Acadian
Chicken Fricot
The Soul of the Acadian Kitchen
Dr. Don J. Landry — The Cuisine of Acadia via acadian.orgThe Fricot is the soul of the Acadian kitchen — a rich, slowly simmered stew made with a whole stewing hen, thickened with a flour roux, and served with plump dumplings called grand-pères. The dish Acadian grandmothers made on Sundays.
Ingredients
For the Fricot
- ¼ pound diced salt pork (or 3 tablespoons butter or oil)
- 1 stewing hen (3 to 5 lbs), cut into serving pieces
- 2 cups diced onions
- ¼ cup white flour
- 2 quarts boiling water
- Salt and pepper, to taste
- 5 cups diced potatoes
- 3 to 4 carrots, sliced (optional)
For the Grand-Pères (Dumplings)
- 1 cup white flour
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 1 tablespoon baking powder
- ½ cup cold water
Instructions
- In a large, heavy pot, sauté the diced salt pork over medium heat until lightly rendered. If using butter or oil, heat until shimmering.
- Add the chicken pieces and brown lightly on all sides. Remove the browned chicken and set aside.
- Pour off all but approximately 3 tablespoons of the fat remaining in the pot.
- Add the diced onions and sauté until wilted and slightly golden. Do not allow the onions to burn.
- Sprinkle the flour over the onions and stir, cooking for about 1 minute to eliminate the raw flour taste.
- Return the chicken to the pot and pour in the boiling water. Season generously with salt and pepper.
- Bring to a simmer, then reduce heat and cook gently until the chicken is tender — approximately 1 hour to 1½ hours for a stewing hen.
- Add the diced potatoes and sliced carrots. Cook for a further 15 to 20 minutes, until the vegetables are tender.
- For the grand-pères: combine flour, salt, and baking powder. Add the cold water and mix lightly just until blended — do not overwork the dough.
- Drop the batter by the tablespoonful onto the surface of the simmering fricot. Cover the pot tightly and steam the dumplings for 7 minutes. Do not lift the lid during steaming.
- Serve immediately, with dumplings nestled in the broth.
✦ Kitchen Notes
- A stewing hen (3 to 5 lbs, an older bird) gives a far richer broth than a standard broiler. If you can source one from a local farm, your fricot will reward you with depth of flavour a younger bird cannot provide.
- Grand-Pères are non-negotiable. Once you place them on the fricot, put the lid on and leave it. Lifting the lid releases the steam and the dumplings will not rise properly.
- Fricot travels beautifully — this dish reheats the next day as the flavours deepen overnight.
- Variations across Acadia: while chicken is most common, traditional fricot was made with rabbit, pork, or even clams (fricot aux coques) in coastal communities.