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What is Chicken Fricassée? [/ˈfrɪkəsiː/] – A stew made with pieces of meat that have been browned in butter, served in a sauce flavored with the cooking stock, according to Wikipedia. 🙂 One of my older sisters (there are 3) went to culinary school. Chicken Fricassee was one of the dishes she commonly cooked, and it became my absolute favorite throughout my high school years! I honestly completely forgot about it until about a month ago. So I thought, why not recreate it? It’s of course low FODMAP (all of my recipes are unless otherwise stated :)), Paleo and dairy free, AND made slightly easier than the traditional route, with boneless, skinless chicken thighs (because who wants the fuss?). And I gave it a little fall twist because, ya know, it’s fall and all.
Let’s get into the ingredients, shall we?
Ingredients Part 1: Browning the Chicken
Garlic-infused oil and green onion tips – I seriously use this duo of a flavor bomb in all of my savory dishes. If you’re using store-bought garlic-infused oil, beware of ingredients that could make it high FODMAP, like “garlic oil,” “garlic essential oil,” “garlic essence,” “garlic flavoring,” or “natural roasted garlic flavor.” My favorite garlic-infused oil is by Garlic Gold. I typically order this in bulk off of Amazon.
Boneless, skinless chicken thighs – Although bone-in and skin-on thighs do give the dish a lot more flavor, they take way too long to cook through, and potentially have to be finished in the oven! I kept this recipe fuss-free by sticking with boneless, skinless chicken thighs which cook in a fraction of the time.
Ingredients Part 2: Sauté the Vegetables
Vegan butter, butter or ghee – Butter adds to the richness of the resulting gravy. Because I am dairy free, I use the Vegan Buttery Sticks by Earth Balance. The ingredients aren’t necessarily Paleo, so use whatever is suitable for your dietary needs. If you prefer to omit butter all together, substitute with additional garlic-infused olive oil.
Carrot, sweet potato – Soft, simmered root vegetables make this dish hearty and satiating. I am always a little generous with the measurements for these two ingredients. They also add great color to the finished dish!
Curly kale, celery – Curly kale is one of my favorite ingredients to add in soupy, saucy dishes. Although the toughness of this hearty veg breaks down as it’s simmered in the soup, it still provides texture to each bite and a characteristic but subtle green taste. Celery is low FODMAP in 0.35 oz, which is about 1/4 of a stalk. Using 1 stalk in this recipe is well below the FODMAP threshold, but if you are concerned, feel free to omit! Both of these ingredients add some brightness to the otherwise ultra savory flavors.
Canned, sliced white mushrooms – Canned, white mushrooms are low FODMAP in 2.65 oz, and add richness and umami to the finished gravy.
Ingredients Part 3: Preparing for Braising
White wine – Cooking down white wine before adding the chicken broth adds incredible depth to the finished gravy. Anything dry will do – Pinot Grigio, Pinot Gris or Sauvignon Blanc. When I’m cooking with white wine, I tend to buy them canned as a smaller serving so that I’m not forced to finish the rest of the bottle in the next few days. 🙂
Low FODMAP chicken broth – If using store-bought broth, make sure there are no sneaky high FODMAP ingredients. Whole Food’s 365 Organic Chicken Broth is low FODMAP. Avoid the low sodium version, as that one contains onion. I also like to keep Fody Foods’ Chicken Soup Base on hand. Both will work fine here!
Ingredients Part 4: Finishing Touches
Arrowroot starch – Traditionally, flour is added to the butter to help thicken the sauce. We’re adding arrowroot starch at the end instead to keep this Paleo and easy. Make sure you dissolve the arrowroot starch in the remaining 1/4 cup of chicken broth before adding, otherwise it will clump together if introduced to heated liquid. Arrowroot starch will also turn into an odd, gel texture if heated for too long, so adding it in the last minute will work the best!
Unsweetened, canned coconut milk – This lends a little bit of richness and creaminess to the gravy. Not necessary but totally worth it!
Fresh parsley and thyme – Parsley and thyme add extra brightness and depth of delicious flavor. Don’t skip out!
Looking for something else saucy and comforting? Try my Coconut Curry Chicken Soup, or my Basil Pesto Kale & Artichoke Soup with Gnocchi & Italian Sausage.
And if you make my Autumn Chicken Fricassee, leave a comment, give the recipe a rating or tag me on Instagram! It gives me so much joy when you guys try my recipes. And I’d love to know if you enjoy them as much as I do! 🙂
Autumn Chicken Fricassee – Low FODMAP, Paleo, Dairy Free
Ingredients
- 2 tbsp garlic-infused olive oil
- 1½ lb boneless, skinless chicken thighs about 6 small
- salt and pepper to taste
- 2 tbsp vegan butter OR regular butter choose what fits your dietary needs
- 1 large carrot peeled & chopped
- 1 cup peeled sweet potato, cut into ¾-1" pieces
- 1 celery stalk, chopped
- 2 cups curly kale, chopped
- 4 oz canned sliced white mushrooms drained and rinsed
- 1 cup chopped green onion tips
- ½ cup dry white wine
- 1½ cups low FODMAP chicken broth
- ¼ cup chicken broth mixed with 2 tbsp arrowroot starch
- 1 cup canned coconut milk unsweetened
- 2 tbsp chopped fresh parsley
- 2 tsp fresh thyme leaves
- additional salt and pepper to taste
Instructions
- In a large, high-sided skillet over medium-high heat (about 6-7 out of 10), heat garlic-infused olive oil. Season chicken thighs with salt and pepper on both sides.
- Once oil is shimmering, brown chicken thighs on each side for 5-7 minutes. Chicken should be almost cooked through. Remove from pan and set aside.
- In the same skillet back on the stove on medium, melt butter. Add carrots, sweet potato and celery. Cook, stirring frequently for 5 minutes.
- After 5 minutes, add kale, canned mushrooms & green onion tips. Cook for an additional 2 minutes.
- Add dry white wine, scraping up the bottom bits from the pan. Allow this to simmer and reduce by half, about 4-6 minutes.
- Add 1½ cups of chicken broth, coconut milk, parsley and thyme. Bring to a gentle simmer.
- Place chicken thighs back in the skillet, ensuring to submerge most of the thigh in the liquid. Continue to simmer for 10 minutes, until chicken thighs are cooked through.
- During the last minute, give the remaining ¼ cup chicken stock + arrowroot mixture a stir to evenly distribute the arrowroot flour, and add into the skillet to thicken the sauce.
- As the salt content could vary depending on your butter, adjust with additional salt and pepper to taste before serving.
Notes
- If using store-bought garlic-infused oil that is not certified FODMAP-friendly, make sure to use a brand that doesn’t list “garlic oil,” “garlic essential oil,” “garlic essence,” “garlic flavoring,” “natural roasted garlic flavor,” or anything similar in the ingredients list. There’s no way to know whether these ingredients are low FODMAP. More on that in this article on FODMAP Everyday.