Thyme Chicken Fricassee

Sharing is caring!

Thyme Chicken Fricassee is a French dish made with chicken breast cut into thin slices. The chicken is fried in butter (I use extra virgin olive oil), wine is added and then stewed in chicken stock. Milk or cream is added to make a creamy white sauce.

I like adding evaporated milk, as it adds a distinct flavour, which I like.

This is one of our favourite family recipes which I make very often.   I usually make  a spice mixture using different combinations of spices, always of course using thyme, which I use for this recipe.

The term fricassée refers to the way the chicken is cut and served with a creamy sauce. This has somehow been modified in Greece and when fricassee is referred to in a Greek dish, it has an egg and lemon sauce, called “avgolemono“.

 

I have to say that often after meals, there are times, however tasty that meal may be, that I need to eat something else, to change the flavor left in my mouth.

The opposite happened with this recipe. There was such a wonderful taste left that I did not want to eat anything else but I wanted to keep the flavor forever, if possible.

How to make the Thyme Chicken Fricassee

Wash the chicken, remove skin and bones and boil them in 6 cups of water to take the stock.  Remove froth if needed and add a pinch of salt. 

Boil for 15 minutes.

Rinse the chicken breast and pat dry and cut into thin slices, about 1 cm thick.

In a spice grinder add all the spices and salt and grind them.

In a bowl, mix 1 cup of flour with half of the above spices.

Put about 1/5 of the evaporated milk in a bowl. (You can use regular milk if you like or cream but personally I prefer the distinct flavour of the evaporated milk).

Season chicken with remaining spices and dip chicken in milk and then in the flour mixture.

Heat the olive oil in a non stick skillet over high heat.

Brown chicken on both sides, (about 2 minutes each side) and remove to a plate. (Do not pack the frying pan because instead of getting a nice crust on chicken, you will end up boiling the chicken).

Remove the chicken to a platter, add the onion and sauté, scraping the skillet.   Add the wine and mix for a few minutes, then add chicken stock and the bay leaves and cook for five minutes. 

Return chicken into skillet and bring to a boil. Season with salt and pepper to taste.

Lower to simmer, covered until chicken is done (about 15 minutes) and then discard the bay leaves.

Mix 1 tablespoon of the leftover flour in the remaining 4/5 evaporated milk.  Add the milk mixture in the skillet and stir, scraping again the skillet over moderate heat for a couple of minutes and mix until sauce thickens.

When the sauce cools, it may become too thick.

You can thin it by putting it back on the heat, adding some hot water or more milk.

What Can I Serve With Chicken Fricassee?

I usually serve it with a rice pilaf and sauce. However, you can serve it with pasta, mashed potatoes or even fried potatoes.

You can find many more Greek recipes in my cookbooks “More Than A Greek Salad”, and “Mint, Cinnamon & Blossom Water, Flavours of Cyprus, Kopiaste!” both available on all Amazon stores. 

Kopiaste and Kali Orexi,

Sharing is caring!