Fricassee is one of the brightest representatives of French cuisine. Despite the poetic name for the Russian ear, the dish is distinguished by its uncomplicated preparation. It's basically a stew with a French accent. The classic fricassee is based on vegetables and meat brought to languid tenderness by a long stewing, mainly chicken, rabbit or calf.
Features of cooking fricassee
The name of the dish from French translates as "all sorts of things". But this does not mean that you can add whatever you want to it. Cooking fricassee involves the use of certain ingredients. However, improvisation is welcome, but without fanaticism. Otherwise, fricassee can easily turn into a banal stew or good old goulash. To prevent this from happening, you need to know several features of the preparation of this French dish.
Choose meat with a minimum of fat for fricassee. You can take both fillet and pulp on the bone. The classic recipe uses chicken. The pulp from the thighs is ideal. You can also choose chicken breast, if you are not embarrassed by its dryness.
The sauce, which is based on cream, is of great importance in the preparation of fricassee. The fatter they are, the richer and thicker the dish will be. Experienced housewives still recommend taking low-fat milk if you want a more tender fricassee.
Any vegetables are suitable for cooking. They can be either fresh or frozen. Just don't mix them up. Use only fresh or only frozen.
How to make chicken fricassee
- 1 kg of chicken thighs;
- 1 medium carrot;
- 1 small onion;
- vegetable oil for frying;
- 2-3 sprigs of parsley;
- 50 ml of water;
- 40 ml cream;
- 2 eggs;
- 1 tbsp. l. lemon juice;
- salt and pepper to taste.
Peel the onions and carrots. Cut into cubes. Carrots are 1 cm in size, and onions are larger.
Separate the meat from the bone. Cut it into 3-4 cm cubes or strips.
Fry the onion cubes in vegetable oil in a well-heated skillet or saucepan. Use pans with a thick bottom as the fricassee will take a long time to stew. Sauté the onion until golden brown and transfer to a plate.
Pour some more oil into the bowl. Let it warm up and fry the meat in portions until golden brown.
Return the previously fried onions and add the carrot cubes. Chop the parsley and send it there. Pour in water and wait until boiling.
Add salt and pepper. Cover the dishes with a lid and simmer over low heat for 40-50 minutes.
Make the sauce: separate the yolks from the whites and mix them with the cream, lemon juice. You can add some ginger root for piquancy. It will add some spice to the sauce and add an interesting flavor. At the end of cooking, pour it into the chicken pot and let the sauce thicken. Turn off the heat and wait 10-15 minutes: the dish should be infused.
Serve the cooked fricassee with garnish. Rice or buckwheat are ideal for the dish.
