The Best! Our Easy Chicken Fricassee Recipe

Here she is, the single recipe I have made more than any other. It’s true, I’ve been making versions of this Easy Chicken Fricassee Recipe in My Kitchen Little for nearly 15 years and chances are, if you know me personally, I’ve made it for you. I am fully in love with the deep, nearly addictive flavors in the sauce and I think this is just about the perfect recipe to make for company. It just can’t help being a showstopper, every single time.

If you like the looks of this Easy Chicken Fricassee Recipe, you might also enjoy our Tuscan Garlic Butter Chicken, these Saucy Creole Meatballs and Grits, or out Best Ever Shrimp Creole. We’ve also got a Chipotle Garlic Butter Chicken that is kind of to die for, and there’s also this Creamy Sage Butter Chicken and Polenta which is the coziest thing since sliced bread. Or actually, maybe it’s tied with this Cheesy Mushroom and Herb Chicken with Mashed Potatoes. Tough call there. really.

What is Chicken Fricassee?

Existing somewhere between a sauté and a full-on stew, a fricassee is a perfect example of how a collection of very simple, humble ingredients can come together in such great harmony. This one is greater than the sum of its parts. And even if this is the first time you’ve ever heard of it, or given it any thought, chances are you’ve actually made or enjoyed a fricassee of some sort without even realizing it.

Just have a little look around in my archives and you’ll find a number of dinner recipes that would technically qualify as a fricassee. Speaking of technical definitions, a fricassee is:

A classic French-style (and also Cajun style) method of cooking, a fricassee is a dish consisting of pieces of lightly pan-fried meat (such as chicken or veal) and/or vegetables stewed in stock and served in a creamy white sauce.

Is Chicken Fricassee Southern?

Yes and no. The style of cooking is really attributed to France, but it is also attached to Louisiana’s Cajun and Creole cooking traditions. Given the deep connections and roots stretching to France from this part of the American South, it is no wonder that a French-style recipe would also gain popularity in the Cajon-Creole diaspora.

How to Make this easy Chicken Fricassee recipe

Classically, to make a chicken fricassee, you’d use bone-in, skin-on meat and you’d dredge it in flour and fry it up before simmering it in the sauce. In my version today, we’re going to use boneless, skinless chicken thighs because it reduces the cook time to a degree and it also makes the dish (if I’m being honest) something that my children are able to eat a bit more easily.

Rather than dredging the chicken pieces in flour and then frying them, we’re going to create a quick roux with the meat drippings and a little cooking oil by sprinkling some flour over the sauteed veggies and then building our sauce from there. These slight changes just make for a simpler, more approachable cooking process for an easy weeknight meal. 

What is The Trinity in Cajun Cooking?

Cajun food classically utilizes what is referred to as “the trinity” to build great flavor in stews and sauces just like this one. The trinity is a mix of celery, bell pepper, and onion and you’ll notice in my recipe today, I’m also going to add a bunch of sliced mushrooms to the dish, which add another texture and easy layer of flavor to the finished product.

How to make this Easy Chicken Fricassee Recipe

This recipe is very standard and straightforward, so far as preparation goes. We’ll first brown and sear off the sausage, to render its fat. This fat will then go on to help brown and sear the chicken thighs. All of this browning and seating serves to (besides the obvious) also provide a deeply delicious flavor base for the entire stew. Our trinity, carrots, and mushrooms (and garlic) will then be sautéed in those rendered drippings.

Next? We need to add in some flour. We don’t necessarily have to get a super dark, almond colored roux as in many cajun dishes. But we do need to cook the rawness away for a few minutes. Unlike in my étouffée which has a very similar process, we’ll deglaze that glorious pan with white wine, as opposed to beer. Chicken stock and rich cream (or sour cream) finish things off, creating what is honestly the most delicious pan of food you could ever hope to enjoy. It’s just incredibly tasty stuff.

Easy Chicken Fricassee Recipe INGREDIENTS

• A neutral cooking oil of your choice
• 4 links of andouille sausage, cut into bite-sized pieces
• 6 boneless skinless chicken thighs
• 1.5 cups of diced sweet onion, give or take (usually one small onion)
• 2 stalks celery, diced
• 1 green bell pepper, diced
• 12-ounces sliced white or cremini mushrooms
• 2 large carrots, sliced into thin rounds
• 3 garlic cloves, minced
• Salt and pepper, as needed
• ¼ cup all-purpose flour
• ½ cup dry white wine
• 2 cups chicken stock
• ⅓ to ½ cup heavy cream or sour cream, which is more traditional

What is this Easy Chicken Fricassee recipe best served with?

For my money, I go with a pile of fluffy white rice and some crusty bread, angel biscuits or classic buttermilk biscuits. Or these fluffy cream cheese dinner rolls to sop up the sauce. Those are also the traditional choices as well. You can really go with whatever you’ve got around or tailer the serving accoutrements to your liking, but just make sure you’ve got plenty of vehicles to get that sauce to your mouth. It’s like liquid gold, y’all.

I’d also probably serve a crunchy green salad on the side. You know, for balance. I’ve got a classic iceberg salad (that is GREAT), some Southern Killed Lettuces (to stay on brand here), and also this easy green salad with a Southern Buttermilk Dressing as well.

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