Martha Stewart Chicken Fennel And Artichoke Fricassee Recipe

I thought all fricassees were heavy, creamy, and took 2 hours. This one proved me wrong. Martha Stewart’s Chicken, Fennel, and Artichoke Fricassee is a light, tangy chicken and artichoke recipe made with a whole cut-up chicken browned and braised in the oven with fennel wedges, canned artichoke hearts, red onion, and a quick pan sauce finished with red wine vinegar, all done in under an hour.

This chicken fricassee recipe is one of Martha Stewart’s best chicken with artichokes recipes for spring. There is no cream, no egg yolks, and no heavy sauce. Just chicken stock that reduces down to a few tablespoons of concentrated flavor with a hit of vinegar at the end. I make it when the weather starts warming up and I want a one-pan dinner that feels lighter than anything I cooked all winter.

Try More Chicken Recipes:

• Classic Chicken Fricassee
• Chicken In A Pot
• Braised Chicken Thighs

Why You Will Love This Chicken Fricassee:

• 55 minutes and one pan: Brown the chicken, brown the vegetables in the same pan, put it all in the oven, then reduce the sauce on the stove. One skillet from start to finish. I have cleaned up after this recipe in less time than it took to make it.
• No cream, no heaviness: This is not the classic French fricassee with egg yolks and heavy cream. The sauce is just chicken stock reduced down to a few tablespoons and hit with red wine vinegar. It coats the chicken without sitting in your stomach. I was not sure a fricassee could feel this light and it does.
• The fennel and artichokes make it feel like spring: They soften in the oven and soak up the braising liquid but keep enough texture to feel like real vegetables, not mush. The anise flavor from the fennel is subtle and sweet, not overpowering. I was worried about the fennel the first time because I am not usually a fan and I was surprised how much I liked it here.

Chicken Fennel And Artichoke Fricassee Ingredients

• 1 whole chicken (about 4 pounds), cut into 8 pieces
• Coarse salt and freshly ground pepper
• 1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
• 1 fennel bulb, trimmed and cut into 1/4-inch wedges, 1/4 cup fronds reserved
• 1 can (15 ounces) water-packed whole artichoke hearts, drained
• 1 small red onion, cut into 1/2-inch wedges
• 1 cup chicken stock
• 1 tablespoon red-wine vinegar
• 3 tablespoons fresh flat-leaf parsley, coarsely chopped

How To Make Martha Stewart Chicken Fennel And Artichoke Fricassee

1. Brown the chicken: Heat the oven to 425 degrees. Season the chicken with 1 teaspoon salt and 1/2 teaspoon pepper. Heat the oil in a large ovenproof skillet over high heat until hot but not smoking. Brown the chicken on all sides, 8 to 10 minutes. Move to a plate.
2. Brown the vegetables: Pour off all the fat except about 1 tablespoon. Turn the heat to medium-high. Add the fennel wedges, artichoke hearts, and red onion. Cook, stirring now and then, until they pick up some color, 2 to 3 minutes.
3. Braise in the oven: Put the chicken back in the skillet. Add the stock. Slide the skillet into the oven and braise until the chicken is cooked all the way through, 18 to 20 minutes.
4. Reduce the sauce and serve: Move the chicken and vegetables to a serving platter. Put the skillet on the stove over high heat and reduce the braising liquid down to about 1/3 cup. Stir in the vinegar. Pour the sauce over the chicken. Top with the reserved fennel fronds and parsley.

Recipe Tips

• Leave the fennel core in: Martha says to trim the stalks but keep the core. It holds the wedges together while they cook. I cut it out once and the fennel fell apart into strings. The core softens in the oven anyway so there is no reason to remove it.
• Use water-packed artichoke hearts: Not marinated. The marinated kind have too much vinegar and oil already and they throw off the balance. Canned, water-packed, drained. That is all you need.
• Reduce the liquid hard: Martha says reduce to about 1/3 cup and that sounds like almost nothing. But the flavor gets so concentrated that a little goes a long way. I did not reduce enough the first time and the sauce was thin and watery. Trust the recipe and let it cook down.
• Add the vinegar after reducing: Take the skillet off the heat or at least turn it down before you stir the vinegar in. If you add it to liquid that is boiling hard, the acidity cooks off and you lose that bright kick. I learned this by making it twice.

How This Compares To The Classic Fricassee

I already made Martha’s classic chicken fricassee and it is a completely different dish. That one takes almost 2 hours, uses cream and egg yolks for a thick liaison sauce, mushrooms and mirepoix, and feels like a French bistro dinner. This one takes 55 minutes, has no cream at all, and finishes with red wine vinegar instead of tarragon and lemon.

• I make the classic in November when I want something rich and heavy. I make this one in April when I want something that feels like spring. Same word, completely different mood.
• The classic is a project. This one is a weeknight dinner. Both are good, but this is the one I reach for more often because it is faster and lighter and I can have it on the table before anyone asks what is for dinner.

If you try only one fricassee, try the classic first because it teaches you the technique. But if you want the version you will actually make on a Tuesday, this is the one.

What Goes Well With This Fricassee

Martha says steamed rice or mashed potatoes and I usually go with rice. The reduced sauce is so concentrated that you want something plain to soak it up. A piece of warm bread on the side is good for the same reason.

A light cucumber salad fits the spring feel of the dish. The cool crunch goes well with the warm, tangy chicken. But most nights the rice and fricassee are enough for me.

How To Store Leftovers

Keep the chicken, vegetables, and sauce together in a covered container for up to 3 days. The fennel gets softer overnight but it still tastes good. The artichoke hearts hold up better than I expected. The reduced sauce thickens in the fridge and turns almost sticky, which is a sign of how concentrated it is. I would not freeze this because the artichokes get mushy when you thaw them.

Reheat on the stove over medium-low heat. Add a splash of stock or water to loosen the sauce. It comes together fast. I eat leftover fricassee over fresh rice and add a little more vinegar because I like it tangy. The fennel fronds do not survive reheating so I skip them the second time around.

FAQs

• Can I use chicken pieces instead of a whole chicken? Yes. Martha cuts a whole chicken into 8 pieces but you can buy a mix of bone-in thighs and drumsticks. You will need about 4 pounds total. The cook time stays the same. I have done it with just thighs and it works great.
• I do not like fennel. Can I skip it? You can, but the fennel is milder here than you might think. The anise flavor softens a lot during braising and turns almost sweet. If you have only had raw fennel and did not like it, this is worth trying. I felt the same way and I changed my mind after this recipe.
• Can I use frozen artichoke hearts instead of canned? You can. Thaw them first and pat them dry so they do not add extra water to the pan. Martha uses canned because they are ready to go and hold their shape well, but frozen work in a pinch.
• Why does the sauce only reduce to 1/3 cup? Because the flavor concentrates as the liquid cooks down. One cup of stock turns into a few tablespoons of sauce that tastes like ten times the chicken flavor. The vinegar at the end adds tang and you only need a little poured over each piece. I thought it would not be enough sauce and it was.

More Chicken Recipes:

• Roast Chicken
• Chicken Paillards
• Chicken Marsala

Nutrition Facts

(1 serving, serves 4)

• Calories: 460
• Total Fat: 24g
• Saturated Fat: 6g
• Cholesterol: 140mg
• Sodium: 650mg
• Total Carbohydrates: 16g
• Protein: 38g