One of My Favorite Chicken Recipes – Chicken Fricassee

I do enjoy chicken. It’s one of the three proteins we eat the most but of them it is the one of which we have the least. We end up butchering around 15 chickens a year so that leaves me with just over one chicken a month to have available. When I put them in the freezer I keep about half of them whole because I do love a roast chicken and I break down the others so I have packages of legs, thighs and breasts to make various dishes when I desire. I then use the bones of those birds to make stock. Nothing goes to waste around here.

I don’t tend to repeat what I cook but I have a couple of chicken recipes that I do make quite often because we love them so much. One is chicken picatta and the other is this recipe for chicken fricassee. I’ve been making almost since we first were married in 1982. I found the recipe in an Italian cookbook I was given as a shower present. I think it was one by Lidia Bastianich. I’ve made a couple of small changes but the basic recipe is still hers. I am very sorry but I can’t recall the name of the cookbook. I made the recipe so frequently I memorized it and the cookbook didn’t make the move from the house to the trailer as this was the only recipe from it that I used.

Chicken Fricassee  

Serves 2 – 3

6 pieces chicken – legs and thighs are best
1 tin anchovies
1/3 cup balsamic vinegar
1/4 cup water
3 garlic cloves
1 TBS fresh rosemary or 2 tsp dried
2 TBS canola oil
2 TBS olive oil
1/2 cup all purpose flour
salt and pepper

Mince the garlic very finely.

Drain the anchovies and add them to the garlic. Chop together until you have a well blended paste.  Add the rosemary and cut the rosemary into the anchovy/garlic paste. Set aside.

Season your flour with salt and pepper.
Dust the chicken pieces with the seasoned flour.
Heat the canola oil in a heavy bottomed saute pan until hot.
Add the chicken pieces and brown on both sides.
Remove the chicken from the pan and the pan from the heat.

Carefully drain the oil from the pan and clean the pan with a paper towel until it is free from any cooked on residue.
Return the pan to the heat, add the olive oil and heat over med. high heat.

When hot add the garlic/anchovy/rosemary mix to the pan. Quickly swirl it around.
When you start to smell the garlic add the chicken and its juices to the pan. Add the balsamic vinegar and the water. Stir to make sure all is combined.
Lower the heat to low, cover the pan and let cook for 15 minutes.
Turn the chicken, cover and let cook for 15 minutes. Repeat this two more times. If you need to add a little water to the pan to keep it from drying out that is OK.

Serve the chicken over rice or potatoes with some of the pan juices.

When I originally saw this recipe I turned my nose up at it due to the presence of the anchovies. I really don’t like them. The hubby loves them so I decided to make this for him and I figured I’d have something else. I tasted it and fell in love! You would never know there are anchovies in the dish as they just melt into the sauce. The original recipe called for red wine vinegar but one night I didn’t have any and used balsamic and we discovered we liked the slightly stronger, richer taste that it produced so I’ve been making it that way ever since.

I’ve made this for company more times than I can count and no one guesses the anchovies are in their dinner. It’s not the prettiest chicken dish in the world but it is delicious. I served it this night on Jasmine rice with roasted Brussels sprouts. I also have to note that the rooster must have been HUGE ’cause that is one big chicken leg!

One of My Favorite Chicken Recipes – Chicken Fricassee

★★★★★ 5 from 1 reviews

• Author: Patty Woodland
• Prep Time: 15 mins
• Cook Time: 1 hour
• Total Time: 1 hour 15 mins
• Yield: 2 - 3 1x
• Category: main dish
• Cuisine: Italian

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Ingredients

• 6 pieces chicken – legs and thighs are best
• 1 tin anchovies
• 1/3 cup balsamic vinegar
• 1/4 cup water
• 3 garlic cloves
• 1 TBS fresh rosemary or 2 tsp dried
• 2 TBS canola oil
• 2 TBS olive oil
• 1/2 cup all purpose flour
• salt and pepper

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Instructions

1. Mince the garlic very finely.
2. Drain the anchovies and add them to the garlic. Chop together until you have a well blended paste.
3. Add the rosemary and cut the rosemary into the anchovy/garlic paste. Set aside.
4. Season your flour with salt and pepper.
5. Dust the chicken pieces with the seasoned flour.
6. Heat the canola oil in a heavy bottomed saute pan until hot.
7. Add the chicken pieces and brown on both sides.
8. Remove the chicken from the pan and the pan from the heat.
9. Carefully drain the oil from the pan and clean the pan with a paper towel until it is free from any cooked on residue.
10. Return the pan to the heat, add the olive oil and heat over med. high heat.
11. When hot add the garlic/anchovy/rosemary mix to the pan. Quickly swirl it around.
12. When you start to smell the garlic add the chicken and its juices to the pan. Add the balsamic vinegar and the water. Stir to make sure all is combined.
13. Lower the heat to low, cover the pan and let cook for 15 minutes.
14. Turn the chicken, cover and let cook for 15 minutes. Repeat this two more times. If you need to add a little water to the pan to keep it from drying out that is OK.
15. Serve the chicken over rice or potatoes with some of the pan juices.

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