Chicken Fricassee: Gourmet meal, easy on your budget

Start the new year off right with a delicious meal that won’t bust your budget. Chicken is probably the most versatile food in the meat section of your market. It is an easily digested protein, affordable, and cooking methods are endless.  Here is a recipe that is elegant enough for company but not to be missed for a family. It is certainly a recipe every cook should have in his or her recipe box.

Chicken Fricassee

1 (3-4 lb) Broiler Fryer – cut into eight pieces
1 cup all-purpose flour
2 teaspoon paprika
½ teaspoon white pepper
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon poultry seasoning
¼ cup olive oil
2 garlic cloves
2 cups chicken stock
4 whole shallots
8 carrot sticks
8 whole fresh mushrooms
2 cups half and half
¼ teaspoons nutmeg
3 egg yolks
1 tablespoon cornstarch
½ cup sherry

Preheat your oven to 350°F.

Check over your pieces (if you do your own butchering, remove any pin feathers and excess);  you want 2 wings, 2 legs, 2 thighs, and 2 breasts.

In a small bowl, combine flour, paprika, white pepper, salt and poultry seasoning. Mix together well.

In a Dutch oven, heat oil over medium heat.  Add garlic. Dip chicken pieces into chicken stock, then dredge in flour to coat.  Lightly shake off excess flour.

Saute chicken until seared on all sides.  Do not break up chicken.  Add chicken drippings, stock and shallots. Cover and bake for 35 minutes.  Add carrots and mushrooms.  Return to oven and bake an additional 30 minutes.

In a blender, combine half and half, nutmeg, egg yolks, corn starch and sherry.  Blend at low speed for 20 seconds.  Add one cup of hot broth from base to tempter liquid.  Slowly continue to add warm liquid in blender into bade.

Cover and bake 20 more minutes.  Serve from Dutch oven.