One of My Favorite Chicken Recipes – Chicken Fricassee
As we get older we find that we don’t want to eat heavy proteins as much so I find myself turning to chicken more frequently on the nights I am not making a vegetarian dinner. As much as I like to experiment in the kitchen I do have some favorite recipes that appear time and again like this braised chicken recipe that we both love. I almost didn’t make it the first time I saw it in a cookbook because one of the sauce ingredients is a can of anchovies and I hate anchovies. Thankfully I went forward because this has become a dinner I have served over and over again to company and for just the two of us.
The original recipe came from a cookbook I no longer own and cannot even remember the title of – I know I have fiddled with it through the years; the original used red wine vinegar and I use balsamic. I have the recipe memorized and have for a long time. This chicken has been appearing on our table for most of the almost 4o years we have been together. It is not a quick dinner and it is not a pretty dinner but it is delicious dinner.
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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
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- 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 the 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.
How Was the Braised Chicken Recipe?
Moist, flavorful, succulent…I could go on. I absolutely adore this recipe. It’s just so good. Every time I have served it to company no one could guess that anchovies were the secret ingredient. They completely melt into the sauce. It’s delicious on rice as seen above but also yummy on potatoes, polenta or pasta. This chicken is well worth the time it takes to cook – like the Oregano Chicken recipe I made a while ago. These braised recipes never present beautifully but they are so delicious you make them over and over again.
