Julia Child's Chicken Fricassee on a Budget: Enjoy the Lighter Cousin of Coq au Vin
In this classic recipe, chicken is simmered in white wine, brown with pearl onions and mushrooms, and finished with a cream sauce. It's a cousin to Coq au Vin, made with a red wine reduction.
In Season 8 of The French Chef, Julia Child did an episode devoted to Chicken Fricassee and Coq Au Vin, which she called "sisters under the skin." Chicken Fricassee is cooked in white wine and broth with pearl onions and mushrooms and finished with a cream sauce. Coq au Vin is cooked in red wine, with more robust flavors, and is served in thick red wine reduction with bacon, pearl onions, and mushrooms.
Chicken Fricassee and Coq au Vin are sister, under the skin. –Julia Child
The following are strategies for serving this dish for around $12. If you buy leg quarters in bulk, make broth with the scraps, and choose your wine carefully, you can make both Chicken Fricassee and Coq au Vin for under $20. French country food on a budget, which is what we love at InflationBites.com
Julia Child's Chicken Fricassee on a Budget
Ingredients
Chicken Fricassee is made from chicken, white wine, chicken broth, pearl onions, mushrooms, herbs, and fresh cream. It does not contain exotic ingredients, and it can be made quite cheaply.
Chicken
I use leg quarters bought in bulk when I cook Chicken Fricassee and Coq au Vin. Ten pounds of leg quarters cost $6-7 at Aldi and Walmart (although they can be hard to find at Aldi, where they often sell out). My last purchase was $6.70. (I have a good post telling you how to process these leg quarters and make chicken stock) You can easily make this dish twice for under $20 using leg quarters purchased in bulk.
Stock
As I stated above, I made 2-3 quarts of stock from the back scraps from a 10-pound
bag of chicken leg quarters. If you add carrots, onions, celery and a bay leaf to a pot full of chicken scraps and water, and simmer for at least 4 hours, you will have a pot full of chicken stock. This stock can be frozen for months and is of much better quality than purchased stock. But even if you purchase canned stock to make this recipe, it will turn out great.
Wine
I used a cup of Sauvignon Black purchased at Aldi for under $4, making the cost of the wine in this dish around $1. I have also found other great white wines at Trader Joes. Use a dry white, like Sauvignon Black or Pinot Grigio..
Pearl Onions
You can find fresh pearl onions in many outlets for $3-4. Check at Walmart and Sprouts, as both outlets typically carry them. Or you can buy a frozen bag of pearl
onions for around $2. These frozen onions have the advantage of being quite uniform and already being peeled. They are of good quality--keep a bag in your freezer. One bag will make this recipe twice.
Mushrooms
The ideal mushroom for this dish is a baby Bella, but any common white or brown mushroom will do. Clean your mushrooms and cut them into quarters. If they are very large, you can cut them into smaller segments.
Herbs
I used fresh parsley, thyme, and a bay leaf. You can use dried herbs or fresh. If you opt for fresh, look at Walmart, Aldi, or Sprouts: they sell herbs cheaply. Aldi sells parsley for around $1 and a flat of fresh thyme for under $2,
Remaining Ingredients
You need a couple of carrots, a couple of stalks of celery, and any type of onion, finely diced. This dish is finished with 2 egg yolks and 1/2 c. heavy cream, which can be found cheaply in any discount grocery.
Techniques
Browning the Chicken
Chicken Fricassee is a traditional French dish in which the chicken is not browned,
but cooked gently in butter until it "seizes up." Modern palates seem to dislike the look and feel of chicken that is not browned, perhaps because we have all faced a dish made in the microwave that is not browned but should be. My answer to all this is to saute' the chicken pieces until they are lighly brown in a mixture of butter and oil.
Cooking the Pearl Onions and Mushrooms
A traditional recipe calls for the pearl onions and mushrooms to be cooked separately. I often do this when making Beef Bourguignon or Coq au Vin, because they are cooked longer and involve heartier flavors. The onions and mushrooms fall apart if you try to cook the pearl onions and mushrooms with the braising beef or
chicken. But in the case of Chicken Fricassee, you can safely make it a "one-pot" dish and cook the pearl onions and mushrooms right in the pot. Just delay adding the mushrooms until the dish has cooked for a half hour or so. In this way, the mushrooms will cook but not overcook.
Braising the Chicken
The chicken for this dish is browned slightly, then braised in wine and broth, with the mirepoix and herbs added. The pearl onions are also added as you begin braising the chicken. Braise the chicken gently: bring it to a gentle simmer and cook it around 30 minutes, add the mushrooms and cook for an additional 15-30 minutes.
Making the Sauce
After braising, take the chicken out of the pan and strain off the pan juices. Pull out the pearl onions and mushrooms, but throw away the rest of the vegetables and
herbs left in the strainer. Put the juices back in the pot and simmer them. If they need further thickening, use a cornstarch slurry (1 T cornstarch dissolved in 2 T of water). Then beat the egg yolks in a separate bowl and add the cream. Beat in about 1/2 c. of hot pan liquid into the egg yolk/cream mixture and then pour it into the pot. Thicken up the sauce slightly.
Finishing the Dish
Put the chicken pieces and the pearl onions and mushrooms back into the pot an heat through. Serve with chopped parsley on white buttered rice.
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