German Chicken Fricassee Recipe ~ Oma's Hühnerfrikassee

➤ by Oma Gerhild Fulson

Make this chicken fricassee recipe, aka Hühnerfrikassee, and you'll think you're back in Oma's kitchen. German comfort food. Originally just a 'leftover' meal, now it graces the best restaurant menus.  

Leftover veggies and whatever's in the fridge would normally find their way into the fricassee.

It's interesting how some foods bring back memories of one's childhood. Especially when these memories are pleasant, these foods become comfort foods. Chicken fricassee is one of these, for sure. German food at its best.

It's just one of those convenient meals you can throw together quickly using whatever you may have laying around. That's the best kind of meal in my books! It truly is the simple, ultimate, nostalgic comfort food.

I've added a super SUPER QUICK version in the hints below, as well! Perhaps you'll pick up a cooked chicken at the deli in order just to make this. Don't forget to use the carcass to make chicken soup later :)

Is Fricassee German?

Though the chicken fricassee recipe originated in France, you can find this dish or something very similar as a highlight on lots of German menus. 

The traditional German way of making chicken fricassee is to cook the bird in water with added veggies to create wonderfully flavored meat and delicious broth.

Another way to make this recipe a little more German could be by adding some true German ingredients, herbs and spices! Like our well-known white asparagus...YUM. This will add a nice crunch and an extra boost of flavor that will pair perfectly with that creamy white sauce. 

Herbs and spices are always something fun to play around with. Try mixing in some different herbs and spices into your version of this fricassee to make it your own yummy, special German creation!

What does fricassee mean?

Fricassee is a dish made up of pieces of different meat and veggies served in a white sauce. The traditional meat used in fricassee is chicken for its flavor, versatility and ability to pair well with just about any vegetable. White wine is used to help create a lovely creamy sauce.

What vegetables or wine to use however, is all up to the chef!... That's you! 

Now what to serve with it? Well, that's totally up to preference! You could go classic and serve it with rice, or go comforting with creamy mashed potatoes. Or perhaps some pasta? The best part about a recipe like this is you can alter it to make it completely your own.

What's the difference between stew and fricassee?

This question is quite frequently asked, "What is the big difference between a chicken stew and a chicken fricassee?" Or maybe you're thinking, "But Oma, aren't they the same thing?"

The answer is simple, though they seem very similar, they are indeed very different! It's really all in the chicken! Depending on how you cook it that is. When you are making a stew, the chicken is boiled. But when making your fricassee, you want to pan-fry or smother your chicken beforehand, then you boil it.

Fricassee is cut into smaller chunks/pieces and served in its own sauce later on, while stew has liquid included right from the start. 

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• Originally thought to stem from France, fricassee is described as being "halfway between a sauté and a stew" by Julia Childs
• In a traditional French (and American) fricassee, the cut-up meat is first sautéed (but not browned) and then liquid is added and it is simmered to finish cooking
• Traditional for the German one is to add white asparagus tips 

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Oma says,

I remember my Mutti serving this over a bed of rice and her creamed peas and carrots on the side. Pure comfort food!

In the photo above, I've made the chicken fricassee with just mushrooms. Hubby and I LOVE freshly ground black pepper, but if you don't want the 'dark specks', then add white pepper.

Ready to make this Chicken Fricassee?

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