Chicken Fricassee with Lemon & Mustard

Chicken Fricassee with Lemon & Mustard

Poultry
French, Main Dish

Serves 4-6

Here’s a lovely and easy French recipe, straight from Paris and the (sadly now-closed) bistro A La Pomponnette in Monmartre. It makes a nice main dish for a dinner party. The sauce is lush and plentiful, so be sure to serve with potatoes, rice or buttered noodles (and some good bread to mop it up).

Ingredients #

  • 1/4 cup vegetable oil
  • 1 (roughly 4-lb) free-range chicken, cut into 8 serving pieces
  • 2 teaspoons salt
  • 1 teaspoon black pepper
  • 3/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
  • 3 carrots, chopped
  • 2 onions, chopped
  • 5 garlic cloves, chopped
  • 2 cups heavy cream
  • 1 1/4 cups dry white wine
  • 1/4 cup fresh lemon juice
  • 1/4 cup Dijon mustard
  • 1 teaspoon fresh thyme leaves
  • 1 Turkish or 1/2 California bay leaf
  • 1/2 cup water
  • 3 tablespoons unsalted butter

Instructions #

Put oven rack in middle position and preheat oven to 500°F.

Heat oil in a large dutch oven over moderate heat until hot but not smoking. While oil is heating, sprinkle chicken with 1 teaspoon salt and 1/2 teaspoon pepper, then dredge, 1 piece at a time, in 3/4 cup flour (total), knocking off excess. Brown in batches, turning over occasionally, until golden, 5 to 6 minutes per batch. Transfer to a platter as browned.

After the chicken has all been browned, pour off the remaining fat from the pot. Add the carrots, onions, garlic, cream, wine, lemon juice, mustard, thyme, bay leaf, and remaining teaspoon of salt and 1/2 teaspoon pepper. Bring to a gentle boil over moderate heat, stirring occasionally. Add the chicken and any juices that have accumulated with it. Cover the pot, leaving a small gap, and braise in the oven for 25 minutes.

Reduce oven temperature to 350°F and braise 20 minutes more. Transfer chicken to a clean platter and keep warm, loosely covered with foil.

Pour cooking liquid through a sieve into a bowl, discarding solids, then stir in water. Melt butter in a large saucepan over moderately low heat, then whisk in remaining 2 tablespoons flour and cook roux, whisking constantly, 3 minutes. Add cooking liquid in a fast stream, whisking vigorously, then cook at a bare simmer, whisking constantly, 5 minutes.

Serve chicken with sauce.