Chicken Fricassée is a traditional French chicken stew made with browned chicken pieces braised in a creamy white mushroom sauce. A rustic family-style meal that’s easy enough for midweek, it’s a bit like a white sauce version of Coq au Vin – except it’s so much faster to make!
This is a reader-favourite recipe included by popular demand in my debut cookbook “Dinner”!
Chicken Fricassée
Pronounced “fri-ka-say”, this is a terrific recipe to get a cosy stew fix any night of the week without hours of slow cooking. This dish is a traditional French chicken stew made with a creamy white sauce with mushrooms, instead of the more common rich, dark brown sauce like you ordinarily see with stews, such as with Coq au Vin and this baked Chicken Stew.
I’m just going to tell it to you straight: the chicken is lovely (juicy, golden brown, etc etc) … but this dish is all about the creamy white sauce!!!
Ingredients in Chicken Fricassée
Here’s what you need to make Chicken Fricassée.
1. Chicken pieces
This dish is best made with skin-on, bone-in chicken pieces that stay nice and juicy after simmering in the sauce. Mind you, this is a quick stew that only calls for 30 minutes of simmering time. But still, boneless breast or thigh would overcook in this time. Having said that, I’ve included in notes in the recipe for how I would make Chicken Fricassée with breast and boneless thighs, because I know some of you will ask!!
2. Other ingredients in Chicken Fricassée
Here are the other ingredients required for Chicken Fricassée:
Garlic and onion – The foundation upon which many savoury dishes are built, and Chicken Fricassée is no exception!
Bay leaves and thyme – The herb flavourings for the sauce. Fresh is best if you have them, else dried is fine.
Butter – It’s a French dish. Say no more! 😂
Mushrooms – The traditional vegetable included in the sauce. Though really, this is such an adaptable dish that it can be made with any vegetable suitable for braising. Add those that can withstand a 30 minute braising time at the beginning, and faster-cooking vegetables (like green beans and asparagus) towards the end.
White wine – Any white wine that’s not too woody or sweet will work great here. Chardonnay in particular adds really good flavour. Substitute with more low-sodium chicken stock/broth for a non-alcoholic version.
Chicken stock/broth – This dish is extremely tasty made with regular store-bought chicken stock. But it becomes a restaurant-quality treat if you make it with homemade chicken stock! Homemade chicken stock is straightforward to make and really worth it for the added deliciousness. (Bonus: It’s lower sodium than store bought and you get extra nutrients from the bones).
Flour – Used to lightly thicken the sauce.
Cream – This also thickens the sauce as well as making the sauce rich, creamy and decadent!
How to make Chicken Fricassée
In a nutshell, Chicken Fricassée is made by browning chicken pieces in butter, then braising them in a creamy mushroom sauce thickened with a little flour. It’s a quick stew so it’s only simmered for 30 minutes on the stove which is all you need for the chicken to cook through.
Brown chicken – First, we sprinkle the chicken with salt and pepper. Then in a large skillet or pot that has a lid, melt the butter over medium-high heat. (If your pot/skillet doesn’t have a lid or you don’t have a lid from another pot that is the same size or larger, don’t stress, there’s options – I outline these in the simmering step.)
Brown the chicken thighs first, placing them in the butter skin side down. Cook them for 4 – 5 minutes until nice and golden, then turn and cook the other side for just 1 minute. Remove the thighs from the skillet to a plate or tray. Now do the drumsticks. For drumsticks, I usually sear 3 sides which gets decent coverage all around – about 2 minutes on each side. Once done, add them to the plate holding the thighs.
There will still be plenty of butter left in the skillet, which has now transformed into browned butter. Which means it’s extra tasty – woo!
Sauté mushrooms – To start the sauce, sauté the onions, mushrooms, thyme and bay leaves for around 5 minutes in the residual butter, adding the garlic towards the end. The mushrooms will change from white to light golden, but won’t go a deep golden brown. There’s no point browning mushrooms well because they will lose the colour when braised.
Then add the flour and cook it for 1 minute to cook out the raw floury taste.
