Chicken Fricassée with Mushrooms, Tomatoes & Watercress

Ginny Grant

Serves

4 - 6

Preparation

30 mins

Cook

50 mins

Ingredients

20g dried mushrooms
8 pieces chicken, skin-on, bone-in chicken thigh or drums
2 tablespoons olive oil
2 shallots, sliced
3 large tomatoes (ideally a meaty variety), peeled, chopped (or use a 400g can tomatoes, roughly mashed)
50ml white vermouth or 100ml white wine
½ teaspoon dried tarragon
1 teaspoon flaky sea salt
1 knob of butter
50g picked watercress

VEGETARIAN/VEGAN

Try using thickly cut slices of celeriac or firm tofu here, browning as for the chicken and then cooking until tender. Use a vegan butter.

Often a fricassée is made with a whole jointed chicken, but it’s easier to buy pieces. I’m not keen on breast meat so I tend to use thigh and drums here. I haven’t specified the type of dried mushrooms; obviously porcini are excellent, but I have made versions with the more affordable shiitake. I like the flavour of dry vermouth here, so use it if you have some, but white wine is excellent, too. I’ve used end-of-season tomatoes, but a tin of tomatoes would work well here if needed.

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Instructions

1.Cover the mushrooms with 400ml warm water and leave to steep for 30 minutes.
2.Drain (but reserve the mushroom liquid) and rub each piece of mushroom to dislodge any dirt. Roughly chop and set aside.
3.Pat the chicken pieces dry and salt generously.
4.In a wide frying pan, heat the oil and brown the chicken pieces. Remove from the pan and set aside.
5.Add the shallots to the pan and fry for a few minutes to soften, then add the mushrooms and fry for a couple of minutes.
6.Add the tomatoes and cook for a few minutes, then add the vermouth and simmer, stirring to loosen any browned bits at the bottom of the pan.
7.Add the dried tarragon and the mushroom liquid and return the chicken pieces to the pan.
8.Add the salt and bring up to a simmer. Cover with a lid, slightly askew, and cook for 25-30 minutes, turning the chicken over occasionally until it is tender. Top up with a little water if required.
9.Remove the chicken and put onto a warm serving platter.
10.Boil to reduce the sauce in the pan then swirl through the butter.
11.Pour the sauce over the chicken and scatter over the watercress to serve.
12.This is great with buttered noodles, mashed potatoes or soft polenta.

Recipes & food styling Ginny Grant / Photography Aaron McLean / Styling Jessica Crowe

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