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Classic chicken fricassée is a French dish in which chicken is lightly browned in butter before being gently braised in a rich, savory sauce made with white wine and stock. It’s a method with countless variations, and chances are you’ve tried some version of it at home. While reducing wine and stock is the tried-and-true way to build a flavorful sauce, there’s a simple — and affordable! — shortcut for taking it to a more luxurious level via a can of cream of mushroom soup.
Cream of mushroom soup has become a pantry darling, adding a flavor punch to everything from richer instant ramen to flavorful pot roast, so it only makes sense to incorporate it into the iconic fricassée, too. A basic chicken fricassée requires only a handful of ingredients: Thinly pounded chicken breast cutlets are seasoned and seared in a pan until golden, then removed while the sauce is built in the same pan. Mushrooms and herbs such as thyme are cooked until they’re tender and fragrant before stock, wine, and cream are added to create a velvety, savory sauce. The chicken then returns to the pan to gently simmer until cooked through. Replacing the heavy cream with a can of cream of mushroom soup is a genius hack that delivers many of the same qualities in multiple ingredients — and it runs a mere $1.28 at Walmart. It adds thickness, depth, and umami from the mushrooms, while its moisture helps keep the chicken juicy as it gently simmers in the sauce. The soup’s natural thickness also helps you achieve that velvety consistency in less time. Winner winner, chicken fricassée dinner.
How to elevate your flavorful chicken fricassée in practically no time
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As it’s a classic braise, chicken fricassée, as well as its components, lends itself to plenty of modifications. Swap the cream of mushroom soup for an equally economical alternative, such as condensed French onion soup, for a slightly sweeter, more savory sauce. You could also swap for cream of chicken soup to intensify the poultry flavor — a particularly useful swap for anyone with a mushroom allergy, which my partner has. Other additions that can elevate this one-pot wonder include a splash of sherry vinegar for bright acidity or a spoonful of Dijon mustard for a subtle tang. And while chicken breast cutlets are typically the protein of choice for a fricassée, pounded chicken thighs make for a juicy and welcome alternative.
Just be sure to sear the chicken first. This imperative step helps develop the Maillard reaction, which gives the meat its golden-brown exterior and deep, savory flavor. Those browned bits left on the bottom of the pan, also known as sucs or fond, are also key to building a flavorful pan sauce, providing a base and an added layer of richness to your can of cream of mushroom soup. If you find yourself over-reducing your sauce, try adding a little water to thin it out to your desired consistency. Whichever avenue you choose, it’s an easy way to turn an everyday chicken dinner into something that tastes considerably more luxurious than the ingredient list suggests.
Dining and Cooking