Chicken Fricassee with Shoestring Potatoes (Fricassê de Frango)
Creamy Brazilian Chicken Fricassee combines shredded chicken, corn, cream cheese, green olives, mozzarella, and crispy shoestring potatoes in a creamy baked casserole ready in 50 minutes.
Brazilian Fricassê de Frango is a creamy casserole made with shredded chicken. It's different from traditional French fricassee. Melted cheese tops the creamy filling, and shoestring potatoes give it a crisp finish. If you enjoy Brazilian chicken dishes, try my Galinhada or Brazilian Chicken Salad next.
Quick Look: Brazilian Chicken Fricassee
- ⏱️ Prep Time: 30 minutes
- 🔥 Cook Time: 20 minutes
- ⏲️ Total Time: 50 minutes
- 🍽️ Servings: 6
- 🍗 Main Ingredient: Chicken thighs
- 🧀 Texture: Creamy and cheesy with a crispy potato topping
- 👌 Difficulty: Easy
- 🍳 Cooking Method: Stovetop and oven
- 🥘 Key Ingredients: Chicken, corn, cream cheese, green olives, mozzarella, and shoestring potatoes
- Why This Recipe Works: Blending the corn with heavy cream and cream cheese creates a thick, creamy filling. Adding the shoestring potatoes after baking keeps them crisp and prevents them from becoming overbrowned or soggy.
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Jump to:
- Quick Look: Brazilian Chicken Fricassee
- What Is Chicken Fricassee?
- Chef's Notes from Valentina
- Ingredients
- Substitutions And Additions
- How to Make Chicken Fricassee
- Expert Tips for Chicken Fricassee
- FAQ About Homemade Chicken Fricassee
- What to Serve with Chicken Fricassee
- More Brazilian Chicken Recipes
- Chicken Fricassee with Shoestring Potatoes (Fricassê de Frango)
- Storage and Reheating
What Is Chicken Fricassee?
Chicken Fricassee originated as a French dish, but the Brazilian version, known as Fricassê de Frango, has developed into a distinctly different preparation.
Traditional French fricassee uses pieces of chicken cooked in a pale sauce. Brazilian Chicken Fricassee uses shredded chicken with a creamy mixture of corn, heavy cream, and cream cheese. Mozzarella melts over the filling, and batata palha, or thin shoestring potatoes, adds a crispy topping.
My Brazilian Chicken Fricassee recipe differs slightly from the typical Brazilian preparation. I prefer to keep about ½ cup of corn kernels whole rather than blend all the corn into the sauce.
Ingredients
- Chicken thighs – 2.2 pounds. Chicken thighs stay tender after cooking and shred easily for the creamy filling.
- Heavy whipping cream – 1 cup. Its high fat content gives the sauce a rich taste and creamy consistency.
- Whole kernel corn – 1 can, drained. Look for plain canned corn without added seasonings. Its mild sweetness complements the creamy filling.
- Cream cheese – 1 package, softened. Full-fat cream cheese gives the sauce a thicker, smoother consistency and blends more easily when softened.
- Sliced green olives – ½ to ¾ cup. Their salty, slightly tangy taste helps balance the richness of the cream and cheese.
- Salt and ground black pepper – to taste. Adjust both after the olives are added because the olives already contribute saltiness.
- Mozzarella – 2 cups, shredded. Use a good melting mozzarella for a smooth, creamy cheese layer over the casserole.
- Store-bought shoestring potatoes – enough to form a single layer. Choose thin, crisp potato sticks for the crunchy topping associated with Fricassê de Frango.
How to Make Chicken Fricassee
- Preheat the oven: Preheat the oven to 350°F.
- Cook the chicken: Place the chicken thighs in chicken stock or water. Season with salt and ground black pepper. Boil until the chicken is fully cooked. Remove it from the liquid and let it cool enough to handle. Roughly shred the chicken, transfer it to a medium pot, and set aside.
- Make the creamy mixture: Reserve about ½ cup of the drained corn kernels. Place the remaining corn, heavy cream, and softened cream cheese in a blender. Blend until thick, creamy, and smooth. Stop the blender and stir the mixture as needed to help it blend evenly.
- Cook the chicken mixture: Pour the creamy mixture over the shredded chicken. Stir in the reserved corn kernels and sliced green olives, then season with salt and pepper to taste. Cook over medium heat for 2 to 4 minutes, stirring occasionally.
- Bake the casserole: Transfer the chicken mixture to a medium baking dish. Top evenly with the shredded mozzarella. Bake at 350°F for about 20 minutes.
- Add the shoestring potatoes: Remove the casserole from the oven. Top with enough shoestring potatoes to form a single layer. Serve immediately.
FAQ About Homemade Chicken Fricassee
Yes. Use cooked shredded chicken and skip the chicken-cooking step. Add it directly to the creamy mixture and continue with the stovetop and baking steps.
Use requeijão cremoso if available. It gives the filling a smooth, creamy consistency and works well with the corn and chicken.
What to Serve with Chicken Fricassee
- Rice: Serve with Instant Pot Jasmine Rice to round out the meal.
