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Chicken Fricassee with Vermouth

Prep Time1 hour
Cook Time35 minutes
Total Time1 hour 35 minutes
Course: Dinner
Cuisine: American, French
Keyword: chicken, Dinner
Servings: 8
Author: Adapted From NYT Cooking

Equipment

  • Large skillet or braiser with lid

Ingredients

  • 3½ lbs chicken (either whole, cut into 8 parts or thighs)
  • kosher salt and pepper
  • 2 tbsp unsalted butter
  • ½ cup onion diced
  • 2 cloves garlic minced or pressed
  • 2 tbsp flour
  • ¾ cup dry vermouth (noilly pratt is my favorite)
  • ¼ cup chicken stock
  • 1 bay leaf fresh or dried
  • 2 sprigs fresh thyme or ½ tsp dried
  • 2 cups carrots peeled and cut in ¼" thick half moons
  • 3 cups leeks cut into ¼" half moons
  • ½ cup heavy cream

Instructions

  • Season chicken liberally all over with salt and pepper.
  • Melt butter in a very large skillet or braiser (large enough for all chicken pieces to lay in 1 layer) over medium heat. Add chicken pieces, skin side down. Cook a minute or two; don't allow to brown.
  • Scatter onion all over and cook 30 seconds or so. Add garlic and stir around. Cook chicken and onions about 4-5 minutes, turning chicken pieces often in butter.
  • Sprinkle flour over all, turning chicken frequently to coat evenly. Add the vermouth, chicken stock, thyme and bay leaves. Add leeks and carrots, stirring them well into the other ingredients. Cover and cook over medium heat about 20 minutes. Check periodically to stir and prevent sticking. If sauce seems to be getting too thick, or things are starting to stick, add hot water, ¼ cup at a time and mixing well until slightly thinner and not sticking.
  • After chicken has cooked for a total of 30 minutes, add heavy cream. Simmer and stir a minute or two to combine well and heat through.¼ Serve with rice or mashed potatoes.¼

Notes

The first time I made this it was a big hit, although the original instructions were much fussier. I tried it again using a more streamlined approach (and increasing the quantity of carrots and leeks) and it worked just was well - by cooking the carrots and leeks in the sauce, all the flavor ends up there instead of the blanching water. You want to cut the carrots thick enough (¼-½") so they still have some texture when the dish is done cooking.
You can use either bone-in or boneless, skinless thighs. The skin is not at all crisp or interesting, but the bone adds flavor. You could also add either peas or greens with the cream to add more vegetables to the mix. It was very good over either brown rice or mashed potatoes. The sauce is really special so make sure you also have some bread to soak it up.