Chicken Fricassee is a hearty stew made with chicken pieces that are seared and then braised in a silky white wine-cream sauce with carrots, celery, onion, and mushrooms. This ultra comforting dish is great served with crusty bread or mashed potatoes and is perfect for cooler nights when you just want something good.
There are many reasons to make chicken fricassee.
The taste and textures are pretty great reasons, and this recipe shows you exactly how to achieve a silky sauce using egg yolks.
But the smell of chicken, herbs, and vegetables simmering on the stove in a creamy white wine sauce is probably the best reason!
If chicken fricassee doesn’t put you in the mood for Fall, nothing will.
We love serving our chicken and mushroom fricassee with crusty bread to mop up all the sauce but a side of mashed potatoes and garlic spinach would also be perfect.
Looking for more French-style stews? Check out our recipes for Beef Bourguignon, Coq au Vin, and Ratatouille.
How to make it
Each number corresponds to the numbered written steps below.
- Dice one medium onion, 2 medium carrots, and 2 celery ribs. Slice 12 ounces of cremini mushrooms into quarters and mince 3 cloves of garlic and 3 tablespoons of flat-leaf parsley.
- Heat a large Dutch oven or heavy pan to a little less than medium heat. Pat 3 1/2 pounds of chicken thighs or a combination of legs and thighs very dry using paper towels and season very well on both sides with salt and pepper. Add 2 tablespoons of olive oil to the pan and begin searing the chicken, skin side down. After two minutes, add 2 tablespoons of butter to the pan. Sear the chicken for 5 minutes then flip.
- Allow the chicken to cook for another 3 minutes. Be sure to not overcrowd the pot or pan and work in batches. Once all the chicken has been seared, place it on a plate and set it aside.
- Add the remaining butter along with the carrots, celery, and onion. Allow them to cook until soft, about 8-10 minutes. Once soft, add the mushrooms and continue cooking until they release their liquid (about 5 minutes), and season all the veggies with a touch of salt.
- Add the garlic and cook until fragrant (about 1 minute).
- Add 1/4 cup of all-purpose flour and cook for 1 more minute stirring frequently to thoroughly incorporate.
- Add 1 cup of dry white wine and 3 cups of low-sodium chicken stock to the pan and turn the heat to high. Using a wooden spoon, dislodge the brown bits from the bottom of the pan and cook for 1 minute before turning the heat down to medium-high.
- Add the chicken and its juices to the pan, skin side up, along with 4 sprigs of parsley, 4 sprigs of thyme, and 1 large bay leaf. Cook for 5 minutes or until bubbling aggressively.
- Turn the heat down to medium-low and cover partially with a lid, as shown, and cook for 30-35 minutes or until the chicken has reached an internal temperature of at least 175f. Note: 175f or higher is better for dark meat.
- Using an instant-read thermometer check for 175f in the center of the meat without touching the bone. The chicken in the pic below needs a few more minutes. Once the chicken reaches temperature, remove the pieces to a plate.
- Turn the heat to high and reduce the liquid in the pan by about half, stirring every so often. This will take roughly 5 minutes. At this time, remove the herb sprigs and bay leaf. Whisk 2 room temperature egg yolks and 1/2 cup of heavy cream together in a bowl. To prevent scrambled eggs, you will temper the egg and cream mixture by adding 1 tablespoon of the hot cooking liquid while whisking. Continue to add the liquid 1-2 tablespoons at a time until you have at least 1/2 cup of the hot liquid. Pour the tempered mixture back into the pot and stir well.
- Add the chicken back to the pan and cook for 3-5 minutes or until the chicken is hot. Serve with crusty bread and enjoy!
Top tips
- The chicken. We used bone-in dark meat (thighs and legs) for this chicken fricassee recipe because it has great flavor and is better for braising than white meat. We recommend using a meat thermometer to check the internal temperature of the chicken to make sure it’s done. Dark meat is best when cooked to at least 175f because at that temperature the connective tissue starts to break down allowing for greater tenderness. When preparing the chicken we recommend patting the pieces very dry with a paper towel to allow for a good sear.
- Acidity. We used 1 cup of dry white wine for this dish and this usually provides a good amount of acidity. If you’d like a little more acidity, you can add some lemon juice prior to serving but be sure to taste test it before you do and as you add it. Alternately, if you wish to omit the wine entirely, you may wish to use more chicken stock plus lemon juice.
- The eggs. We recommend using room temperature egg yolks when finishing the sauce. Allowing the eggs to come to room temperature will allow for easier tempering of the egg yolk and cream mixture and prevention of scrambled eggs. If you want to skip the eggs entirely, you can do this and use a touch more heavy cream to make up for the difference.
More cozy chicken recipes
One of the reasons we love chicken fricassee is because it makes us feel “at home”. Here are a few of our other favorite chicken dishes that evoke the same feelings. We hope you love these as much as we do!
- Italian baked chicken and potatoes – the juiciest chicken roasted with garlic, onion, parsley, and oregano.
- Chicken cacciatore – chicken braised in a tomato sauce with green and black olives.
- Chicken and dumplings – thick and creamy soup with veggies, tender chicken, and drop-style dumplings.