Add stock and wine – Then add the wine and chicken stock. Stir well, scraping the base of the pot to dissolve all the golden bits stuck on the base of the pot into the sauce. This stuff is called “fond” and it’s concentrated flavours that makes the sauce even tastier!
Return chicken to pan – Return the chicken to the pot, skin side up. It will mostly be submerged, and that’s exactly what we want. The braising liquid will keep the chicken nice and juicy, while the chicken will absorb the tasty sauce flavour!
Simmer covered 10 minutes – Once the chicken is in the sauce, bring the liquid back up to a simmer. Then adjust the heat so it’s bubbling constantly but not boiling rapidly – see video to see what this looks like. On my stove, it’s medium heat.
Cover with a lid and cook for 10 minutes.
Uncovered 20 minutes – Remove the lid then simmer for a further 20 minutes. In this step, the sauce will reduce and thicken into a thin gravy consistency.
“When is the chicken cooked?” – By this time, the chicken will be cooked. 30 minutes mightn’t sound like long for a stew, but that’s all you need because the chicken is cooked submerged in a very hot liquid. It will be completely cooked and quite tender, though not at the “fall-apart-at-a-touch” stage which is intentional.
Now make the sauce creamy … – Remove chicken from the sauce to a plate. Add the cream, stir, then bring the sauce back up to a simmer.
Garnish and serve! Once the sauce comes back up to a simmer, return the chicken to the sauce. There’s no need to simmer the sauce after the cream is added.
Garnish with a good amount of parsley, and it’s ready to serve!
Matters of serving and eating!
How to serve Chicken Fricassée
Chicken Fricassée can be served directly in individual servings. Otherwise, serve it family-style by placing either the cooking vessel on the table or transfer the Chicken Fricassée to a large serving bowl so people can help themselves.
Starchy sides
As for what to serve with Chicken Fricassée, any sauce this good demands a starchy partner! Mashed potato is traditional (Cauliflower Mash for those going low-carb) though I was interested to learn that rice is not unheard of either.
Short pastas like macaroni, penne and ziti would also be ideal. Basically anything that let’s you enjoy every drop of that gorgeous creamy mushroom sauce!!
Side salad
We’re a little light on the vegetables in Chicken Fricassée! So round off your meal with a nice side of greens. Try a big bowl of roasted vegetables, Garlic Sautéed Spinach, a fresh French Bistro Salad, Roasted Asparagus or a big bowl of leafy greens tossed with a French Vinaigrette.
If you try this Chicken Fricassée, share below in the comments what you served it with. People want to know! 😊 – Nagi x
Watch how to make it
This recipe features in my debut cookbook Dinner. The book is mostly new recipes, but this is a reader favourite included by popular demand!
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Chicken Fricassée (French creamy chicken stew)
Ingredients
Chicken
- 4 chicken drumsticks (~150g/5oz each, Note 1)
- 4 chicken thighs , skin-on and bone-in (~250g/8oz each, Note 1)
- 1 tsp salt (cooking / kosher salt)
- 1/2 tsp black pepper
- 4 tbsp / 60g unsalted butter
Stew ingredients
- 300g / 10oz white mushrooms , halved if small, or cut in 4 to 6 if large
- 2 medium brown onions , sliced 0.6cm (1/2in) wide
- 2 garlic cloves , finely minced
- 1 bay leaf , fresh (sub dried)
- 3 thyme sprigs (or 1/2 tsp dried thyme)
- 3 tbsp flour , plain / all-purpose
- 1/2 cup white wine , preferably chardonnay (Note 2)
- 3 cups chicken stock , low sodium (preferably homemade!)
- 1/4 tsp salt (cooking / kosher salt)
- 1/4 tsp black pepper
- 2 tbsp parsley , chopped
- 2/3 cup thickened/heavy cream
Instructions
- Season chicken: Pat chicken dry with paper towels then sprinkle with salt and pepper.
- Brown thighs: Melt butter over medium-high heat in a large skillet or heavy based pot with a lid. Add chicken thighs, skin side down, and cook for 4 to 5 minutes until golden brown. Turn and cook the other side for 1 minute then remove to a plate.
