CHICKEN CALIFORNIA RAISIN FRICASSEE

Fricassee is a white stew in which the meat is cooked in without browning. It is a classic food and original recipe of French. Try this simmered chicken with tasty ingredients and silky sauce.

Preparation time: 20 minutes

Cooking time: 1 hour

INGREDIENTS:

1.5 kilo whole chicken or leg quarters, cut into 8 pieces with skin on

1000 ml chicken stock

300 g white onions

200 g California raisins

150 g butter

10 g flour

1 sachet bay leaf, parsley stems, thyme

1 small celery

LIAISON:

250 ml cream

3 egg yolks

1 tbsp. lemon juice

Salt, white pepper, nutmeg to taste

PROCEDURE:

1. Wash and pat dry chicken pieces.

2. Chop half of California raisins coarsely and season with salt and white pepper.

3. Insert California raisin mixture into skin of chicken pieces.

4. Melt butter in brazier over moderate heat.

5. Add chicken and onions; lightly cook without browning chicken pieces.

6. Add flour, and stir so that it combines with the fat to make a roux.

7. Cook for 2 minutes.

8. Add stock, stir, add 1 sachet and simmer for 30 minutes.

9. Decant or strain.

10. Set aside chicken pieces to make a sauce.

PROCEDURE FOR SAUCE:

1. Simmer sauce add the remaining raisins, season with salt and white pepper.

2. Degrease (skim off any fat on the surface), reduced by 25% or about 10 minutes of simmer.

3. Mix together yolk and cream in a bowl to make a liaison.

4. Temper liaison (add 25% of the sauce to the egg/cream mixture ever so gradually, then mix it all back to the sauce in the pan).

5. Bring to just below simmer while stirring. NEVER BOIL.

6. Correct seasoning with salt, white pepper, lemon juice and nutmeg.

TIP:

Once liaison is added to the sauce, never boil mixture, otherwise egg will coagulate. You can always swirl-in up to 50g of butter to sauce towards end of cooking time to further improve flavor and consistency of sauce.

SERVING SUGGESTION:

Pour sauce on chicken. Sprinkle more California raisins if preferred. Garnish with chopped parsley and lemon slices.