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Home » Entrees

Chicken Fricassée

Published: Oct 6, 2021 · Last Modified: May 22, 2022 by Anecia

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Chicken Fricassée is an easy one-pan recipe that consists of braised chicken in a mushroom cream sauce-an easy recipe anyone can make!

Don't be intimidated by the sound of this French Classic!

Traditionally, the recipe uses chicken thighs, but you can use chicken breasts as well.

Chicken Fricassee on white plate with sliced cherry tomatoes
Chicken Fricassee is a Classic French dish...bon appetit!

This slow simmered chicken dish has a mild, savory mushroom flavor with a hint of lemon and tarragon. If you're not a fan of tarragon, feel free to substitute with parsley!

What is Fricassée?

Fricassee is a French term meaning to brown and braise a meat and serve it with a sauce made from its own stock. Sounds fancy and difficult, but it's not!

In this instance, the sauce for Chicken Fricassée is made with chicken broth and mushrooms.

Why you'll love this recipe!

Chicken Fricassee is a great week-night dinner because once you brown the meat, it slow simmers in the skillet, which gives you time to do something else - you don't have to stand over the stove!

  • Easy clean-up:  Doesn't require a lot of pots and pans; just one big skillet!
  • Variety - puts a new spin on your weekly chicken dinner with just a few seasonings
  • Affordable - nothing fancy or gourmet, and chicken thighs are cheap!

I make this dish with boneless, skinless thighs, but you can use breasts if you prefer. Just keep in mind that white meat cooks faster than dark.

This dish is a French classic, so if you're feeling like you'd rather be in France, grab a beret and make this!

Here's what you need

Boneless, skinless chicken thighs, butter, oil, flour, white wine, mushrooms, chicken broth, egg, cream, lemon juice, and tarragon.

What kind of mushrooms do I use?

You can use white button, Cremini or Portobello mushrooms. Just be sure to wipe the mushrooms with a damp paper towel and remove the stems before slicing.

How to make it

First, you brown the chicken,  then remove it from the pan; make the mushroom sauce; add it back in to simmer in the mushroom sauce and it's done!

The reason for this back and forth movement is two-fold; one, the first sear on the meat is to brown it only; then you have to remove it in order to make the sauce (there's not enough room in the skillet).

After you make the sauce, you add the chicken back in to continue cooking.

Tips

Use boneless, skinless chicken thighs; trim away any fat.

Tongs are useful when making Chicken Fricassée; they help to transfer the chicken without it falling apart.

Have a meat thermometer nearby to ensure chicken reaches an internal temperature of 165ºF.

If you use meat with the skin-on,  trim away the fat and pour some of the oil in the skillet out...chicken fat produces more oil than you need for the creamy mushroom sauce

Make ahead and storage

If time isn't on your side, bake the chicken thighs in advance and store in the fridge for up to 3 days.

When ready to serve, lightly brown the thighs on the stove, remove them from the pan, make the sauce and return the meat back to the skillet to absorb some of the mushroom sauce.

Serving suggestions

Traditionally, Chicken Fricassée is served with a starch, like scalloped potatoes, creamy mashed potatoes, and a green vegetable (think peas, broccoli or sautéed spinach.)

Chicken Fricassee on white plate with rice and tomatoes

Related recipes

  • Traditional French Ratatouille
  • Easy Chicken Cordon Bleu
  • Classic French Onion Soup
  • Burgundy Mushrooms
  • Chicken Linguine Alfredo

If you make this recipe, please scroll down and leave a comment and rating! I love to hear from you! Thank you!

Chicken Fricassee on white plate with rice and tomatoes

Chicken Fricassée

Chicken braised in a savory and creamy mushroom sauce
5 from 6 votes
Print Text Recipe Rate
Course: Entree
Cuisine: French
Prep Time: 10 minutes
Cook Time: 50 minutes
Total Time: 1 hour
Total Yield: 4 servings
Author: Anecia Hero
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Equipment

  • Tongs
  • Meat thermometer

Ingredients 

  • 2 pounds chicken thighs , boneless, skinless
  • 1 pound mushrooms , whole (Button, Cremini or Portobello)
  • 1 tablespoon lemon juice
  • ¼ cup dry white wine
  • 1 cup chopped onion
  • 1 clove minced garlic
  • 1 tablespoon oil
  • 1 tablespoon flour , all-purpose
  • 2 teaspoons tarragon , dried
  • 1½ cups chicken stock
  • 1 tablespoon butter
  • ¼ cup cream , heavy whipped cream, room temperature
  • 1 large egg yolk
  • salt and pepper , to taste

Instructions 

Prep

  • Clean mushrooms with damp paper towel; remove stems; slice mushrooms thinly; set aside
    1 pound mushrooms
  • Chop onion; set aside
    1 cup chopped onion
  • Separate egg; in a small bowl, combine cream and egg yolk; set aside
    1 large egg yolk, ¼ cup cream
  • Trim away any fat; lightly salt and pepper chicken

Cook the chicken and make the sauce:

  • Add butter and oil to large skillet on medium heat
    1 tablespoon oil, 1 tablespoon butter
  • Place chicken thighs top-side down in skillet; cook 4-6 minutes on medium heat or until lightly browned; flip and cook another 4-6 minutes; use tongs, remove chicken and place on plate and cover with foil
    2 pounds chicken thighs
  • Deglaze pan: add white wine to skillet; use wooden spoon to scrape pan
    ¼ cup dry white wine
  • Add chopped onions, mushrooms to pan; cook for 8-10 minutes
    1 pound mushrooms
  • Add garlic to mushroom/onion mixture
    1 clove minced garlic
  • Sprinkle flour over mixture and add broth; stir well; reduce heat to medium-low
    1 tablespoon flour, 1½ cups chicken stock
  • Add cream/egg mixture and tarragon; stir well; remove from heat; add lemon juice; season with salt and pepper to taste
    1 tablespoon lemon juice, 2 teaspoons tarragon, ¼ cup cream, salt and pepper
  • Place browned chicken back into pan; return pan to stove ; cover and simmer until the internal temperature reaches 160ºF
  • Plate and drizzle with mushroom sauce

Notes

At first glance, this recipe looks like you're moving the chicken around a lot...here's the deal:
  • First, you brown and remove it from the pan
  • then you make the sauce
  • then add it back in to finish cooking on a low simmer
If you use chicken thighs with the skin-on you'll have too much oil for the sauce (chicken fat renders a lot of oil), so you'll need to throw some of the oil away
  • Season the thighs and sear in pan; remove from pan; trim away fat
  • Pour out some of the oil in the pan (you only need about 2 tablespoons of fat in the pan)
  • Add flour and resume recipe instructions
Out of heavy cream? 
Substitute with ¼ cup sour cream or plain yogurt...just make sure it's room temperature
Do not add the lemon until the very end

Nutrition Estimate

Serving: 1cupCalories: 715kcalCarbohydrates: 15gProtein: 45gFat: 52gSaturated Fat: 15gPolyunsaturated Fat: 10gMonounsaturated Fat: 22gTrans Fat: 1gCholesterol: 291mgSodium: 353mgPotassium: 1045mgFiber: 2gSugar: 6gVitamin A: 628IUVitamin C: 8mgCalcium: 64mgIron: 3mg
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Anecia Hero, Food Blogger

About SmartyPantsKitchen

I'm Anecia, a native Texan, author, cook and photographer for SmartyPantsKitchen where I'm sharing Traditional and Contemporary Southern recipes for cooks of all levels. There's nothing fancy or gourmet about my recipes-just easy, simple, delicious and memorable! Take a tour and check out delicious recipes! 

Learn more about me →

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