Happy Spring, foodie friends! With today being the first official day of spring, I initially thought it would be nice to post something bright, vibrant and fresh, a recipe to accompany the incipient warmer weather. However, my husband and I just spent the most rejuvenating week in one of our favorite places, the mountains of Taos, New Mexico. While there, I whipped up this incredibly satisfying Chicken Fricassee (which a little help from Julia Child, of course). In spending time bundled up on the giant wrap-around porch, sipping french press coffee and watching the sun sink into the mountains, or hiking through the snow-covered trails with our black lab, Lincoln, enthusiastically springing from snow patch to icy stream, I found myself clinging to the last thread of winter and all that it entails.
Much to my delight, on our return back to Texas, a wave of cooler air was just settling in and it doesn’t seem to be going anytime soon! This velvety Chicken Fricassee ((Fricassee De Poulet A L’Ancienne) (aka Creamy Chicken Stew) is the perfect one-pot dish to keep you and your family (or dinner guests) perfectly satisfied on these cooler spring days.
Buen provecho, y’all!
- 1 whole chicken, butchered (or 4 pounds preferred chicken pieces)
- sea salt and ground black pepper
- 3 Tablespoons unsalted butter
- 3 shallots, finely chopped (or ½ cup pearl onions)
- 2 stalks celery, cut into ¼ inch slices
- 2-3 carrots, cut into ¼ inch slices
- 1 teaspoon fennel seeds
- 6-8 ounces mushrooms (preferably wild such as shiitake, oyster, etc)
- 2 Tablespoons flour
- ⅔ cup dry white wine
- 4 cups chicken broth
- 5-6 sprigs fresh thyme
- For the liaison:
- 2 large egg yolks
- ¼ cup heavy cream
- Garnish:
- 3 Tablespoons fresh tarragon, chopped
- juice of 1 lemon
- Thoroughly salt and pepper chicken pieces. In a large dutch oven or heavy pot, heat 2 Tablespoons butter over medium heat. Brown the chicken pieces, turning once about 5 minutes on each side, in 2 batches so as not to overcrowd the pot. Transfer to a large plate/platter.
- In the same pot, heat remaining tablespoon of butter over medium heat and add in shallots (or pearl onions), celery and carrots and fennel seeds. Saute until soft and fragrant, about 5 minutes. Stir in mushrooms and sprinkle in the flour to coat.
- Pour in the white wine and stir until bubbling, about a minute or so. Pour in the chicken broth. Add chicken pieces back to the pot. Wrap 1 sprig of thyme around the rest of the thyme to make a little bouquet and toss into the pot. Bring to a boil then reduce back down to a simmer. Cook, covered, for about 25 minutes until chicken is cooked through (165 internal temp). Remove the herbs.
- (This last step is optional but beautifully thickens the fricassee.)
- To make the liaison: Whisk together egg yolks and cream in a medium bowl. As you whisk constantly, add about 1 Tablespoon at a time of hot liquid (from fricassee), until you've incorporated about 6-8 Tablespoons of the liquid to temper it (basically doing this so the eggs don't cook!) Now, drizzle and stir tempered liaison into the pot again.
- Salt and pepper to taste. Garnish with fresh chopped tarragon, a squeeze of lemon and serve over noodles or as it!