Chicken Fricassee

Chicken Fricassee is an all time family favorite, on regular rotation in my house all year long. While it’s the briny olives that I cream shoot, there’s nothing not to love about this hearty stew, Between the sweet marsala wine, the melt in your mouth potatoes, or the fork tender chicken, it comforts to the core! Serve it on a bed of egg fettucine, or alongside a few slices of crusty french bread. Either way, it’s delicious.

Notes:

• Bone in or boneless chicken thighs work fine in this recipe. Bone-in chicken will give you a more flavorful and moist stew, but the boneless chicken will cook faster.
• Use any olives you like. I typically use Kalamata olives (Greek table olives), but if I can find them, I use Taggiasca (sweet and fruity Italian olives with a firm bite). If you’re cooking for kids, I’ve found black olives to be the best bet because they are mild in flavor.
• Like any stew, leftovers taste even better the next day.

Season both sides of the chicken thighs with salt and pepper.

Dredge the chicken in flour. I use a large ziploc bag, add 1/2 a cup of flour and then add the chicken thighs. Seal the bag and squish it around until the chicken is well coated. The flour coating will help the chicken brown evenly and also add thickness to the finished dish.

Heat olive oil in a large pan or dutch oven over medium heat and brown the chicken. Cook 3-4 minutes per side or until golden and remove from pan and set aside.

Then, to the same pan, add the diced onions, carrots, celery, minced garlic and bay leaf and sauté over medium heat until the vegetables are soft, about 5-7 minutes. Add the chicken and all the juices back to the pan and add the tomato paste. Mix until the tomato paste covers all the food and cook until slightly sticky. 

Add the marsala wine and stir, scraping up any brown bits that may have stuck to the bottom of the pan. Add the chicken stock, season with salt, pepper and rosemary and then cover the pot, reduce heat and allow to simmer for 1 hour, stirring occasionally.

Next, add the peas, olives and potatoes. Continue to simmer for 30 minutes or, until the potatoes are fork tender and the chicken begins to fall apart. Taste, adjust seasoning and add chili peppers, if desired. Garnish with chopped Italian flat leaf parsley and enjoy!

Chicken Fricassee

Chicken Fricassee is an all time family favorite, on regular rotation in my house year round. While it's the briny olives that I cream shoot, there's nothing not to love about this hearty stew, Between the sweet marsala wine, the melt in your mouth potatoes, or the fork tender chicken, it comforts to the core! Serve it on a bed of egg fettucine, or alongside a few slices of crusty french bread. Either way, it's delicious.

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Course: Meat and Poultry, Soups and Stews

Ingredients Method

Ingredients

  

• 8 chicken thighs
• 1 small onion, diced
• 2 carrots, diced
• 2 celery ribs, diced
• 1 bay leaf
• 1 garlic clove, minced
• 5 Tbspns tomato paste
• 1 cup Marsala wine
• 3 cups chicken stock
• 1 cup peas
• 1 cup olives
• 2 potatoes, diced
• 1/2 tsp salt qb
• 2 tsp rosemary, ground
• 1/2 tsp freshly ground black pepper
• 1/4 – 1/2 tsp chili flakes, optional
• Italian flat leaf parsley, for garnish

Method

 

1. Season both sides of the chicken thighs with salt and pepper.
2. Dredge the chicken in flour. I use a large ziploc bag, add 1/2 a cup of flour and then add the chicken thighs. Seal the bag and squish it around until the chicken is well coated. The flour coating will help the chicken brown evenly and also add thickness to the finished dish.
3. Heat olive oil in a large pan or dutch oven over medium heat and brown the chicken. Cook about 3-4 minutes per side or until golden and remove from pan. 
4. Add the diced onions, carrots, celery, minced garlic and bay leaf to the pan and sauté over medium heat until the vegetables are soft, about 5-7 minutes.
5. Add chicken and all the juices back to the pan and add the tomato paste. Mix until the tomato paste covers all the food and cook until slightly sticky. 
6. Add the marsala wine and stir, scraping up any brown bits that may have stuck to the bottom of the pan. 
7. Add the chicken stock, salt, pepper and rosemary.
8. Cover and reduce heat. Allow to simmer for 1 hour, stirring occasionally.
9. Add peas, olives and potatoes. Continue to simmer for 30 minutes or, until the potatoes are fork tender and the chicken begins to fall apart.
10. Taste, adjust seasoning and add chili peppers, if desired.
11. Garnish with fresh sprigs of thyme and chopped Italian flat leaf parsley. Drizzle with olive oil and enjoy!