Fricassée de Poulet (Chicken Fricassee)
My maternal grandmother was multi-talented! Perhaps it was the fact that she spent her entire childhood 👧 and teens in a private convent run by nuns . It was where all the girls from upper-class families went.
They learned more than any other schools: from music, history and geography , accounting, management, first ai, sewing, cooking, gardening 👩🌾, etiquette, and so forth… The nuns were preparing them for entry into society.
Instead of going along with her mother’s prospects list, she decided (I got my stubbornness from her… we’re both Aries, lol) to marry a blue-collar young man who was working as a conductor on Canadian National trains 🚉. From their union, they had seven kids.
Due to her years at the convent, she was a great pianist 🎶 and also a fantastic cook. Each time we visited my grandparents, I knew she made something incredibly delicious. It was during one of our visits that I tasted her Fricassée de Poulet (Chicken Fricassee).
This classic French dish is simply delightful! With chicken pieces browned in butter 🧈 and braised in a lovely white wine, creamy mushroom sauce, this comfort food is amazingly tasty! In our family, we describe it as a “white stew”, the opposite of Coq au Vin.
There’s no right or wrong when making this dish! Most of the time, when I make my version of Fricassée de Poulet (Chicken Fricassee), I use boneless, skinless thighs. The reason is they cook much faster. To make it authentic, like my grandmother did, she used a whole chicken 🐓 that she cut into eight pieces.
For more flavor and a deeper richness to the sauce, using drumsticks and chicken thighs or breasts with bone-in, skin-on is the way to go. If you opt for one of them (or all), keep in mind that the cooking time will be longer ⏰.
Often the seasonings used in this recipe are pretty simple: salt 🧂, pepper, and mild paprika. I prefer using hot paprika to give the dish more oomph. A spice blend I also like to add is Herbes de Provence. Besides butter, I brown my protein in some olive oil to prevent the butter from burning.
Although chicken is the preferred meat, nothing is stopping you from using other proteins like rabbit 🐇 or veal. When it comes to serving this French dish, I place a thigh on top of mashed potatoes, liberally spoon the sauce over, and sprinkle on some fresh chopped parsley as a finishing touch.
Creamy and incredibly delicious, this Fricassée de Poulet (Chicken Fricassee) is a great recipe to make for your family. Served with crusty bread 🍞 to soak up the yummy sauce, this is the perfect comfort food to enjoy anytime.
Bon Appétit! 🍽
Here are more delicious comfort food recipes for you to try… 😀
– Guinness Beef Stew
– Chicken Scarpariello
– Moroccan Lamb Couscous
– Italian Sausage, Spinach & Ricotta Cannelloni
– Texas Cowboy Stew
– Easy Egg Rolls in a Bowl
– French Onion Dijon Pork Chops
– Saag Aloo
– Easy Beef Egg Noodles
and for even more poultry recipes 🐓🦃🦆, click on this link… Recipe Category • Poultry
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Fricassée de Poulet (Chicken Fricassee)
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Ingredients
- 1 1/2 to 2 lbs. boneless, skinless chicken thighs, patted dry
- ground Himalayan pink salt, to taste and divided
- freshly ground mixed peppercorns, to taste and divided
- hot paprika, to taste and divided
- 3 tbsp. butter, divided
- 1 tbsp. olive oil tips & tricks
- 1 1/2 cups yellow onions, diced
- 1/2 cup carrots, diced
- 1/2 cup celery, diced tips & tricks
- 1/2 cup red peppers, diced
- 12 ounces button mushrooms, washed and sliced
- 2 large cloves garlic, pressed
- 3 tbsp. unbleached all-purpose flour
- 1/2 cup dry white wine
- 1 1/2 cups low-sodium chicken broth
- 1/2 tbsp. Herbes de Provence see Recipe
- 1 cup heavy cream
- 1 tbsp. fresh chopped parsley, for garnish tips & tricks
Directions
- Season chicken on one side with salt, pepper and hot paprika.
- In a large skillet over medium-high heat, add 2 tbsp. butter and oil. When hot, working in batches, add thighs, seasoned side down. and then season the top with salt, pepper, and hot paprika.
- Cook for 2 to 3 minutes per side or until golden brown. Transfer to a plate and set aside.
- Reduce heat to medium and add the remaining 1 tbsp. butter. When melted, add onions, carrots, and celery: season with salt. Sauté for 3 minutes.
- Add red peppers and sauté for 2 minutes.
- Add mushrooms, and stir to coat in fat: season with mixed peppercorns. Cover and sweat the veggies for 2 minutes.
- Add garlic and quickly sauté for 30 seconds.
- Stir in flour and cook for 1:30 to 2 minutes, stirring constantly.
- Pour in white wine and cook until the liquid is almost gone, about 3 to 4 minutes.
- Add chicken broth and Herbes de Provence. Increase the heat slightly to medium-high, and bring the mixture to a gentle boil; simmer for 5 minutes.
- Pour in heavy cream, bring to a simmer, and return the chicken pieces, including any accumulated juices.
- Push the thighs into the sauce, making sure they’re entirely covered, reduce heat back to medium, and cook for 10 minutes or until the internal temperature reads 175ºF.
- Sprinkle on fresh chopped parsley and serve over mashed potatoes.
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