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Chicken Fricassee
Chicken Fricassee is a hearty stew made with chicken that's braised in a white wine-cream sauce with carrots, celery, onion, and mushrooms.
Ingredients
- 3 1/2 pounds chicken thighs or a combination of legs and thighs
- 4 tablespoons butter divided
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 1 medium onion diced
- 2 medium carrots diced
- 2 celery ribs diced
- 12 ounces cremini mushrooms quartered
- 3 cloves garlic minced
- 1/4 cup flour
- 3 cups low sodium chicken stock
- 1 cup dry white wine
- 3 tablespoons Italian flat leaf parsley minced
- 4 sprigs thyme
- 4 sprigs parsley
- 1 large bay leaf
- salt and pepper to taste
- 1/2 cup heavy cream
- 2 large egg yolks at room temperature
Instructions
- Heat a large Dutch oven or heavy pan to a touch less than medium heat. Pat the chicken very dry with paper towels and season very well with salt and pepper on both sides. Add the olive oil and begin searing the chicken skin side down. After 2 minutes, add 2 tablespoons of butter to the pan. Sear chicken for 5 minutes then flip and cook for another 3 minutes. Do not overcrowd the pot. Work in batches and place seared chicken onto a plate.
- Add the remaining butter and the onions, celery, and carrots to the pan. Cook until soft (about 8-10 minutes) then add the mushrooms. Continue cooking until they release their liquid (about 5 minutes). Season the veggies with a touch of salt. Add the garlic and cook until fragrant (about 1 minute) then add the flour and cook for 1 more minute stirring frequently to thoroughly incorporate.
- Add the wine and chicken stock to the pot. Turn heat to high and with a wooden spoon dislodge all of the flavor bits from the bottom of the pot. Cook for 1 minute then turn the heat down to medium-high.
- Next, add the chicken and juices to the pot skin side up along with the parsley sprigs, thyme sprigs, and bay leaf. Cook for 5 minutes or until bubbling aggressively.
- Turn heat down to medium-low and cover partially with a lid. Cook for approximately 30-35 more minutes or until the chicken thighs reach at least a 175f internal temperature.
- Once the chicken is fully cooked, move it to a plate and finish the sauce. Turn heat to high and reduce the liquid in the pot by about half. This will take about 5 minutes. At this time remove the herb sprigs and bay leaf.
- Whisk the egg yolks and heavy cream together in a bowl. Add 1 tablespoon of the hot cooking liquid while whisking. Continue to add the liquid 1-2 tablespoons at a time until you have added at least 1/2 a cup of the hot liquid. Pour the tempered mixture back into the pot and stir well.
- Add the minced parsley into the sauce and stir to combine. Taste test the sauce and season with salt and pepper to taste. For a touch more acid, add lemon juice to your liking, but the wine is normally sufficient. Return the chicken to the pot and cook for 3-5 minutes or until the chicken is hot. Serve with crusty bread. Enjoy!
Notes
- Due to the concentrated nature of the sauce, extra salt might not be needed. Taste test and adjust to your personal preference.
- Chicken thighs and legs are dark meat. Dark meat is best cooked to at least 175f internal temp so that the connective tissue can start to break down, making the chicken far more tender.
- The egg yolks can be omitted and substituted with a bit more heavy cream.
- Lemon juice is often added to the sauce right before serving. Taste test and add it if you think it needs it. But the 1 cup of wine usually provides a perfect amount of acidity to the dish.
- Leftovers can be saved for up to 3 days in the fridge and can be reheated on the stovetop or microwave.
Nutrition
Calories: 753kcal | Carbohydrates: 12.2g | Protein: 81.6g | Fat: 37.4g | Saturated Fat: 13.8g | Cholesterol: 340mg | Sodium: 755mg | Potassium: 1031mg | Fiber: 1.9g | Sugar: 3.4g | Calcium: 79mg | Iron: 6mg
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
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Made this today for lunch with my sisters they loved it I made it exactly as the recipe said except could not use flour as one of my sister needs gluten free so I made cornflour slurry to thicken the sauce served it with new potatoes and broccoli as my daughter said it was banging
I made this recipe a few weeks ago and it was quite delicious. One challenge I ran into is that there wasn’t enough flour for all of the liquid involved in the dish. You recommended a volume between the (1c) wine and the broth (3c)for a total of a quart, and then there was the added liquid of cream and the water from the mushrooms.
I noticed this issue before I began to cook, so I left out a cup of the broth. Despite this, it’s still was pretty thin, although creamy. And it was very delicious! I just want to say that I loved this dish, but I would definitely cut back on the liquids to make the sauce a bit thicker. I forgot to mention that I added two small potatoes, cubed to ensure some thickness in the dish. Also, some fennel fronds, which really enhance the flavor.
Hi Alicia, we’re happy you found this to be delicious but sorry to hear you found the amount of liquid to be a challenge. We have not run into this particular issue and have tested it multiple times. To quickly thicken any sauce you can always make a slurry with cornstarch to get it to your desired thickness.
Only one word can describe how delicious this is. YUMMY! I truly love this recipe. Of course, I love all if your recipes. I’ve made many. Thank you!
Hi Trish, we’re so happy you enjoyed this one and other recipes as well! Thanks so much for the comment!