Poor Man's Chicken Fricassee

A community recipe by HannaBerlin

Not tested or verified by Nigella.com

Introduction

This is not a traditional French fricasse but cheaper and more practical. I loved this dish as a child and still consider it one of the most comforting meals in the world. The smell of the homemade stock will not only make you feel accomplished as a cook but is welcoming and cozy, too. Choose a chicken you'd roast, juicy and fat. Typical soup veggies are carrots, celery and leeks, I however buy lots of carrots, celery, celeriac (so aromatic and peppery), leeks, parsnips and parsley, chop them up, store them in the freezer and take handfulls out whenever I want to make a sauce or soup. Instead of the peas you could add mushrooms or asparagus which I would prepare seperately and just add at the end. This is perfect for a cold winter's day when you have a bit of time on your hands. It freezes well too, so it pays to make a large batch.

Ingredients

Serves: 4

Metric Cups

For the Poaching

1⅓ kilograms chicken (approximately, preferably organic)
300 millilitres dry white wine
1 medium carrot
1 leek
2 sticks celery
fresh parsley (a few sprigs)
2 bay leaves
1 sprinkling of salt
pepper (a good grinding)
water (cold)

For the Sauce

80 grams butter
40 grams plain flour
200 millilitres single cream
lemons (a spritz of)
salt (to taste)
pepper (to taste)
Worcestershire sauce (to taste)

For the Serving

400 grams rice (I like parboiled with this)
200 grams frozen peas

For the Poaching

2⅞ pounds chicken (approximately, preferably organic)
11 fluid ounces dry white wine
1 medium carrot
1 leek
2 sticks celery
fresh parsley (a few sprigs)
2 bay leaves
1 sprinkling of salt
pepper (a good grinding)
water (cold)

For the Sauce

2⅚ ounces butter
1⅖ ounces all-purpose flour
7 fluid ounces heavy cream
lemons (a spritz of)
salt (to taste)
pepper (to taste)
Worcestershire sauce (to taste)

For the Serving

14⅛ ounces rice (I like parboiled with this)
7 ounces frozen peas

Method

Poor Man's Chicken Fricassee is a community recipe submitted by HannaBerlin and has not been tested by Nigella.com so we are not able to answer questions regarding this recipe.

The first part is poaching the chicken. It's really very easy. You need a pot with a fitting lid in which the chicken can fit snugly.

Wash the chicken, put it in the pot breast side down, add the chopped soup veggies, wine, bay leaves, salt and pepper, and then fill the pot with cold water until the chicken is barely covered.

Put it on the heat until the liquid starts to boil, then turn the heat down and let it bubble away quietly. Leave it like this for about an hour or so.

Take the pot off the heat and remove the chicken from the stock to a plate or board.

When it's cooled down a little, remove all the flesh from the bones. I do this by hand wearing CSI gloves, as Nigella calls them. Cut the meat into bite-sized pieces and set aside.

Pour the stock through a sieve and then reheat it, reducing it a bit, or not, if it's already aromatic enough. You will probably have more stock than you need for the sauce so I suggest freezing some.

Cook your rice according to the instructions on the packet. 5 minutes before it's done add the peas.

In a saucepan melt the butter, stir in the flour until it's a pale yellow paste and gradually add about 800 ml of stock, while whisking it all together.

You could also add a bit of white wine if you are cooking for grown ups.

When the sauce has thickened and lost it's floury taste, add the cream. You might need more or less, according to taste. Now season with a spritz of lemon, worcester sauce, salt and pepper.

If the sauce is not thick enough for your taste you can reduce it further but keep in mind that the rice soaks up some liquid, too. Add the pieces of cooked chicken until they're heated through.

Serve in large bowls with the rice and peas.