– Chicken thighs, skin on. Marinated with salt from night before.
– Unsalted butter with neutral oil on the cast iron til hot and smoky. Use enough fat to crisp the skin first. You want to get that maillard gold. 5+ minutes or more til brown. and flipped for another 3-5 minutes. I try to use tongs to get the edges and sides
– I am overly cautious with chicken I put them in the oven at 425 F for 15-20 minutes, removing from the cast iron. You can’t really overcook chicken thigh within that margin of time and temp.
– in the cast iron with the brown bits and drippings, I add onion first and then mushrooms, keeping the heat going. Bay leaves in. Try to keep salt out to ensure mushrooms can go golden first and won’t shrink fast. Fresh cracked black pepper is great. Make sure the aromatics get enough contact with the heat without burning.
– watch the ingredients, let it cook and then add your minced garlic. Usually lower the heat to allow garlic to impart flavor without going golden. However brown for a deeper taste just don’t burn it , I like the mellow notes of garlic when cooked softly.
– add salt
– add flour and keep mixing. Add a table spoon or two and mix and brown coating everything . Ensure enough fat (oil / unsalted butter) is still in the pan. You’re basically shortcutting a pan roux. I like to make sure the flour turns a mellow gold with enough heat and time.
– once cooked through, add a white wine and let it sweat off a little and also add in an unsalted broth. The traditional recipe will have you finish cooking the chicken thigh in this sauce mix (but I’m doing it already in the oven) you can let the sauce temp ride medium or low til the chicken is done cooking. If you added wine make sure the alcohol is cooking off with enough heat. Then add the cooked chicken and drippings back into the pan. I throw all the chicken juices back in and stir
.- stir the sauce it’ll thicken with the broth and liquid allow it to stay mellow bubbling. I’ll add heavy cream near the end to ensure the sauce doesn’t break, and to finish the sauce. Test and adjust throughout. Season appropriately
– secret : add a teaspoon or two of some dijon mustard. It’ll bring a brighter tartness that’ll bring balance to the flavors. It’s not traditional to the fricassee but a borrowed trick from Beef Stragonoff which uses similar ingredients.
– The garnish is fresh parsley. If it wasn’t for the photo I wouldn’t normally add it
– remove the bay leaves
– I like to serve this over steamed white rice as the carb pairing but a pasta goes well here too.
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Homemade on a cast iron
– Chicken thighs, skin on. Marinated with salt from night before.
– Unsalted butter with neutral oil on the cast iron til hot and smoky. Use enough fat to crisp the skin first. You want to get that maillard gold. 5+ minutes or more til brown. and flipped for another 3-5 minutes. I try to use tongs to get the edges and sides
– I am overly cautious with chicken I put them in the oven at 425 F for 15-20 minutes, removing from the cast iron. You can’t really overcook chicken thigh within that margin of time and temp.
– in the cast iron with the brown bits and drippings, I add onion first and then mushrooms, keeping the heat going. Bay leaves in. Try to keep salt out to ensure mushrooms can go golden first and won’t shrink fast. Fresh cracked black pepper is great. Make sure the aromatics get enough contact with the heat without burning.
– watch the ingredients, let it cook and then add your minced garlic. Usually lower the heat to allow garlic to impart flavor without going golden. However brown for a deeper taste just don’t burn it , I like the mellow notes of garlic when cooked softly.
– add salt
– add flour and keep mixing. Add a table spoon or two and mix and brown coating everything . Ensure enough fat (oil / unsalted butter) is still in the pan. You’re basically shortcutting a pan roux. I like to make sure the flour turns a mellow gold with enough heat and time.
– once cooked through, add a white wine and let it sweat off a little and also add in an unsalted broth. The traditional recipe will have you finish cooking the chicken thigh in this sauce mix (but I’m doing it already in the oven) you can let the sauce temp ride medium or low til the chicken is done cooking. If you added wine make sure the alcohol is cooking off with enough heat. Then add the cooked chicken and drippings back into the pan. I throw all the chicken juices back in and stir
.- stir the sauce it’ll thicken with the broth and liquid allow it to stay mellow bubbling. I’ll add heavy cream near the end to ensure the sauce doesn’t break, and to finish the sauce. Test and adjust throughout. Season appropriately
– secret : add a teaspoon or two of some dijon mustard. It’ll bring a brighter tartness that’ll bring balance to the flavors. It’s not traditional to the fricassee but a borrowed trick from Beef Stragonoff which uses similar ingredients.
– The garnish is fresh parsley. If it wasn’t for the photo I wouldn’t normally add it
– remove the bay leaves
– I like to serve this over steamed white rice as the carb pairing but a pasta goes well here too.
Dig the dark meat.