Photo by Heather McClelland @ 2theadvocate.com
From Denny: Chicken fricassee, for the uninitiated, is just chicken stew. What makes this favorite comfort food so wonderful is the cooking time that allows all the flavors to meld together into one delicious dish! One reason we enjoy these comfort foods is that the longer foods cook to blend these spices and flavors it actually becomes easier to digest. So, it tastes good AND your stomach thanks you! :)
What is the definition of "fricassee"? Fricassee is all about that beautiful combination of meat and vegetables simmering together in happy harmony in some type of liquid, like just plain water or chicken stock. Long and slow cooking is how it used to be done before society sped up and the recipes had to speed up with it or be lost forever so people have invented shortcuts for wonderful recipes like this.
Shortcuts to save time are using chicken pieces already cut up from the grocery store instead of taking the time to cut up a whole chicken on your own which can use up a good 30 minutes just for that operation.
Available are good jarred or powdered in a package roux products so you don't have to take the time to make your own roux, standing over the stove for another 30 to 45 minutes for that step. Of course, around here a lot of Louisiana people just make up a large amount of roux and then stash it in the refrigerator, pulling out a little at a time as they need it for a dish.
You can also save time by purchasing seasoning vegetables already diced or cut up for you in packages at the produce department of your grocery store, shaving another 30 minutes off this old-fashioned recipe.
Chicken stew (fricassee) is served over rice in this state rather than in a bowl like a soup, gumbo or stew. Then side dishes are added like spring green peas, potato salad or fresh sliced beets, sometimes pickled beets.
Recipes
Chicken Fricassee
From: “Pointe Coupee Kitchen Capers” - To benefit the American Cancer Society in 1970 this recipe booklet was compiled for the Pointe Coupee Antique Show. People still make this simple favorite recipe exactly the same to this day.
Serves: 10
Ingredients:
1 large hen or chicken, cut up and skin removed
1/2 cup vegetable oil (today we use canola oil)
1/2 cup flour
2 small to medium onions, chopped (we like sweet or purple onions)
1/2 small bell pepper, chopped
3 ribs celery, chopped
Salt, black pepper and cayenne pepper, to taste
(Today we use prepared Cajun seasoning in place of these spices)
2 (4 ounces each) cans sliced mushrooms (or equivalent of fresh)
2 Tablespoons chopped fresh parsley
2 Tablespoons chopped or sliced green onions
Cooked rice
Directions:
1. Prepare hen or chicken.
2. Use prepared roux in a jar or powdered in a package or you can make up your own roux fresh for this dish. To make your own roux: In large, heavy pot, make roux with oil and flour. Stir until it is a dark chocolate brown (about 30 minutes). Add onions, bell pepper, celery. Cook until vegetables are tender.
3. Add chicken and mushrooms (with liquid), salt and pepper to taste. Stir until chicken is coated with roux. Cook over medium heat for about 5-7 minutes then cover and reduce heat to low. Cook for about 2-2-1/2 hours for a hen or until meat is very tender. A fryer chicken like what most grocery stores carry will only take about an hour to cook. You could also place this in a slow cooker while you are away at work, coming home to some awesome smells from your kitchen! Check your slow cooker's directions to know how much time to allow for the cooking.
4. Check occasionally to be sure chicken is not sticking, but as the chicken cooks, the meat will throw off its juices forming the gravy. If you want more or if the gravy is too thick, add more water.
5. Right before serving, add fresh minced parsley and sliced green onions.
*****
From Denny: Here's a really easy even faster version of this chicken stew for busy moms on the go! Her 3 boys enjoy this dish so much it is the most requested one she does for them.
Jessica Cuba’s Quick Chicken Stew
From: Jessica Cuba
Serves: 6
Ingredients:
1 chicken, cut up, or chicken pieces to the equivalent
2-2-1/2 pounds chicken thighs
Salt and pepper to your taste
1 large onion, chopped
Olive oil
1 (10-3/4 ounce) can cream of mushroom soup
2 Tablespoons Tony’s (Tony Chachere's brand) powdered roux
Water
2 (4 ounce) cans sliced mushrooms
Cooked rice
Directions:
1. Wash and dry chicken. Remove skin. Season with salt and pepper; set aside.
2. Meanwhile in large skillet or pot, sauté onions in olive oil on medium heat until onions are soft.
3. Add cream of mushroom soup and then add 2 tablespoons dry roux to 1 can of water. Add chicken and mushrooms to soup mixture.
4. Cook for about 1 hour or until chicken is falling off the bones. Serve over hot cooked rice.
***** And a side dish to serve with your awesome chicken fricasse!
Simple Pickled Beets
From: Rose Lorio
Serves: 4 to 6
Ingredients:
2 (15-oz. cans) sliced or whole beets; remove about half of the juice from cans
2-4 Tablespoons olive oil
1/3-1/2 cup white vinegar
1/2 to 1 thinly sliced small onion, white or red
1 teaspoons of sugar
Salt and black pepper, to taste
Directions:
1. If using whole beets, quarter or slice them.
2. Empty beets into a glass bowl. Discard about half of the beet juice from the can.
3. Add olive oil, vinegar, sugar, salt and pepper. Stir to coat. Allow to marinate for about 2 hours before serving. Every now and
then stir beets around in juice.
4. Taste and if necessary add another pinch of sugar. After serving, refrigerate leftovers.
*****
Thanks for visiting, everyone!
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