Acadian Chicken Fricot
By Jenny and Rosie with Simon Thibault
Serves: 4-6
Ingredients
1 ½ lb (680 g) Chicken thighs or breasts, boneless and skinless
1 Tbsp (15 mL) Salt
1 Tbsp (15 mL) Oil
1 Bay leaf
1 ½ lb (680 g) Potatoes, peeled (if necessary) and diced
2 medium Carrots, peeled and diced
4 Cups (1 L) Water
2 Tbsp (60 mL) Butter
1 large Onion, diced
2 stalks Celery, diced
¼ Cup (60 mL) Flour
1 Tbsp (15 mL) Dried chives or Summer savoury
1 ½ tsp (7 mL) Onion powder
¼ tsp (1 mL) Ground black pepper
Directions
Note: Wash all produce well. This recipe can be made with an equal amount of bone-in, skin-on chicken pieces: after the potatoes are tender in Step 2, remove chicken from the stew and let sit until cool enough to handle. Strip the meat from the bones/skin. Add the meat back to the pot and proceed with Step 3.
Cut the chicken into 1” (2 cm) pieces and toss in a bowl with the salt. In a large pot, heat the oil over medium-high and brown the chicken in batches, removing to a bowl or hotel pan once browned.
When the chicken is browned, return it all to the pot and add the bay leaf, potatoes, carrots and water. Cover and bring to a boil, then reduce the heat and simmer for 15-20 minutes, until the vegetables are tender and the chicken is cooked through.
Meanwhile, in a second pot, heat the butter over medium heat. Add the onions or leeks, and celery or celeriac. Stir and cook for 10-15 minutes, until vegetables are tender and beginning to brown.
Whisk the flour into the onions and celery, and cook for a further minute to toast the flour. Remove the onion-celery pot from the heat.
Once the potatoes are ready, stir the onion-celery mixture into the pot with the potatoes and chicken and place the pot over low heat. Stir and cook until the stew thickens, a further 5 to 10 minutes.
