cooking / kosher salt)
- 1/2 tsp black pepper
- 4 tbsp / 60g unsalted butter
Stew ingredients
- 300g / 10oz white mushrooms , halved if small, or cut in 4 to 6 if large
- 2 medium brown onions , sliced 0.6cm (1/2in) wide
- 2 garlic cloves , finely minced
- 1 bay leaf , fresh (sub dried)
- 3 thyme sprigs (or 1/2 tsp dried thyme)
- 3 tbsp flour , plain / all-purpose
- 1/2 cup white wine , preferably chardonnay (Note 2)
- 3 cups chicken stock , low sodium (preferably homemade!)
- 1/4 tsp salt (cooking / kosher salt)
- 1/4 tsp black pepper
- 2 tbsp parsley , chopped
- 2/3 cup thickened/heavy cream
Instructions
- Season chicken: Pat chicken dry with paper towels then sprinkle with salt and pepper.
- Brown thighs: Melt butter over medium-high heat in a large skillet or heavy based pot with a lid. Add chicken thighs, skin side down, and cook for 4 to 5 minutes until golden brown. Turn and cook the other side for 1 minute then remove to a plate.
- Brown drumsticks: Then brown the drumsticks, as best you can. I do 3 sides, about 2 minutes each. Then remove from skillet.
- Sauté mushrooms and onion: Add mushrooms, onion, bay leave and thyme. Cook for 5 minutes until mushroom is lightly golden – they won't go deep golden brown.
- Garlic and flour: Add garlic and stir for 30 seconds. Add flour and cook for 1 minute.
- Wine and chicken stock: Add wine, chicken stock, salt and pepper. Stir, scraping the base of the pot to dissolve the brown residue stuck to the pan ("fond") into the sauce.
- Return chicken to sauce: Return chicken back into the sauce with the skin side up.
- Simmer covered 10 minutes: Once it comes to a simmer, adjust heat so it's bubbling constantly but not rapidly (see video) – medium-low on my stove. Cover with lid and simmer 10 minutes.
- Uncover 20 minutes: Remove lid and let it simmer for a further 20 minutes. Chicken will be cooked – internal temperature 75°C/167°F or slightly higher.
- Creamy sauce: Remove chicken to a plate. Add cream and stir. Once it comes up to a simmer, taste sauce (I know, big ask!), and add more salt if desired..
- Serve! Return chicken into the sauce then remove from the stove. Sprinkle with parsley and serve! Traditionally served over mashed potato or rice. Also ideal with short pasta like penne, ziti or macaroni.
Recipe Notes:
Nutrition Information:
Life of Dozer
Ordinarily I hose him down with the garden hose after his beach session. But it was bitterly cold on this particular morning, so I took pity on him. #sucker (that’s me I’m referring to!).
O my days. Got back from travelling in UK and needed a quick but tasty dish. I made this dish with home made wedges and petit pois ( had frozen in)! Also bought a rustic loaf. We just tore it on the table with lashings of butter!! Fan dabby dozay !!! This was fab x
YUM! Sounds like you absolutely nailed it Jules! N x
Just cooked this for some guests at our new house.
It is also the first recipe from here that I have cooked & it was absolutely delicious 😋
Everyone loved it,so glad a friend told me about this.
Wahoo, that’s awesome Simon!!! N x
I made this last night and followed directions to the letter. It was delicious and the family gobbled it up. Thanks for another wonderful meal for my weekly dinner rotation Nagi!
You’re so welcome Jen, I love hearing this!! N x
Oh my god, this was so easy, delicious and lovely! I served it over jasmine rice with a mix of fresh veggies as a side. Everyone practically licked their plates clean.
I went with thighs only and they rendered quite a lot of chicken fat while simmering, but I skimmed most of it off and will use it for roasting carrots and potatoes in a couple of days. Don’t waste good fats, everyone!
Very nice. Delicious dish. Turned out just like your examples and video. Will make this again.
