Sometimes something magic happens to an old recipe. I’ve been making chicken fricassee at home for decades. Recently I made a mistake at the super market and bought a can of fire roasted diced tomatoes instead of just plain old Roma tomatoes. I didn’t realize my mistake until I was well underway with this recipe. Left with no choice, I used the fire roasted tomatoes. It turned into the best chicken fricassee dinner I’ve ever prepared.
CHICKEN FRICASSEE
5 Tblsp Olive oil
3 cloves garlic, chopped
4 chicken thighs – skinless and trimmed of fat
1/8 cup all-purpose flour
½ lb fresh mushrooms, caps and stems separated, caps halved or quartered, stems halved
lengthwise
1 can (14 ounces) fire roasted, diced tomatoes
Salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste
¼ cup chopped fresh parsley
Warm 3 tablespoons of oil in a large frying pan over medium heat. Add garlic. Sauté garlic, stirring frequently, until softened but not browned, about 2 minutes. Dredge chicken pieces lightly in flour. Raise heat to medium high. Add chicken pieces and brown on both sides, about 10 minutes per side. Meanwhile, heat remaining oil in a different frying pan over medium high heat. Add mushrooms and sauté, stirring occasionally, until lightly browned, about 5 to 6 minutes. When chicken is browned, stir in tomatoes and mushrooms. Season with salt and pepper. Reduce heat to medium-low, cover and cook chicken 20 minutes. Uncover and cook another 10 minutes, or until chicken is tender. Sprinkle with parsley.
Serve with steamed white rose potatoes or steamed white rice.
Serves 2.
I made the same mistake (bought fire roasted instead of “plain”) to prepare a tomato (sauteed bell pepper, onion, sausage) sauce for pasta. And I was just as pleasantly surprised by the result. Next week, I’ll try your chicken “mistake”.)