Chicken Fricassee With Dumplings, A Rustic Cajun Chicken Stew

ByLouisiana Woman
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This chicken fricassee with its fancy name and rustic look has simple ingredients to satisfy any comfort food craving. Like most classic Cajun dishes, a fricassee (pronounced free-kah-say) begins with, you guessed it, a roux. The roux gives a rich, thick gravy to the slow-cooked chicken and adds flavor to the dumplings.

A plate of chicken fricassee with rice, gravy, chicken, dumplings, and salad.

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For another hearty stew with Cajun flavors, try this Chicken Sauce Piquant Recipe, A Smothered Cajun Stew with its rich, rusty red gravy over white rice. 

Another great recipe from Cajun cuisine is this Easy Southern Louisiana Blackberry Dumplings Recipe, but it's on the sweet side. The warm, soft dumplings are cooked in a sweet blackberry sauce that brings back memories of traditional blackberry picking during early southern Louisiana summers.

I sometimes like to imagine how these classic dishes from Cajun country originated. Perhaps this stew began as a pot of chicken gumbo, but something happened that caused it to be left unattended. Maybe the cow escaped from the barnyard and wandered into the garden, where it was eating all the mirlitons. Then, after the cow was put back in the pasture, the gumbo pot was discovered as a thick stew with most of the jumbo juice reduced. And maybe the oven didn't have time to get hot, so they decided to drop the biscuit dough into the gravy to cook them in time for supper. Voila! Chicken Fricassee and Dumplings! It could have happened!

Another Chicken Dumpling

Now, this is not the typical southern chicken and dumplings most people are familiar with. Before I moved to Mississippi, I was unaware of this other dumpling dish. I was a bit surprised and confused the first time I was served my husband's grandmother's famous version of it. The meat was off the bone, and the dumplings were long and flat in a chicken broth, or gravy, that was missing a roux. It was different for me, but after the first bite, I realized there is room in the world for another way to cook chicken with dumplings.

Ingredients for the Cajun Chicken Fricasse

A bowl of chicken and onions on a cutting board.

Stew

These stew ingredients, commonly found in most kitchens, come together easily to make the perfect Cajun food.  

  • whole chicken pieces - or chicken thighs make a flavorful Cajun chicken stew
  • sea salt - to season the chicken
  • garlic granules - to season the chicken
  • cayenne pepper - a favorite Cajun spice to season the chicken
  • vegetable oil - or olive oil to brown the chicken, and the flour for the roux
  • all-purpose flour - the thickener in the roux
  • onion - the first ingredient in the Cajun trinity that distinctly flavors Louisiana cuisine
  • celery - the second flavor ingredient in the Cajun trinity.
  • green bell pepper - the third flavor ingredient of the Cajun trinity, which adds a special flavor to the dish 
  • garlic pods - fresh garlic adds taste to the stew
  • water - for the gravy
  • chopped parsley and green onions - this is an optional ingredient for the preference of added color and taste

Dumplings

The dumplings (however they came about) are my favorite participants in this stew. They are like icing on a cake, but I'm not the only one who favors these golden nuggets. There never seems to be enough in the pot. So many times, when I return for seconds, I find only fragments of the dumplings left, swimming in the gravy. Disappointing at first, but the second helping of rice and gravy is always a good consolation.

  • all-purpose flour
  • baking powder
  • salt 
  • black pepper to taste
  • egg
  • milk

The specific amounts for ingredients and nutritional information are in the recipe card below.


Instructions for the Cajun Chicken Fricassee And Dumplings

I mentioned earlier that this fricassee begins with a roux, but the actual first step is to rinse and pat chicken dry, then season it. 

You can use your favorite Cajun seasoning blend if you prefer.  

A pan with chicken in it and a pair of tongs to turn it.
  1. Season chicken with salt, cayenne pepper, and garlic granules.
  2. Pour a few tablespoons of oil into a Dutch oven or a large, heavy pot, and brown the chicken on all sides. Remove the brown chicken to a bowl to set aside.
A person stirring a pot of flour and oil with a spoon.
  1. Add ⅓ cup of flour to the hot oil in the pot. Stir until the roux mixture reaches a dark caramel color.
A pot with roux and the Cajun trinity of chopped vegetables and a spoon in it for chicken fricassee.
  1. Add the onions, celery, green pepper, and garlic, cooking until they are soft, about 4-5 minutes.
  2. Add water and stir, bring the mixture to a boil. Return the chicken to the pot and cook on moderately low heat for about 1 hour.
A person stirring dumplings in a pot of chicken fricassee on a stove.
  1. To make the dumpling batter, add all the ingredients to a bowl and stir until well combined. The dough will be thick and sticky.
  2. Remove the chicken from the pot when it is tender and place it in the bowl.
  3. Drop the dumpling batter into the gravy, about one teaspoon at a time, and cook for 3 minutes on each side.
A person stirring up some chicken fricassee with dumplings in a pot.
  1. Return the meat to the gravy.
A large pot filled with chicken and dumplings and a dark gravy on a stove.
  1. Add some chopped parsley and green onion to taste (optional), and gently stir together.
A plate with rice, gravy, chicken, dumplings, and salad.

