Portuguese Chicken Fricassee ❦ Frango de Fricassé

Serves 6

50 Minutes start to finish

1 Whole chicken (1.500- 1.900 kilograms) Cut into pieces, skin-on, back and wings removed.

You can also use individual part favourites, such as all breasts, thighs or legs. The choice is yours. (leave skin on for flavour while it cooks, it will be removed later and discarded.)

1-1/2 litres of chicken stock, store bought or homemade. Feel free to use 3 chicken stock cubes, and 1-1/2 litres of boiling water.

5 tbsp. Butter, salted or unsalted or buttery spread like Flora. Olive oil doesn't really work in this recipe.

250 ml. White wine

2 Lemons, juice only

2 Onions, diced

6 Garlic cloves, minced

2 Bay leaves

6 Egg yolks, beaten

Handful (30 g.) Fresh Italian flat leaf parsley, chopped to finish

Salt and pepper to taste. Feel free to use white pepper if you prefer not to see the black specks in the finished sauce.

To thicken the sauce:

3 tbsp. Cornflour/cornstarch and 3 tbsp. COLD water

Mixed together to make a slurry.

Do not try to add the cornflour directly to sauce without mixing it with cold water first. You will end up with a clumped mess!

In a large stockpot, melt butter with onions, bay leaves and garlic. Cook on a very low heat just to soften onions. You do not want to add any colour or let butter brown. About 2 minutes. Add chicken, stock and wine.
Cover and cook on a low simmer for 40 minutes.
After 40 minutes, remove chicken with the help of a slotted spoon, into a bowl. Let broth drip back into pan. Set chicken aside until cool enough to handle. Discard bay leaves.
Meanwhile, take a ladle full of the hot broth and while constantly beating eggs, slowly add hot broth to the yolks, so that the egg yolks temper.
Add tempered eggs back into pan of broth along with cornflour slurry mixture. Raise heat to medium, but do not let sauce come to a boil!
Let it cook without boiling for 2-3 minutes. Turn off heat, add lemon juice, pepper and parsley. Check and adjust salt and pepper to taste.
Remove skin from chicken and discard. Add chicken back to sauce. Heat for minute more.
Serve immediately with white rice and french fries. Equally delicious over hot egg noodles.