- Brown drumsticks: Then brown the drumsticks, as best you can. I do 3 sides, about 2 minutes each. Then remove from skillet.
- Sauté mushrooms and onion: Add mushrooms, onion, bay leave and thyme. Cook for 5 minutes until mushroom is lightly golden – they won't go deep golden brown.
- Garlic and flour: Add garlic and stir for 30 seconds. Add flour and cook for 1 minute.
- Wine and chicken stock: Add wine and chicken stock. Stir, scraping the base of the pot to dissolve the brown residue stuck to the pan ("fond") into the sauce.
- Return chicken to sauce: Return chicken back into the sauce with the skin side up.
- Simmer covered 10 minutes: Once it comes to a simmer, adjust heat so it's bubbling constantly but not rapidly (see video) – medium-low on my stove. Cover with lid and simmer 10 minutes.
- Uncover 20 minutes: Remove lid and let it simmer for a further 20 minutes. Chicken will be cooked – internal temperature 75°C/167°F or slightly higher.
- Creamy sauce: Remove chicken to a plate. Add cream and stir. Once it comes up to a simmer, taste sauce (I know, big ask!), and add more salt if desired..
- Serve! Return chicken into the sauce then remove from the stove. Sprinkle with parsley and serve! Traditionally served over mashed potato or rice. Also ideal with short pasta like penne, ziti or macaroni.
Recipe Notes:
Nutrition Information:
Life of Dozer
Ordinarily I hose him down with the garden hose after his beach session. But it was bitterly cold on this particular morning, so I took pity on him. #sucker (that’s me I’m referring to!).
Made it for the first time yesterday. It was so tasty. Will be making it again in the future.
I just wanted to say I’ve made your Chicken Fricassee half a dozen times now and it’s been a hit every time. It was best when I made it with hen of the woods mushrooms. I’ve also used carrots in place of mushrooms with a tasty outcome as well. I think my personal favorite was with wild rabbit although you need a nice source of fat. I used the fat from a couple of chickens I roasted and also the broth. Thank you very kindly for an addition to my go to meals that never disappoint.
Love, love, love this! I have been cooking some of the dishes on your website, now I need to cook more! Just want to express my appreciation for all the hard work you do for our tummies 🙂
After making this recipe a handful of times I can say that it is a keeper. Great recipe to use an inexpensive cut of meat in a really show stopping way. I like to tie the herbs with a bit of cotton string rather than fussing with getting thyme leaves free and I had a little extra thyme since I pull the bunch out at the end. Then I garnish with fresh parsley to finish. Super yummy served with a rice/orzo pasta blend.
This has been a firm favourite for years in this house! We love the sauce and always mop it up with mash potato or penne pasta. I do add broccoli or green beans before the cream just to get some greenery in there but it’s more that I’m too lazy to cook separately. Beautiful recipe with chicken thighs (little less cooking time if no drumsticks). So good ❤️❤️
Loved this dish! It’s a regular for us.
Second time making this knockout chicken dish, I followed the recipe made no changes and it is foolproof. I’ve made a lot of Nagis recipes and they work every time for me….the spicy pork with noodles and beans is fab! Buy her recipe book you will not be disappointed
Delicious recipe. I tried to follow to a “t” but as others stated there was way too much liquid. After simmering for 10 mins and removing the lid I wound up removing about a cup of the broth/wine sauce. When I removed the chicken and put in the cream the sauce was perfect and still plenty left over. I did add one extra T of flour and the sauce had the perfect consistency. My husband loved it, will definitely make again!
I’m making this for dinner tomorrow as the temps are finally cooling off here in Texas and this seems like a perfect fall Sunday dinner. Cannot wait and, if what others are saying about allllll the soupy sauce is true, I know my husband will be thrilled. We like extra sauce in this house. Also, I just bought your Dinner cookbook bc literally EVERY. SINGLE. recipe (40+) that I’ve made from your website in the last year have been devoured by my family of 6. So glad to be able to support such a talented chef/teacher. Keep doing you, Nagi! You’re our fav!
