Keto Chicken Fricassée

Chicken Fricassée is a classic French stew that is rich, creamy, and loaded with flavour. Fricassée comes from the French words frire (to fry) and casser (to break into pieces). It is usually prepared with chicken drumsticks or thighs or both, but feel free to use any other protein you like. Bone in skin on chicken legs are first browned and then gently cooked in a delicious wine sauce with mushrooms and herbs (thyme, estragon or flat parsley), then cream and egg yolks are added to finish off. Traditionally it’s served with rice, bread or potatoes, but you can pair this with cauliflower rice, zoodles or just a simple salad if you are on keto way of eating. A small amount of xanthan gum, instead of flour, was used to thicken the sauce.
I find xanthan gum isn’t necessary as the sauce is pretty thick because I used crème fraîche and yolks. If you ain’t on keto, sprinkle 2-3 tablespoons of plain flour into the softened onions to make a roux, which helps to thicken the sauce.

3 Chicken legs (about 1.2 kg)
1 tsp Sea salt
Freshly ground black pepper
3 tbsp Ghee (or butter)
1 Large white onion, peeled and sliced
250 g Mushrooms, sliced
150 ml Dry white wine
250 ml Hot chicken broth (or water)
3 Fresh thyme sprigs
150 g Crème fraîche
½ tsp Xanthan gum
2 Egg yolks
1 tbsp Lemon juice

Pat chicken legs dry with paper towels. Season with sea salt and black pepper.
Melt ghee or butter in a large heavy-bottomed skillet on medium heat. Add the chicken legs, skin-side down, and sear until the bottom is golden-brown, 10-12 minutes. Transfer to a large plate.
Add sliced onion and mushrooms to the skillet. Cook, stirring occasionally and scraping up any browned bits from the bottom, until the onion is softened, 3 to 5 minutes. Season with salt and black pepper.
Stir in white wine and cook until reduced by half, about 5 minutes. Pour in hot chicken broth or water and thyme sprigs. Return the chicken, skin-side up, and any accumulated juices to the pan. Bring to a boil.
Reduce the heat to medium-low and cook uncovered, stirring occasionally, until the sauce is reduced slightly and the chicken cooked through, about 30 minutes. You can also bake the chicken for 20-25 minutes at 200C/400F.
Take the chicken legs out and place it on a platter. Cover it to keep warm. Whisk the crème fraîche, xanthan gum and egg yolk in a bowl. Spoon some of sauce in a bowl, add the xanthan gum mixture. Mix well.
Stirring constantly, slowly pour the mixture into the skillet. Stir in the lemon juice and let it simmer for 5 minutes. Taste and season. Return the chicken to the pan. Garnish with more thyme leaves and serve immediately.

10 comments:

Tom 4/3/25 12:15: ...chicken, our go to meal.
eileeninmd 4/3/25 14:18: I like most chicken recipes, thanks for sharing.
Take care, have a great day!
Carol @Comfort Spring Station 4/3/25 15:23: This dish looks amazing. It sounds like the perfect meal.
Lola Martínez 4/3/25 16:07: No he preparado este guiso con pollo nunca, pero me parece una buena idea que te copiaré para hacerla pronto.
Federica Simoni 4/3/25 16:10: sembra davvero squisito!
Christine 4/3/25 16:17: Delicious
Eva Taylor 4/3/25 16:24: What a great looking meal. And a bonus that it's keto too.
Marcepanowy Kącik 4/3/25 16:30: Pyszna propozycja
foodtravelandwine 4/3/25 16:48: WOW!...kit looks so tender and delicious!!.....everything French is a big win!!.....Abrazotes, Marcela
ashok 4/3/25 16:55: Looks good 👍