Quick Chicken Fricassee

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(from Bethany’s recipe box)

Serves 4 to 6
Two tablespoons of chopped fresh parsley leaves may be substituted for the tarragon in this recipe.

WHY THIS RECIPE WORKS:
In search of a streamlined technique that would give this classic French braise weeknight potential and a brighter, more complex sauce, we replaced the bone-in chicken parts with convenient boneless, skinless breasts and thighs. We found two ways to add back the richness that we’d lost when we opted for boneless chicken: We browned the meat in a combination of butter and oil, and we browned the vegetables until they developed their own fond to serve as the base of the sauce. Increasing the amount of glutamate-rich mushrooms boosted the fricassee’s meaty flavor. As a final step, we finished the sauce with sour cream, which added body and a pleasant tang. Whisking an egg yolk into the sour cream thickened the sauce and made it incredibly silky.

Source: America's Test Kitchen Season 12: Simply Chicken

Categories: Poultry

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 1/4-inch slices
  • 1 medium onion, chopped fine (about 1 cup)
  • 1/4 cup dry white wine
  • 1 tablespoon unbleached all-purpose flour
  • 1 medium garlic clove, minced or pressed through garlic press (about 1 teaspoon)
  • 1 1/2 cups low-sodium chicken broth
  • 1/3 cup sour cream
  • 1 egg yolk
  • 1/2 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg
  • 2 teaspoons juice from 1 lemon
  • 2 teaspoons minced fresh tarragon (see note)

Directions

  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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