Cajun Style Chicken Fricassee with Andouille
My easy, one-pan take on a Cajun classic, this Chicken Fricassee has a sauce built on lots of veggies, garlic, wine, and a touch of cream – either heavy or sour. This dish is often finished with sour cream in Southern Louisiana, but sometimes I go full heavy cream. Up to you! The addition of spicy Andouille makes this an absolute showstopper of a dish. One of my favorites.
- Yield: Serves 4
- Category: Southern Cooking
Ingredients
Units
Scale
- 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 or grated
- Salt and pepper, as needed
- 1/4 cup all-purpose flour
- 1/2 to 2/3 cup dry white wine
- 2 cups chicken stock
- 1/3 to 1/2 cup heavy cream or sour cream, which is more traditional
Serving suggestions: rice and crusty bread, biscuits or cornbread to sop up the sauce
Instructions
- Place a large, deep-sided skillet/pan over med-high heat and add about 1 tablespoon of a neutral cooking oil. Cook the sausage pieces until deeply browned and crisped all over; about 3 to 4 minutes, stirring occasionally. Transfer to a bowl or plate, and set aside for now.
- In the same pan over the same heat, add a little more oil and, working in batches, brown the chicken thighs on both sides; about 2 to 3 min per side (now’s the time to use a splatter screen if you’ve got one). Transfer the browned chicken to the plate with the sausage for now.Â
- Reduce the heat to medium, add another drizzle of oil, if needed, and add the onion, celery, bell pepper, mushrooms, and carrots to the pan. Season lightly with salt and pepper and cook until tender; about 5 to 6 minutes, stirring occasionally.
- Add the garlic, and then sprinkle the flour over the veggies. Cook, stirring constantly for about a minute, to get the rawness off both the flour and garlic.Â
- Deglaze the pan with the wine, stirring to get up any browned bits (that’s flavor). And after that has cooked for about 30 seconds or so, add the stock. Stir very well to break up any clumps of flour and to smooth out the sauce. Slide the chicken pack into the pan, along with its juices, followed by the sausage pieces. Simmer the fricassee over low heat for about 25 minutes to finish the chicken and to develop all of the flavors. Turn off the heat and finish with the cream or sour cream, stirring very well to incorporate it through the sauce (especially if using sour cream). Serve warm with rice and/or crusty bread to sop up that sauce. Enjoy.