Description
Chicken fricassee is comfort food at its finest, bringing tender chicken and silky vegetables together in a rich, savory sauce that makes weeknight dinners feel special. Your family will keep coming back for this one-pot wonder that tastes like you’ve been cooking all day, even though it comes together much faster than that.
Ingredients
Scale
Chicken coating:
- 8 bone-in chicken thighs and drumsticks
- 0.25 cup flour
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1 teaspoon onion powder
- 0.5 teaspoon black pepper
- 0.5 teaspoon paprika
Cooking fats:
- 4 tablespoons olive oil
- 2 tablespoons unsalted butter
Fricassee vegetables and seasonings:
- 8 ounces pearl onions, peeled and kept whole
- 2 carrots, cut into 0.75-inch pieces
- 3 celery stalks, cut into 0.75-inch pieces
- 8 ounces white mushrooms, quartered (halved if small)
- 4 garlic cloves, minced
- 0.25 teaspoon red pepper flakes
- 2.5 cups reduced-sodium chicken broth
- 1 teaspoon dried parsley
- 0.5 teaspoon dried oregano
- 0.5 teaspoon dried basil
Finishing touches:
- 0.5 cup heavy cream
- 1.5 tablespoons fresh parsley, chopped
- 1.5 teaspoons fresh thyme leaves
- 0.5 tablespoon lemon juice
- 0.125 to 0.25 teaspoon salt, to taste
- 0.125 to 0.25 teaspoon black pepper, to taste
Instructions
- Mix together 1/4 cup flour, 1 teaspoon salt, 1 teaspoon garlic powder, 1 teaspoon onion powder, 1/2 teaspoon black pepper, and 1/2 teaspoon paprika in a shallow dish. Pat your 8 bone-in chicken thighs and drumsticks dry, then coat each piece thoroughly in the flour mixture and set aside.
- Heat 1 tablespoon unsalted butter with 2 tablespoons olive oil in an oven-safe skillet over medium-high heat at 350°F. Sear your chicken for 4 minutes on each side until golden, then transfer to a plate.
- Add 2 tablespoons unsalted butter and 2 tablespoons olive oil to the same skillet over medium heat. Place in your 8 oz pearl onions, 2 carrots cut into 3/4-inch pieces, 3 celery stalks cut into 3/4-inch pieces, and 8 oz quartered white mushrooms.
- Cook your vegetables for 10 minutes until they soften, then stir in 4 minced garlic cloves and 1/4 teaspoon red pepper flakes for 30 seconds.
- Dust the vegetables with 3 tablespoons flour (use reserved coating plus extra if needed) and stir constantly for 2 minutes.
- Pour in 2 1/2 cups reduced-sodium chicken broth while scraping up browned bits from the skillet bottom, then add 1 teaspoon dried parsley, 1/2 teaspoon dried oregano, and 1/2 teaspoon dried basil. Return your chicken to the skillet.
- Cover your skillet and bake at 350°F for 25-35 minutes until the chicken’s internal temperature reaches 170°F.
- Remove your chicken and stir 1/2 cup heavy cream, 1 1/2 tablespoons fresh parsley, and 1 1/2 teaspoons fresh thyme into the remaining sauce.
- Simmer your sauce uncovered for 5-10 minutes until it thickens to your liking, then add 1/2 tablespoon lemon juice and season with 1/8 to 1/4 teaspoon salt and 1/8 to 1/4 teaspoon black pepper.
- Return your chicken to the skillet, coat with sauce, and serve over rice or mashed potatoes.
Notes
- Pat your chicken completely dry before dredging so the flour coating sticks properly and creates that golden crust.
- Don’t skip searing the chicken in batches if your skillet feels crowded, since proper browning builds flavor for your entire dish.
- Add the cream slowly at the end and simmer gently so your sauce stays silky instead of breaking or becoming grainy.
- For a lighter version, swap heavy cream with equal parts chicken broth and Greek yogurt stirred in just before serving to keep the creamy texture without extra richness.
- Prep Time: 10 minutes
- Cook Time: 50 minutes-1 hour
- Category: Baked Chicken
- Method: Baking
- Cuisine: French
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 6
- Calories: 364 kcal
- Sugar: 3 g
- Sodium: 325 mg
- Fat: 26 g
- Saturated Fat: 8 g
- Unsaturated Fat: 16 g
- Trans Fat: 0.2 g
- Carbohydrates: 8 g
- Fiber: 2 g
- Protein: 25 g
- Cholesterol: 120 mg