Serve the Cajun chicken fricasse over white or brown rice, accompanied by a salad, and you have a complete meal.

HINT: Gently stir the fricasse together so the dumplings don't fall apart.

Top Tip

Be sure to give the roux a constant stir, keeping your eye on it so it doesn't burn. If it does, you can easily start over. Making a roux may take some practice at first. A roux usually takes about 10 minutes of cooking time.

FAQ

How do you make a Cajun chicken stew?

First, you make a roux for a Cajun chicken stew. Then, you cook the Cajun trinity in the roux and add chicken with water. Cook the stew until the meat is tender and the sauce has thickened. 

How long does a Cajun stew take to make?

A chicken usually takes about an hour to cook until tender in a stew. An older or larger chicken may take longer. Give yourself about 20 to 30 minutes for prep work before cooking.

What is a good side dish for a Cajun dinner?

You can't go wrong serving a salad and a loaf of French bread with any Cajun dinner.

Looking for more recipes like this Chicken Fricassee with Dumplings? Try these:

Pairing

These recipes pair well with the Cajun chicken and dumplings.

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A plate with rice, gravy, chicken, dumplings, and salad.

Chicken Fricassee With Dumplings, A Rustic Cajun Stew

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Print Recipe

A rustic chicken fricassee, or chicken stew, with tender dumplings in a rich gravy served over rice is an authentic Cajun dish that satisfies any comfort food craving.

  • Total Time: 1 hour 30 minutes
  • Yield: 8 - 1 ¼ cups servings 1x

Ingredients

Units Scale

STEW

  • 1 large chicken, cut up (5 pounds)
  • 3 teaspoons salt
  • 1 teaspoon garlic granules
  • ¼ to ½ teaspoon cayenne pepper
  • 3 tablespoons vegetable oil
  • ⅓ cup vegetable oil
  • ⅓ cup all-purpose flour
  • 1 cup onion, chopped
  • ½ cup celery, chopped
  • ½ cup bell pepper, chopped
  • 2 garlic pods, pressed
  • 5 cups water
  • chopped parsley and green onions to taste, optional

DUMPLINGS

  • 1 cup flour
  • ½ teaspoon baking powder
  • ½ teaspoon salt
  • black pepper to taste
  • 1 egg
  • ⅓ cup milk

Instructions

  1. Season chicken with salt, cayenne pepper, and garlic granules.

  2. Pour a few tablespoons of oil into a Dutch oven or a large, heavy pot, and brown the chicken on all sides.

  3. Remove the brown chicken to a bowl to set aside, and add ⅓ cup of flour to the hot oil in the pot.
  4. Stir until the roux mixture reaches a dark caramel color, then add the onions, celery, green pepper, and garlic, cooking until they are soft, about 5 minutes.
  5. Add water and stir, bring the mixture to a boil. Return the chicken to the pot and cook on moderately low heat for about 1 hour.,
  6. Make the dumpling batter by adding all the ingredients to a bowl and stirring until well combined; the dough will be thick and sticky.
  7. Remove the chicken from the pot when it is tender and place it in the bowl.
  8. Drop the dumpling batter into the gravy, about one teaspoon at a time, and cook for 3 minutes on each side.
  9. Return the meat to the gravy and add some chopped parsley and green onion to taste (optional).
  10. Stir the Cajun chicken fricasse and serve over white or brown rice.

Notes

  • You can use your favorite Cajun seasoning blend if you prefer. 
  • Author: Louisiana Woman
  • Prep Time: 20 minutes
  • Cook Time: 1 hour 10 minutes
  • Category: Main Dish
  • Method: Simmer
  • Cuisine: Cajun

Nutrition

  • Serving Size: 1-¼ cup

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A plate of chicken fricassee with rice, gravy, chicken, dumplings, and salad.

Just another one of those classic dishes I grew up eating that says, "Welcome home, have some comfort!"

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