Chicken Fric-a-Frac ‡

A fricassee is basically meat cut into pieces and stewed in gravy. Frick and Frack were comic Swiss skaters in the original Ice Follies (which later became Holiday On Ice) from 1937 to 1953; they wore Lederhosen and performed very eccentric tricks on ice that few skaters have successfully performed since.

This dish was inspired by both these roots, mostly in spirit, less in substance. Fricassees are simmered, but this one is browned and baked. It bends over backwards (one of F+F’s favorite tricks) to be a light and fun preparation. Besides that, it is a reliably tasty (and tasteful) experience that you will want to repeat often.

  • olive oil cooking spray
  • 1 tbsp olive oil
  • 2 large chicken thighs, skinned, boned, and sliced
  • 1 tbsp olive oil
  • 1 stalk celery, minced
  • 1 medium shallot, minced
  • 1 clove garlic, smashed and minced
  • ¼ cup mushrooms, chopped
  • 1 medium tomato, diced
  • 1 can low-fat cream of chicken soup
  • ¼ cup dry white wine
  • ½ tsp poultry seasoning
  • 2 rashers bacon, prepared as per guidelines† , crumbled
  • ½ tsp Tabasco® sauce
  • <salt> to taste
  • ¼ tsp freshly ground black pepper
  • 2 oz sharp cheddar, grated

Spray a 10” saute pan with olive oil, add the tbsp of oil, heat it, and sauté the chicken until browned. Remove from pan and put into a foil-lined oven dish.*

Add the remaining tbsp oil to the pan, add celery, shallot, garlic, and mushrooms and cook them until the shallot starts to brown. Add the tomato and cook a while longer until its excess water has evaporated. Add the soup, wine, poultry seasoning, bacon, Tabasco®, <salt> and pepper and bring to a simmer. Fold in the cheese until it is melted and incorporated smoothly in the mixture.

Pour this mixture over the chicken thighs and bake at 350°F for 30 minutes. Plate and serve with steamed broccoli topped with the extra sauce. Save extra sauce for LOVE†.