Chicken Fricassee, a classic French dish, is made with chicken, mushrooms, carrots, and onions in a creamy sauce.
I've turned it into a 30 minute skillet meal, while preserving the comforting flavor of the original.
Julia Child described fricassee in her book Mastering the Art of French Cooking as "halfway between a sauté and a stew." The brilliance of a fricassee is that it combines two methods to cook your chicken.
First, you'll sauté your chicken breasts in a sauté pan. Then, you'll braise your chicken in a broth until cooked through.
The creamy sauce is made with chicken broth, garlic, lemon juice, and heavy cream. It's light, creamy, and flavorful. Not to mention all the flavor you get from sautéing all of your ingredients in a single pan.
This quick chicken fricassee makes the perfect, fuss-free weeknight meal. It's easy to pair with mashed potatoes or a side salad for a filling dinner.
Ingredients and substitutions
You'll need 16 ounces of boneless chicken for this recipe. Since chicken breasts are so large, I was able to use two breasts sliced in half for this recipe.
Chicken breasts can be substituted with boneless chicken thighs.
Chicken broth can be substituted with vegetable broth.
What to serve with chicken fricassee
While your fricassee is filling on its own, you may want to add another dish to serve on the side.
My favorite side dish to add is my Creamy Mashed Potatoes. The sauce acts as a gravy, making them an easy pairing. Try serving your chicken and vegetables on top of a scoop of mashed potatoes for a nice presentation.
Another great choice would be a loaf of crusty bread, like French bread. Soak up all of that creamy sauce with a hunk of fresh baked bread from your local bakery. Plus - there's no extra cooking required!
Quick Chicken Fricassee
Ingredients
- 2 tablespoons unsalted butter
- 2 boneless, skinless chicken breasts, about 16 ounces
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ¼ teaspoon pepper
- 1 medium onion, chopped
- 2 carrots, peeled and sliced
- 8 ounces button mushrooms, sliced
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
- 2 tablespoons all purpose flour
- 1 cup chicken broth
- ½ cup heavy cream
- 2 tablespoons lemon juice
- 2 tablespoons fresh parsley, chopped
Instructions
- Carefully slice each chicken breast in half lengthwise to create two thin pieces (as if you were butterflying them, but continue slicing all the way through). Alternately, pound chicken breasts to a 1 inch thickness. Season with salt and pepper
- In a sauté pan over medium heat, add butter. When melted and bubbling, add prepared chicken breasts. Cook chicken for 2-3 minutes per side, or until lightly browned. Remove from pan and set aside.
- Add carrots and onions to pan and cook for 2 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add mushrooms and cook for another 2 to 3 minutes, or until lightly browned and onions are turning translucent.
- Add minced garlic and cook for 30 seconds. Watch carefully as minced garlic can burn quickly. Add flour and toss vegetables to coat. Cook for 30 seconds.
- Add chicken broth, heavy cream, and lemon juice to the pan, scraping the bottom of the pan to deglaze. Add chicken breasts back to pan and cook for another 3-4 more minutes, or until chicken reaches an internal temperature of 165 degrees Fahrenheit. (if using a thicker cut of meat, or bone-in chicken, additional time will be needed to cook through.)
- Remove pan from heat and allow to sit for 5 minutes to allow sauce to thicken. Sprinkle with chopped parsley just before serving.
Equipment Recommendations
Notes
- Boneless, skinless chicken thighs can be used instead of chicken breasts, if desired.
- If using bone-in chicken, your cooking times will be extended. When adding chicken broth and chicken breasts back into the pan (step 5), cook chicken until internal temperature reaches 165 degrees. Thicker chicken pieces will take longer to cook.
- Lemon juice can be substituted with white wine.
Delicious!! Easy recipe and kid friendly
I just didn’t get the very rich flavor I was expecting. Maybe more cream or butter.
Made this for dinner Saturday night and got HUGE raves and (unfortunately for me) no leftovers. My only change was to substitute chicken tenders to save time and clean up. This was OMG delicious and so easy to execute that I felt guilty taking all those compliments... but I will! Thank you for sharing this recipe - it’s a treasure!
You can also boil a small turkey/ chicken instead and use the broth for the sauce, along with white wine. Served with french fries and freshly tossed green salad, it’s european style and absolutely yummy. Biscuits for the leftover sauce make it perfect!
Delish!