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Chicken fricassee is the French braise that tastes like it took all afternoon. Chicken breasts brown hard, then simmer with cremini mushrooms and white wine until meltingly tender. A coconut milk cheddar sauce, sharpened with tarragon, nutmeg and lemon, gets poured over the top.
Pro Tips
- Brown the chicken in a just-smoking skillet for a full 8 minutes before it braises — the crust on the meat is what flavors the sauce later.
- Cook the mushrooms and onion with the wine for 8-10 minutes until the liquid fully evaporates and the mushrooms brown. This step builds the sauce's depth.
- Slowly whisk in the broth and scrape up every browned bit; that fond is where the fricassee's character lives.
- Temper the sauce: whisk half a cup of it with the tapioca flour into the softened cheese first, then stir the mixture back into the pan for a perfectly smooth finish.
- Tent the resting chicken loosely with foil while the sauce finishes, then pour it over just before serving.
Frequently Asked Questions
What exactly is a fricassee?
It's the half-fry, half-simmer school of chicken cookery: brown the meat first, then braise it in the pan sauce. This version finishes with a creamy cheese-tarragon sauce.
Why temper the cheese with sauce?
Softened cheese melts into hot liquid much more smoothly when it's loosened with a little sauce first — no clumps, no grainy texture.
Can I use chicken thighs?
Yes — boneless thighs brown and braise beautifully and forgive a longer simmer. Check them a few minutes earlier for doneness.
What does the nutmeg do?
Just a quarter teaspoon rounds out the sauce alongside the tarragon and lemon — the quiet background note that makes the creaminess taste complete.
Recipe Card
Ingredients
Method
- 1.
- Pat chicken dry with paper towels and season with sea salt and pepper.
- Heat oil in a 12-inch skillet over medium-high heat until just smoking. Brown chicken well on both sides, about 8 minutes total; transfer to a plate.
- 2.
- Add mushrooms, onion, and wine to fat left in skillet and cook over medium heat until liquid has evaporated and mushrooms are browned, 8 to 10 minutes.
- Stir in garlic and cook for 1 minute. Slowly whisk in broth, scraping up any browned bits, and bring to boil. Return browned chicken and any accumulated juices to skillet.
- Reduce heat to medium-low, cover, and cook until chicken registers 160° F (71° C), about 10 minutes.
- 3.
- Transfer chicken to a serving platter and tent loosely with aluminum foil.
- Whisk 0.5 cup of the sauce and the tapioca flour into the cheese in a bowl to temper, then stir the cheese mixture back into the pan.
- Stir in lemon juice, tarragon, and nutmeg and return sauce to a brief simmer.
- Season with sea salt and pepper to taste and pour over chicken.
- Serve.
