Chicken Fricassee is a classic French recipe made with browned chicken thighs cooked in a decadent white wine mushroom sauce flavored with shallots, herbs and cream. A delicious, comforting dish that is perfect for weeknights or cozy weekends at home.
Easy chicken dinners are where it’s at! Here are some more favorites you’ll love: Chicken Piccata, Chicken Stir Fry and Chicken Salad.
Crispy chicken thighs cooked in a decadent white wine mushroom sauce that is finished with heavy cream and flavored with shallots is one of life’s simple pleasures. This easy chicken dish is ready in under an hour and half of that is just time is completely hands off.
Whether you’re serving it along side a scoop of buttery mashed potatoes or scooping up that decadent sauce with fresh made dinner rolls, there are so many ways to enjoy this easy Chicken Fricassee recipe.
What Is Chicken Fricassee
This homey, comfort food dish is a French classic. The word “fricassee” refers to a recipe of pieces of meat, like the chicken thighs we’re using cooked as a stew and served with a white sauce.
I’m using chicken thighs, shallots, thyme, parsley, white wine and cream to create rich, deep flavors without a lot of work. For this recipe, we’re taking a few shortcuts including a can of cream of mushroom soup that creates a thick, inviting sauce that really amps up the mushroom flavor in this dish.
More Comfort Food Favorites
This Chicken Fricassee recipe is one hundred and ten percent comfort food and to be honest, that’s our favorite type of cuisine 😍 Here are a few more comfort food favorites:
- Mac and Cheese
- Salisbury Steak Recipe
- Tuna Casserole with Noodles
- Stuffed Shells
- Chicken Fried Steak Recipe
What You’ll Need
Chicken thigh recipes are my favorite! The meat is so juicy, flavorful and tender – especially in this recipe! I love all of the flavors in the sauce as well, they pair so perfectly together. As always, you can find the full printable recipe with complete instructions in the recipe card at the end of this post. Let’s take a look at what you’ll need:
- salted butter – it’s not a French recipe unless there is butter involved!
- chicken thighs – I really prefer bone-in, skin on chicken thighs for this recipe. The crispy chicken skin is just so good!
- salt and pepper – Make sure to season the chicken thighs before browning.
- white mushrooms – You can substitute baby bella or button mushrooms if you prefer.
- shallots – I find myself using shallots more and more. Their subtle garlic and onion flavor is really refined and a single shallot is often “just” the right amount for a recipe. If you are having a hard time finding shallots, you can substitute 2 teaspoons of minced garlic and a small diced onion if you like.
- thyme and parsley – for freshness and flavor.
- lemon juice – adds brightness to the dish.
- cream of mushroom soup – creates a very creamy sauce. You can use Cream of Chicken soup instead for a slightly different flavor
- chicken stock – adds depth of flavor to the white wine mushroom sauce.
- white wine – traditionally used in Chicken Fricassee recipes and adds amazing flavor to the sauce. I use a nice Chardonnay in this recipe. If you don’t want to use wine, simply use additional chicken stock in it’s place.
- heavy cream – gives a luxurious finish to this dish making it extra rich and creamy.
- fresh parsley – for an optional garnish.
Want to make this dish without wine? No problem! Simply swap in additional chicken stock for the white wine.
How To Make Chicken Fricassee
This dish comes together relatively quickly and then simmers for 20 minutes or more allowing the chicken to finish cooking and the sauce flavors to meld and develop. Let’s take a quick look at how to make the dish and, as always, you can find the full, printable recipe card at the end of this post.
- Brown chicken in butter and olive oil. Remove.
- Sauté mushrooms, shallots, thyme and parsley.
- Stir in lemon juice, mushroom soup, chicken stock and white wine.
- Add chicken to the skillet and bring to a simmer.
- Cover and simmer for 20 to 30 minutes or until the chicken reaches 165°F.
- Remove from heat and stir in the heavy cream and serve hot.
