Chicken Fricassee

When I visited Wisconsin last fall, my dad made this delicious dish called Chicken Fricassee. Which is just a fancy way of saying to prepare poultry by cutting into pieces and stewing in gravy. I think Chicken Fricassee rolls off the tongue a little easier. 

My dad's recipe was adapted from The Classic Italian Cook Book by Marcella Hazan. When I returned home, I decided to give it a try and was very happy with the results. However, I will make one minor change next time: chicken breast instead of chicken legs. But you really could make this dish with any cut of chicken and in fact, I think the original recipe calls for using a whole chicken cut up. Hence the "by cutting into pieces" part of the description. 

To make this dish you will need the following: 

• Your preferred cut of chicken (enough for 3 servings). I used 6 chicken legs.
• Salt
• Pepper
• Flour
• Olive oil
• 1/2 medium to large onion, chopped, diced, or sliced
• 3-4 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 green bell pepper cut into large chunks
• 1 red bell pepper cut into large chunks
• 2 ribs celery, chopped
• 2 carrots, chopped
• 1 14.5 oz can crushed tomatoes
• 1-2 cups chicken broth

Got everything? Okay, let's get moving...

Start off by heating about 1 tablespoon olive oil in a large frying pan (one that has a lid) over medium-high heat. Season the chicken with salt and pepper and then coat in flour. Once the olive oil is hot, throw the chicken in to start browning. 

Okay, maybe don't throw it... I don't want oil to splatter and for you to burn yourself. Maybe just place it in the pan. 

Let the chicken brown for about 2-3 minutes a side until it has a nice golden color. You don't have to cook the chicken all the way through at this point. Remove the chicken from the pan and set aside. 

If you still have olive oil in the pan after removing the chicken, great! If not, add a little more and wait for it to heat up. Add the onion and garlic and saute until the onion begins to soften. 

Next add the carrot, celery, bell pepper, crushed tomatoes and 1 cup of chicken broth to the pan. Stir to mix everything together. Then add the chicken back into the pan. The chicken should be mostly if not completely submerged in the liquid. If not, add a little more chicken broth. Bring the mixture to a boil, cover the pan and reduce to a simmer. Let the whole thing simmer and stew and turn delicious for about 45 minutes to an hour. 

And there you have it... Chicken Fricassee! Serve with steamed rice or mashed potatoes and crusty French or Italian bread... anything that you can use to sop up the extra sauce. And enjoy!