Crock pot chicken fricassee

     Chicken Fricassee is a dish that I have been wanting to try for years.  I had never heard of chicken fricassee (somehow it wasn't part of my childhood in LA) until I read A Breath of Snow and Ashes by Diana Gabaldon (one of my favorite authors [this book is part of her wonderful Outlander series]) and one of the characters were eating chicken fricassee.  It sounded really delicious, so I researched what it was and how to make it.  One of the many recipes for chicken fricassee I came across was actually inspired by A Breath of Snow and Ashes (and the Outlander series as a whole) from a blog called Outlander kitchen.  I read it and knew it was the recipe I had to try.

Chicken Fricassee. (Note: the sauce is not green, despite photographic evidence!)

Crock Pot Chicken Fricassee from Outlander Kitchen 

Ingredients:

Bone-in Chicken Thighs, rinsed and trimmed of extra fat and skin – 2 lbs (6-8 pieces)
All Purpose Flour – ¼ Cup
Salt – ½ tsp
Pepper – ¼ tsp
Olive Oil – 2 Tble
Butter – 2 Tble
Mushrooms, wiped clean, halved – ½ lb
Yellow Potatoes, trimmed, 2” pieces – 1 lb
Lemon Juice – 2 Tble
Small Onions (about 1” diameter), peeled – ¾ lb (or 1 large onion, julienned)
Carrots, peeled and cut into 4-6 pieces each – 2 medium
Garlic, papery skin removed  – 1 whole head
Butter – 2 Tble
Bay Leaves – 2
Fresh Thyme – 2 sprigs
Salt + Pepper – pinches
Chicken Stock – 1 Cup
White Wine – ½ Cup
Whipping Cream – ½ Cup
Egg Yolks – 2
Salt + Pepper – to taste

Serves: 4

Procedure:

Pat the chicken pieces dry.  Mix together the flour, salt and pepper in a small bowl.  Dredge the thighs in flour one at a time, shaking off the excess.

Heat a large heavy frying pan over medium-high.  Heat the olive oil and butter until bubbling and fry half of the chicken, skin side down, until light golden, about 3-4 minutes.  Flip and fry another 3 minutes on the second side.  Remove to the crock pot and repeat with the other half of the chicken.

Toss the mushrooms and potatoes with the lemon juice, then nestle them, along with the onions, carrots, garlic, butter, bay leaves and thyme in amongst the chicken pieces.  Season with salt and pepper, pour in the stock and wine, and rock the crock pot gently to settle and mix.

Cook on low for 4-6 hours.

Move the oven rack to the top position and preheat the oven to 300°.

When the chicken and vegetables are tender, turn off the crock pot.  Discard the garlic, bay leaves and thyme.  Use a slotted spoon to remove the chicken and vegetables to an oven-proof dish, and keep warm in the oven, uncovered, while you finish the sauce.

Strain the cooking liquid from the crock pot into a medium saucepan.  Use a spoon to skim the surface of fat, then reduce the liquid over medium-high heat until it measures about 1½ cups.  Reduce the heat to medium-low.

Beat together the egg yolks and cream.  Add 2-3 tablespoons of the hot cooking liquid into the cream mixture and stir well, then add the cream back into the saucepan and stir constantly until hot, and slightly thickened, about 5 minutes.  Season to taste and keep warm.

When the sauce is ready, turn the oven’s to broil to lightly brown and crisp the chicken’s skin, about 4 or 5 minutes.

Divide the chicken and vegetables on 4 plates and spoon over the sauce.

     The results?  Alas, not as stellar as I had hoped.  The chicken fricassee tasted good but was somehow both a bit too rich and a bit too bland for my taste buds.  I even skipped the last part about broiling the chicken as I had no large chicken pieces left to boil (they all just kind of melted into the ingredients).  Maybe six hours was too long to cook it?  Maybe I shouldn't have substituted russet potatoes for golden?  Oh well.  Still, I think chicken fricassee as a whole holds promise.  Maybe I'll get back to it eventually and try another recipe.  In the meanwhile, I shall continue to read my Outlander books and continue to enjoy this wonderful blog full of Outlander-inspired recipes.

    A note on the recipe:  I mentioned in my previous blog that I have recently bought an Instant Pot a seven-in-one programmable cooker.  An Instant pot combines a pressure cooker, a rice cooker, a slow cooker, a steamer, a food warmer, a saute pan and a yogurt maker.  Since I bought the instant pot, my husband and I have played around with the various features and have come to really love it.  What I liked about using the Instant pot for this particular recipe was that everything was cooked in one container.  I browned the chicken in the Instant pot using the saute feature, then put all the ingredients in and used it as a slow cooker and then finished off the sauce using the saute feature again.  What a wonderful invention!!  Expect to see more recipes from my fabulous Instant Pot...