Hello? I would love to make this delicious food. ? How to make my own stock please not sure which chicken pieces to use and what to do with boil chicken can only eat so much chicken salad… Ty so so much
Hi Rosemary, you should use chicken carcasses for the chicken stock. Using chicken pieces is a waste of good chicken. Their is a recipe for chicken stock on this site from just a few days ago.
This was so amazing! Cooked it for dinner last night. Bone in/skin on thighs for me and skinless breast for my fiance cause he’s on a special diet. But he said it was amazing as well and would love more of it!
Thank you for such an amazing meal. It was so good I could to stop drinking the sauce!
I’m so glad you enjoyed it Rhiannon, that’s awesome! N x
Hey, Nagi! Would it be possible to substitute the all-purpose flour with almond flour to make this keto-friendly?
Not for this one sorry Joyce. N x
Hi Nagi. A friend of mine has had a loss in the family and I would like to make this and take to her. Firstly can it be frozen? And also to reheat from either thawed or frozen do you recommend microwave or in a pot? I use your recipies multiple times a week. Thank you so much. Xx
I’m so sorry to hear that Tracie, but what a lovely idea to drop off food. I would freeze and then let it that before gently reheating in the microwave – N x
Excellent to hear that this can be frozen and thawed before reheating. I will be doing the same and dropping off portions to family
Nagi, did you forget to put the prep time and cook time ?
I’ll fix this now – thanks for picking that up Pam! N x
Thanks, Nagi. Just what I’ve been feeling like. On the to-make list.
Again, love how tolerant and accommodating you make your recipes, like a French classic that others get all picky and authoritarian about. And just a note about your pairing comment: Rice goes really well with any creamy-sauced dish – world over! And especially mushroom based sauces.
Cheers
I hope you give it a go Ish! And rice is a great idea for a side!! N x
Another winner! Merci merci
Delicious recipe and bought back memories – 6 year old me bursting in to tears when my mother announced this was for dinner – thought she had cooked my cat named Frisky🤣
😂 Oh that’s too funny Amanda!!!! N x
I have made your oven baked chicken, Mexican corn salad and lastly the chicken fricassee. You do not disappoint!! DELICIOUS!! Everything I have made thus far has exceeded my expectations!!!! I look FORWARD to making many more! Ps; My husband thinks I can cook now.😉 THANK YOU! THANK YOU!! THANK YOU!!!
Thank you so much Enoe, that’s awesome to hear!!!! N x
Hi what to do without a lid. You said you would advise??
Hi Jane, if you don’t have a lid, you could always cover with foil to make a temporary lid! N x
Tin foil. Thank-you. I have that.
you indicated that if your large pan lacked a lid you would address that in the “simmer” section. I fall into that category. my pan is 14″ & has no lid. I’m also using all bone-in skin on thighs. Pls advise.
Hi! You could always try double layer foil wrapped tightly over the top? Or I think Nagi has suggested before using the bottom of a baking tray…. Food for thought? 🙂
Hi Jerry, foil for the lid will work here, all thighs will work fine Jerry, just follow as written! N x
Saw the email announcing this recipe and just had to try it that night! It was so tasty!!
I had an issue reducing the liquid, it came out a bit thinner than yours but the taste was still on point.
I used boneless, skinless thighs as I had some that needed to be used asap, and I accidentally added an extra portion of mushrooms (probably why I had reduction issues) but following the special instructions in the notes for non-standard chicken did the trick.
This was so good and will definitely be a regular with the coming cold weather in the US.
Hi Rachel, yes any liquid from the mushrooms could have cause the sauce reduction issues. I’m so glad you loved it though!!! N x
Hi Nagi I’ve just made and eaten the Chicken Fricasse.It was delicious.Another winning recipe and such a lovely way to have chicken.Thankyou xx
You’re so welcome Jan!! N x
Can I use canned coconut milk instead of cream? I’m lactose intolerant but didn’t know if it’ll change the flavor a lot.
Hi Steph, it will change the flavour, I’d opt for lactose free cream if you can find it! N x
More great recipes, thank you!
Also…thanks for sharing about French chef Jean-Baptiste Alexandré! I see another pretty dog 😉💓
That’s Dozer!! 😂