Fricassed chicken with onions

This is another recipe from Marcella's Italian Kitchen, the book that Marcella appears to be most fond of, but which slipped through to the keeper from the public's perspective. You don't hear of it much, relatively speaking.

I find it to be perhaps the most personal of her books. While her first two books defer to the classics, you get the sense she is letting her hair down here, playing in the kitchen. She also seems content, and refers happily to her son and his antics.

I have eyed this recipe off for a while. I bought the ingredients for it several times, but deferred the execution as it takes a couple of hours to come together. The technique certainly results in some tasty onion - you could do a lot with that, the onion. I think I prefer it to the onion Marcella makes for her onion pasta from Essentials. Just put the onions in the pan with some olive oil, wait an hour and then season and lightly brown it. Perhaps put some parsley with it and what a delicious pasta sauce. Or fritatta base. It could be used anywhere really.


But in this case it is used to fricassee a chicken - my preferred way to cook a chicken, although my standout favourites are to use garlic, rosemary and white wine (possibly with cherry tomatoes and olives) or red cabbage (with mash). How many ways do you need I wonder?

I felt a bit like Colonel Sanders browning the chicken in flour. It was really a form of frying with all the vegetable oil.

But in it went. I was concerned that there wasn't enough liquid, although some seemed to appear from the chicken over time. The onions also stuck to the bottom of the pan a couple of times, perhaps because they were so sweet I don't know, but that was something to watch for.

The end result was sweet. Really really sweet. Of course, my dining companion was in heaven, as she loves all sweet things. I must admit I gave it a good bash, although I have less of a sweet tooth. It is quite incredible to think all that sweetness comes from the onions. If you did not cook, who would think that onions could be so sweet?

I do not think I will make this one again, although I may be encouraged to.