Catskills Style Chicken Fricassee Recipes

CATSKILLS STYLE CHICKEN FRICASSEE

Steps:

• Make Chicken Stock from the chicken backs and wings. Firm up the gizzards and chicken hearts in the hot stock.
• Save the stock in your fridge.
• Remove the skin and meat from the chicken backs and wings. Discard the bones. Save the bigger pieces of chicken meat in your fridge for chicken salad.
• Place the chicken fat and gristle and odd chicken meat pieces in a teflon pan on medium. Add in the chopped onions. When the onions get translucent, add in the crushed tomatoes, garlic, paprika, and pepper. Then add in the chicken gizzards and/or hearts and reduce the heat to low. Stir it all up every 10 to 15 minutes or so. It'll be done in less than an hour. The flavor improves when stored overnight.
• Chicken necks are also often added in, but are not sold separately that often any more and are hard to find. Cooking up chicken necks in the stock, and then taking the meat off the necks for the fricassee is nice to do.
• This recipe has no added salt because canned tomatoes are usually salted. Caterers often add pimento stuffed olives to this just before serving.

CHICKEN FRICASSEE (FRICASSEE DE POULET A L'ANCIENNE)

Steps:

• Brown ChickenSeason chicken on both sides with 1 tablespoon salt and 1/2 teaspoon pepper. Preheat a Dutch oven or other large heavy pot over medium-high heat. Add 2 tablespoons butter and the oil to pot. When butter melts and foam subsides, add half the chicken, skin side down, in a single layer; do not crowd pot. (If butter begins to blacken, lower heat.) Fry chicken, turning once, until golden brown on both sides, about 10 minutes total, and transfer to a plate. Repeat with remaining chicken.
• Saute MirepoixReduce heat to medium, and add mirepoix (onion, carrot, and celery) to pot, scraping up any browned bits with a wooden spoon. Saute mirepoix, stirring occasionally, until soft and golden brown in places, 8 to 10 minutes.
• Cook Mushrooms and FlourAdd mushrooms, and cook, stirring occasionally, until mushrooms darken, become glossy, and begin to release liquid, 4 to 5 minutes. Stir in flour, and cook until flour is absorbed by vegetables and is no longer visible, about 1 minute.
• Pour in Wine and BrothAdd wine to pot, and bring to a boil, stirring until liquid just thickens, about 45 seconds. Add broth, and stir.
• Simmer ChickenPlace chicken, skin side up, in a single layer on vegetables; pour juices that have accumulated on plate into pot. Tie parsley sprigs, thyme sprigs, and bay leaf together with kitchen twine; add to pot. Bring to a boil, then reduce to a simmer. Cover partially. Cook until internal temperature of thickest part of chicken registers 165 degrees, 25 to 30 minutes. Transfer chicken to a clean plate. Simmer liquid, uncovered, until reduced slightly, about 5 minutes. Discard herbs.
• Make and Add LiaisonTo make the liaison (sauce thickener), whisk together egg yolks and cream in a medium bowl. Whisking constantly, pour 1/2 cup cooking liquid, 1 tablespoon at a time, into liaison to temper it. Stir tempered liaison into pot.
• Finish with Tarragon, Lemon, and ButterReturn chicken to pot. Add tarragon, lemon juice, and the remaining butter. Bring to a simmer, stir gently to combine, and serve.