- Salad: Pair with Shirazi Salad or Fall Salad for a lighter side.
- Vegetables: Serve with Roasted Carrots and Parsnips, Instant Pot Brussels Sprouts, or Thomas Keller Zucchini for a lighter side.
Did You Love This Recipe? If you make this recipe and love it, stop back, give it a 5-star rating ★★★★★ and leave a comment.
Chicken Fricassee with Shoestring Potatoes (Fricassê de Frango)
Ingredients
- 2.2 lbs chicken thighs
- 1 cup heavy whipping cream
- 1 can whole corn kernels – drained
- 1 package cream cheese – softened
- ½ to ¾ cup green olives – sliced
- salt and ground black pepper – to taste
- 2 cups mozzarella – shredded
- store-bought shoestring potatoes enough to form a single layer
Instructions
- Preheat the oven: Preheat the oven to 350°F.
- Cook the chicken: Place the chicken thighs in chicken stock or water. Season with salt and ground black pepper. Boil until the chicken is fully cooked. Remove it from the liquid and let it cool enough to handle. Roughly shred the chicken, transfer it to a medium pot, and set aside.
- Make the creamy mixture: Reserve about ½ cup of the drained corn kernels. Place the remaining corn, heavy cream, and softened cream cheese in a blender. Blend until thick, creamy, and smooth. Stop the blender and stir the mixture as needed to help it blend evenly.
- Cook the chicken mixture: Pour the creamy mixture over the shredded chicken. Stir in the reserved corn kernels and sliced green olives, then season with salt and pepper to taste. Cook over medium heat for 2 to 4 minutes, stirring occasionally
- Bake the casserole: Transfer the chicken mixture to a medium baking dish. Top evenly with the shredded mozzarella. Bake at 350°F for about 20 minutes.
- Add the shoestring potatoes: Remove the casserole from the oven. Top with enough shoestring potatoes to form a single layer. Serve immediately.
Recipe Notes
Storage and Reheating
Store: Refrigerate leftover Chicken Fricassee in an airtight container for 3 to 4 days. Keep extra shoestring potatoes separate to help them stay crisp. Freeze: Freeze the creamy chicken mixture without the shoestring potatoes in a freezer-safe container. Thaw it in the refrigerator before reheating. Reheat: Reheat the chicken mixture to 165°F throughout, then add fresh shoestring potatoes before serving to restore the crispy topping.Nutrition
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The creamy chicken was delicious, and those crunchy potatoes on top were so good.
This was simple yet tasty. I removed 1/2 cup of corn from the can, used the remaining in the blender and then added the whole corn to the sauce.
My mozzarella was starting to mold, so I omitted that and I found the dish rich enough without it. I will try the mozzarella next time though.
Yes, I am Brasilian too and I know that recipe as well. It is simply the best one combination!!! Thanks for share it!!!
Oi, Elgita! Que bom ver voce aqui. Obrigada pelo comentario. Sim, Fricasse de frango eh muito bom. Meu marido adora -- se bem que nao posso fazer com frequencia por causa das batatinhas. kkkkk Espero que voce experimente a nossa receita e goste. Um abraco!
great recipes. everything cook with potato is delicious. i will try to cook this food. cooking is not difficult as i think. ? thanks for sharing ?
Yum! Love your photo of the parsley!
This is a dish that would be popular no matter where you live. I agree with you about adding the potatoes at the end so that they would stay crispy.
Mouthwatering recipe dear Denise! Did you cook (like fried) the potatoes before adding them on top? How does that work?
The "Fricassee" we make here are 2 types: pork or lamb. Both are stews with lots of greens (like chopped romaine lettuce, Greek celery -called selino, young onions and dill and served with egg-lemon (avgolemono) sauce. So great to see the Brazilian chicken version!
Pinned A S A P !:):):)
Have an amazing weekend dear!
xoxoxo
Hello, friends! The shoestring potatoes are fried but we use the store-bought ones -- which are crisp and delicious, saving us time. good to know there are many versions of this wonderful French dish. Yours sounds amazing! Take care and thanks for stopping by. xoxo
Give me cream and shoestrings any day! My mothermakes the Jewish version. Her favorite part as a child was the chicken feet!
Love your version, especially how much simpler it is to prepare. Yeah the shoestring potatoes are a winner. You know this cut is very French too, called allumette, which means matchstick.
Just the shoestring potatoes along would be enough to tempt me. But the chicken looks wonderful! And SO flavorful. And I haven't mentioned the sauce, which looks just super. Great dish -- thanks.
i love potato. i think everything cook with potato is so great. i will try to cook this food. cooking Brazilian chicken fricassée is not difficult as i think. 😀 thanks for sharing 😀
A scrumptious comfort dish that one can never have enough of! Your version is superb! I just love the fingerling poatoes.
The creamy sauce is divine! What a scrumptious one dish dinner and perfect for prepping ahead for those busy days we all have!
This is a nice one pot dish!
I simply love this meal! The potatoes are in arguably their most appetizing form!
This looks like a wonderful comfort dish. I bet your girls request this one over and over!