I just don’t understand how anyone can’t want all of the delicious sauce this recipe creates. We eat it on potatoes, pasta or rice and have *never* felt there was too much.
My son and I really enjoyed this this meal. We halved the ingredients because we had really large chicken pieces and it was still enough for two nights. We tried it with creamy mashed potato and green beans the first night, and with steamed rice and broccolini the next. It was an easy recipe to follow and didn’t cost a lot to make. Both ways were equally delicious and will be a happy addition to our regulars list.
Good recipe, been using this for years but word of caution. The broth in this should be reduced. If you’re not adding veggies, just use 2 cups. If you’re like me and like carrots and celery added, I use the 3 cups to cook properly. I don’t use wine at all so I skip that entirely. The consistency may be too liquidy even after all this so I end up adding 1 or 2 more tablespoons of flour to get it thicker.
Also, the nice crust the chicken had from being sauteed earlier gets soggy while being simmered with the covered top for 10 minutes. So after the chicken cooks uncovered for 20 min, I take them out and broil them in the oven for 10 min on each side and get that beautiful crust and flavor back.
Also I do not use cream or half/half. I use coconut milk or coconut cream and it still comes out delicious.
Happy cooking.
This always turns out to be a hit! So delicious! But word to the wise. The liquid amount is too much imo. I only use 3 cups of chicken stock/broth and no wine. If you use wine, I suggest 2 cups of broth and 1 cup of wine.
Also, the chicken never fully cooks inside to my preference and the brown crispy skin sogs up after covering and simmering for 10 minutes. So after the part where chicken cooks for 20 minutes uncovered, I stick the chicken in the oven on broil for 10 minutes and get it nice and crisp again and then stick it back in the gravy and it comes out delicious and perfect.
I’ve made this recipe twice now because it is just sooo :delicious.. my family can’t get enough of it & the whole lot is clean by the end of dinner because they mop up every drop of that gravy to the very end… tq Nagi for sharing this great recipe.. my kids are already asking me when I am planning to make it again!!!
Made the recipe as written and turned out exactly as the video! Delicious and bonus the kids loved it! The sauce was was perfect, thick and flavourful. Cook time was spot on.
This is such a great recipe. It’s comforting and yet sophisticated. I did need to simmer a bit more for the sauce to get to consistency I wanted, not a problem though. I’m thankful for the amount of sauce. It really is spectacular and will go well on so many other dishes.
This is good. Of course it is! It always is… Works well with the leftover faux risotto from this https://www.recipetineats.com/one-pot-creamy-parmesan-garlic-risotto-with-lemon-pepper-chicken/ and a ratatouille…
Family really enjoyed this meal served with fluffy steamed long grain rice. (Repeat will happen often) Easy to make. Pre cooked chicken pieces (12) in a microwave for 4 mins a side on high (1000watt) and then browned them in a pan for2 mins a side. Succulent and juicy. Sauce was mopped up by all.
Made according to recipe but still very watery. Even added 2 more tablespoons of flour after readying the comments… And tried to reduce for as long as I could. Still nice but yeah, too much liquid for me.
It was very tasty. As previous reviewers have observed, too much liquid. I have also noted this on other recipies. I love Nagi’s recipies but they do tend to be recommending too much liquid for the prescribed cooking time. Please don’t be horrible to the persons that post these suggestions. I am sure that the original person did not mean to say litres but mils or cups. Come on people we are all just trying to make a nice dinner here
I would just like to add (regarding the “too much liquid”. The results can vary based on how you scoop your flour, how long you actually cook it out, how long you boil the sauce, the rate and level of your simmer and finally it can vary greatly depending on stoves. So no, please do not blame the recipe writer. Tweek and experiment and you’ll find the results you prefer
Made this one last night from your book. Not my usual kind of recipe but it looked so delicious I wanted to try something different and I am so glad I did. Sooo good!
Such a wonderful recipe I make it all of the time
flowers