Fricassée

A fricassée is a French dish of meat, usually chicken, rabbit or veal, cut into pieces and cooked gently in butter without browning, then simmered in stock. The liquid is thickened into a pale, creamy sauce, often finished with cream and egg yolks. It sits between a sauté and a stew: the meat is cooked in fat first like a sauté, then in liquid like a braise, but it is kept white the whole time.

How to do it

1. Cut a chicken into 8 pieces, or use bone-in thighs and drumsticks. Season with salt and white pepper.
2. Melt butter in a wide, heavy pan over medium-low heat. Add the chicken and cook gently, turning, until the skin firms and turns opaque but does not brown, about 8 minutes.
3. Add onions or shallots and mushrooms and sweat them until soft without color.
4. Sprinkle over a little flour and stir for 1 to 2 minutes.
5. Pour in white wine and chicken stock to come about halfway up the chicken. Bring to a gentle simmer.
6. Cover and simmer for 30 to 40 minutes, until the chicken is tender.
7. Lift out the chicken. Whisk a liaison of egg yolks and cream, temper it with a ladle of the hot sauce, then stir it back in over low heat without boiling.
8. Return the chicken, add lemon juice and herbs, and serve.

How to tell it is done

The chicken pulls away from the bone easily and reaches 74°C (165°F) inside. The sauce is pale ivory and thick enough to coat the back of a spoon.

Why it works

Cooking in butter at a low heat firms the outside of the meat without the Maillard browning, so the color and flavor stay mild. The flour and stock form a sauce close to a velouté, and the yolks and cream make it richer and silkier.

Common mistakes

• Browning the meat. The dish turns into a brown stew.
• Boiling after adding the egg yolks. They curdle into specks.
• Too much liquid. The sauce ends up thin. Reduce it before adding the cream.
• Skipping the acid. A squeeze of lemon keeps the rich sauce from tasting flat.

Where it comes from

Fricassée is an old French word and dish that has been in French cookbooks for centuries. In some regions and cuisines, such as Cajun and Caribbean cooking, the name is used for browned stews as well.