Easy Hühnerfrikassee (German Chicken Fricassee) (2024)

Hühnerfrikassee is a delicious simple German Chicken Fricassee made with cooked chicken, a white sauce, and fresh vegetables, such as carrots, peas, and asparagus. A perfect dish to use for leftover chicken and a traditional meal in German households.

Let me introduce you to my version of this classic German chicken dish that reminds me so much of my Oma's cooking.

What is German Chicken Fricassee?

Hühnerfricassee is a simple chicken sauce that consists of bite-sized chicken pieces in a white sauce and vegetables. Traditional vegetables that are added to the sauce such as carrots, peas and asparagus.

The German fricassee has its origin in the French Kitchen. Here fricassee was first mentioned in the 14th century and is known as a "white ragout". Light meat such as pidgin, veal, rabbit and chicken would be used for this dish.

Origin of the name

Hühnerfrikassee consists of two words: "Hühner" is the plural for "chicken" in German. The term "fricassee" is derived from the French word "fricassee", which refers to cut-up meat.

Pronunciation

As an English speaker, you would pronounce "Hühnerfricassee" as "HEW-NEAR-FRICA-SEA".

How to prepare

The beauty of this recipe is that it is so quick to prepare, and its ingredients are so accessible. You can use leftover chicken, and the vegetables can be frozen or canned.

Ingredients

• chicken meat- see below my notes about which meat is best. In my recipe, I will give you the option to cook the meat from scratch or just use leftovers.
• mushrooms -I used champignons. Canned/tinned mushrooms also taste great with this dish.
• carrots
• frozen peas
• asparagus - white or green asparagus
• chicken stock/broth
• flour
• butter
• cream
• 1egg yolk - (optional) this helps binds the sauce
• splash oflemon juice
• salt and pepper

Which cuts of chicken to use?

For this recipe, you will need 350g/ 12 oz of cooked chicken. There is no specific cut of meat to use. You can use leftover cooked chicken or roast chicken. Also fried or boiled chicken breastworks with this recipe. The only thing to pay attention to is that you remove the skin and the bones. The meat needs to be chopped into bite-size pieces or shredded.

What vegetables to use in Hühnerfrikasee?

The traditional recipe will always use peas and carrots. My Oma would always make it with mushrooms and asparagus as well. However, there are so many different variations of this recipe. You can add cauliflower or broccoli. White asparagus is especially traditional for German cuisine, but green is also popular.

How to ensure that the roux does not become lumpy?

The white sauce in chicken fricassee is made from a roux. It is pretty simple: an equal amount of butter and flour are heated and then slowly cooked by adding little portions of stock. In my opinion, it does not matter how hot the liquid is, not how long you cook the butter and flour mixture. The secret to a roux without lumps is to continuously whisk the mixture, and only add the stock/broth little by little. Also, give it enough time. A good roux takes about 5 minutes to form.

Hühnerfrikassee Recipe Step by Step:

If you are using uncooked chicken

• Place the chicken in water with a little vegetable stock (affiliate link) and boil until cooked. (you can keep the chicken stock for the sauce later) Then remove the skin and discard. Remove the meat from the bones
• Cut your cooked chicken into bitesize pieces.

Preparing the vegetables

1. Peel and chop the carrots and chop into 1 cm cubes. Wash the mushrooms and slice.
2. If you are using white asparagus then peel it and chop off the tough bits. If you are using green asparagus then just chop off the wooden bits.
3. Blanche the asparagus for approximately 2 minutes in hot water with a pinch of salt and a pinch of sugar.
4. Weigh the mushrooms and prepare the chicken stock.

5. Now prepare the roux: melt the butter in a saucepan and add the flour into the melted butter. Whisk until the flour turns golden and yellow.
6. Carefully add little portions of the stock/broth to the flour-butter mixture. Keep on stirring to even up the lumps.

6. Now add in the cream, mushrooms, vegetables, asparagus, and peas. Leave to simmer on medium heat for approximately 8 minutes, until the vegetables are cooked.
7. Now carefully add in the egg yolk (if using) and quickly stir it into the sauce. Thickening the sauce with egg yolk gives it a rounded taste and provides it with a special sheen.
8. Season the Hühnerfrikassee with salt and pepper. Add some lemon juice to taste.
9. Add in the chicken, and leave to warm up in the sauce for approximately 5 minutes. The sauce no longer needs to cook.
10. Serve with white rice or mashed potatoes.

Recipe Variations

There are lots of different ways to prepare this dish. Some recipes use uncooked vegetables, while others first boil or fry the vegetables in butter.

Here are some of the most common recipe variations-

• add white wine to the sauce, this gives it a more citrusy flavor.
• add capers to the sauce. This adds a little sweet-sour flavor to the dish.
• mix up the vegetables. Try adding some broccoli or cauliflower

What to serve with Chicken Fricassee

In Germany, Hühnerfrikassee is mostly eaten with white rice. This is because it is very good at soaking up the creamy sauce. However, it also goes well with mashed potatoes or even pasta.

Storage Instructions

You can store any leftover fricassee in the fridge for up to 3 days. Reheat either in the microwave or slowly in a saucepan.

It is also a great dish to freeze in portions. In the freezer, it will keep up to three months.

Recipe