Ficassee de Poulet a L’Ancienne

Or as we say outside of France, Chicken Fricassee. These recipe is involved and challenging but not as hard as it may seem, and the result is more than worth the frustration, so give it a go.

Ingredients

  • 4 lbs Chicken -pieces, I like thighs
  • 32 oz Chicken broth
  • 8 oz Cremini Mushrooms – trimmed and quartered
  • 6 oz Dry White wine
  • 2 oz Heavy Cream
  • 2 Egg Yolks – at room temperature
  • 1 Onion – diced into 1/4″ cubes
  • 1 Carrot – diced into 1/4″ cubes
  • 1 Celery stalk – diced into 1/4″ cubes
  • 3 TBL butter – softened
  • 2 TBL Flour
  • 2 TBL fresh Lemon juice
  • 1 TBL Olive oil
  • 1 TBL Kosher salt
  • 0.5 tsp Black pepper
  • 2 sprigs fresh Parsley
  • 2 sprigs fresh Thyme
  • 2 TBL fresh Tarragon leaves – chopped
  • 1 Bay leaf

Process

  1. Mise en Place: Measure and prepare your ingredients prior to starting.
  2. Cook Chicken
    1. Preheat Dutch oven over Med-High heat.
    2. Generously salt and pepper both sides the chicken pieces.
    3. Add 2 TBL butter and oil.
    4. When butter melts, add chicken skin side down – do not crowd, cook in batches if necessary.
    5. Fry chicken ~6 mins and turn once and cook other side ~4 mins. Should be golden brown.
  3. Reduce heat and add mirepoix (onion, carrot, and celery).
  4. Add mushrooms and cook until shrooms are darkened, ~5 mins.
  5. Stir in flour until fully absorbed, ~1 min.
  6. Add wine and bring to a boil. Stir until fond is freed and the liquid thickens.
  7. Add broth and stir until blended.
  8. Place chicken in mixture, skin side up, on a single layer.
  9. Pour any juices from the chicken plate on top.
  10. Tie parsley, thyme, and bay leaf with twine and add bouquet to pot.
  11. Bring to a boil, then reduce to simmer and partially cover. Cook 30 mins or until chicken center is 165 F.
  12. Transfer chicken to a plate,
  13. Simmer remaining liquid uncovered ~5 mins.
  14. Make a Liaison (sauce thickener)
    1. Whisk egg yolk with cream.
    2. While constantly whisking, scoop half the liquid from the pot 1 TBL at a time into the cream to temper the Liaison.
    3. If you don’t stir enough or transfer the hot liquid too fast, the yolk will cook and get lumpy.
  15. Stir tempered Liaison into the pot while stirring.
  16. Return chicken to the pot, add tarragon, lemon juice and remaining butter.
  17. Simmer until chicken is hot again. Stir gently to combine
  18. Serve chicken with the sauce over the top.

Note: Fond is the burnt food stuck to the bottom of the pan – it is loaded with flavors.

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