If you don’t have a meat thermometer, you can remove a piece of chicken and cut into the middle. If there is no pink and the juices run clear, it is done cooking.
FAQs
Yes! This is a great recipe to double as long as you have a skillet large enough to handle the chicken thighs. The thighs can be cooked in batches if necessary but they will all need to be nestled back into the sauce to finish cooking so keep that in mind.
Chicken Fricassee is a delicious, rich dish and can be eaten alone but it pairs great with most dinner dishes. I love eating it over pasta such as shells or gnocchi with lots of the white sauce. It also tastes delicious when served with or on top of rice or risotto. You can even eat it with baked, mashed or roasted potatoes. Serve it with a side of salad for a lighter meal. No matter how you eat this dish, you will love it!
No problem! Simply swap in additional chicken stock for the white wine.
Storage Information
Refrigerator: Cool before transferring leftovers to an airtight container. Refrigerate for up to 3 days. Leftovers can be reheated in a skillet over medium heat or in the microwave.
Freezer: You can also freeze this dish for up to 3 months but it does not thaw as well as some other dishes. Be sure that any leftover chicken is reheated to 165°F before it is consumed.
What To Serve With It
This simple recipe is delicious on it’s own but to complete the meal, we love to serve a bread or roll option along with one or two easy sides. Here are a few to consider:
- Dinner Rolls
- Angel Biscuits
- Homemade Cornbread
- Mashed Potatoes
- Duchess Potatoes
- Strawberry Spinach Salad
- Pea Salad
More Chicken Recipes
- Chicken Alfredo Bake
- Chicken and Noodles Recipe
- Garlic Herb Roast Chicken
- Chicken Marinade
- Chicken Piccata Recipe
- Homemade Chicken Nuggets
- Chicken Salad
How To Make Chicken Fricassee
Chicken Fricassee
Ingredients
- 2 tablespoons salted butter
- 1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
- 4 chicken thighs bone-in, skin on
- salt and pepper to taste
- 8 ounces white mushrooms sliced
- 2 shallots minced
- 3 sprigs thyme or ½ teaspoon dried thyme
- ½ cup parsley roughly chopped
- 1 tablespoon lemon juice
- 10 ½ ounces cream of mushroom soup 10.5 ounce can
- ½ cup chicken stock
- ½ cup white wine
- ½ cup heavy cream
- fresh parsley optional garnish
Instructions
- Place the butter and extra virgin olive oil in a large skillet and heat over medium-low heat until butter has melted.2 tablespoons salted butter, 1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
- Season chicken thighs with salt and pepper and add the chicken, skin side down, and cook for 3-4 minutes on each side until well browned. The chicken will not be cooked through yet. It will finish cooking later.4 chicken thighs, salt and pepper
- Remove the chicken from the skillet to a plate and cover with aluminum foil. Set aside.
- In the hot skillet, add the mushrooms, shallots and thyme and saute until the mushrooms just begin to brown, about 2 to 3 minutes. (If the pan is dry, add an additional tablespoon of butter and tablespoon of extra virgin olive oil first.)8 ounces white mushrooms, 2 shallots, 3 sprigs thyme
- Add in the parsley and cook for another 30 seconds to 1 minute.½ cup parsley
- Stir in the lemon juice, mushroom soup, chicken stock and white wine until combined.1 tablespoon lemon juice, 10 ½ ounces cream of mushroom soup, ½ cup chicken stock, ½ cup white wine
- Carefully place the chicken thighs back into the skillet, skin side up in the sauce, and bring everything to a simmer over medium or medium-low heat.
- Cover the pan and simmer on medium-low heat for 20 to 30 minutes or until the chicken reaches 165°F in the center. If you don’t have a meat thermometer, you can remove a piece of chicken and cut into the middle. If there is no pink and the juices run clear, it is done cooking.
- Take the skillet off the heat and stir in the heavy cream and serve hot with a fresh parsley garnish if desired. Serve with mashed potatoes, rice or even pasta.½ cup heavy cream, fresh parsley
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