Fast Chicken Fricasse

This fast chicken fricassee delivers that classic creamy French comfort in under 30 minutes. Chicken breasts are sauteed with onion in butter until white (not browned, which is what makes a fricassee different from other braises), then simmered with mushrooms in a cream sauce finished with white wine.

The sauce comes together right in the pan. Heavy cream mixed with cornstarch gets stirred into the simmering chicken and thickens into a glossy, velvety coating in minutes. No roux, no long reduction. The cornstarch does the work fast.

Add the white wine at the very end, after the chicken is cooked through. This keeps the wine’s flavor fresh and bright rather than cooked out. Just a few tablespoons lifts the whole dish.

Serve over rice to catch every drop of that cream sauce.

Kitchen Tips

• Keep the heat moderate when cooking the chicken so it stays white, not golden. That’s the fricassee technique
• Mix the cornstarch into the cream thoroughly before adding to the pan to avoid lumps
• Add the wine off the heat or over very low heat so the sauce doesn’t break

Variations

• Use veal, firm white fish, or mussels instead of chicken
• Add fresh tarragon or thyme to the sauce for a more traditional herb flavor
• Use fresh sliced mushrooms instead of canned for better texture