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Quick Chicken Fricassee

By America's Test Kitchen

Published on November 4, 2012

Time

1 hour

Yield

Serves 4 to 6

Quick Chicken Fricassee

Ingredients

2 pounds boneless, skinless chicken breasts, thighs, or a combinationTable salt and ground black pepper 1 tablespoon unsalted butter 1 tablespoon olive oil 1 pound cremini mushrooms, stems trimmed, caps wiped clean and cut into ¼-inch slices1 medium onion, chopped fine (about 1 cup)¼ cup dry white wine 1 tablespoon unbleached all-purpose flour 1 medium garlic clove, minced or pressed through garlic press (about 1 teaspoon)1 ½ cups low-sodium chicken broth ⅓ cup sour cream 1 egg yolk ½ teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg 2 teaspoons juice from 1 lemon 2 teaspoons minced fresh tarragon (see note)

Before You Begin

Two tablespoons of chopped fresh parsley leaves may be substituted for the tarragon in this recipe.

Instructions

  1. Pat chicken dry with paper towels and season with 1 teaspoon salt and ½ teaspoon pepper. Heat butter and oil in 12-inch skillet over medium-high heat. When foaming subsides, place chicken in skillet and cook until browned, about 4 minutes. Flip chicken and continue to cook until browned on second side, about 4 minutes longer. Transfer chicken to large plate.
  2. Add mushrooms, onion, and wine to now-empty skillet and cook, stirring occasionally, until liquid has evaporated and mushrooms are browned, 8 to 10 minutes. Add flour and garlic; cook, stirring constantly, 1 minute. Add broth and bring mixture to boil, scraping bottom of pan with wooden spoon to loosen browned bits. Add chicken and any accumulated juices to skillet. Reduce heat to medium-low, cover, and simmer until instant-read thermometer registers 160 degrees when inserted in breasts and 175 degrees when inserted in thighs, 5 to 10 minutes.
  3. Transfer chicken to clean platter and tent loosely with foil. Whisk sour cream and egg yolk together in medium bowl. Whisking constantly, slowly stir ½ cup sauce into sour cream mixture. Stirring constantly, slowly pour sour cream mixture into simmering sauce. Stir in nutmeg, lemon juice, and tarragon; return to simmer. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Pour sauce over chicken and serve.

Quick Chicken Fricassee

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Time

1 hour

Yield

Serves 4 to 6

Ingredients

2 pounds boneless, skinless chicken breasts, thighs, or a combination
Table salt and ground black pepper
1 tablespoon unsalted butter
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 pound cremini mushrooms, stems trimmed, caps wiped clean and cut into ¼-inch slices
1 medium onion, chopped fine (about 1 cup)
¼ cup dry white wine
1 tablespoon unbleached all-purpose flour
1 medium garlic clove, minced or pressed through garlic press (about 1 teaspoon)
1 ½ cups low-sodium chicken broth
⅓ cup sour cream
1 egg yolk
½ teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg
2 teaspoons juice from 1 lemon
2 teaspoons minced fresh tarragon (see note)

Ingredients

2 pounds boneless, skinless chicken breasts, thighs, or a combination
Table salt and ground black pepper
1 tablespoon unsalted butter
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 pound cremini mushrooms, stems trimmed, caps wiped clean and cut into ¼-inch slices
1 medium onion, chopped fine (about 1 cup)
¼ cup dry white wine
1 tablespoon unbleached all-purpose flour
1 medium garlic clove, minced or pressed through garlic press (about 1 teaspoon)
1 ½ cups low-sodium chicken broth
⅓ cup sour cream
1 egg yolk
½ teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg
2 teaspoons juice from 1 lemon
2 teaspoons minced fresh tarragon (see note)

Ingredients

2 pounds boneless, skinless chicken breasts, thighs, or a combination
Table salt and ground black pepper
1 tablespoon unsalted butter
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 pound cremini mushrooms, stems trimmed, caps wiped clean and cut into ¼-inch slices
1 medium onion, chopped fine (about 1 cup)
¼ cup dry white wine
1 tablespoon unbleached all-purpose flour
1 medium garlic clove, minced or pressed through garlic press (about 1 teaspoon)
1 ½ cups low-sodium chicken broth
⅓ cup sour cream
1 egg yolk
½ teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg
2 teaspoons juice from 1 lemon
2 teaspoons minced fresh tarragon (see note)

Why This Recipe Works

Boneless, skinless chicken breasts and thighs considerably cut down our chicken fricassee recipe’s cooking time. To add back richness, we browned the meat in a combination of butter and oil, and browned vegetables until they developed their own fond to serve as the base of the sauce. Upping the amount of glutamate-rich mushrooms boosted the fricassee’s meaty flavor. As a final step, we finished our chicken fricassee recipe’s sauce with sour cream, which added body and pleasant tang. Also, whisking an egg yolk into the sour cream thickened the sauce and made it incredibly silky.

Before You Begin

Two tablespoons of chopped fresh parsley leaves may be substituted for the tarragon in this recipe.

Instructions

  1. Pat chicken dry with paper towels and season with 1 teaspoon salt and ½ teaspoon pepper. Heat butter and oil in 12-inch skillet over medium-high heat. When foaming subsides, place chicken in skillet and cook until browned, about 4 minutes. Flip chicken and continue to cook until browned on second side, about 4 minutes longer. Transfer chicken to large plate.
  2. Add mushrooms, onion, and wine to now-empty skillet and cook, stirring occasionally, until liquid has evaporated and mushrooms are browned, 8 to 10 minutes. Add flour and garlic; cook, stirring constantly, 1 minute. Add broth and bring mixture to boil, scraping bottom of pan with wooden spoon to loosen browned bits. Add chicken and any accumulated juices to skillet. Reduce heat to medium-low, cover, and simmer until instant-read thermometer registers 160 degrees when inserted in breasts and 175 degrees when inserted in thighs, 5 to 10 minutes.
  3. Transfer chicken to clean platter and tent loosely with foil. Whisk sour cream and egg yolk together in medium bowl. Whisking constantly, slowly stir ½ cup sauce into sour cream mixture. Stirring constantly, slowly pour sour cream mixture into simmering sauce. Stir in nutmeg, lemon juice, and tarragon; return to simmer. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Pour sauce over chicken and serve.

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