Jewish Chicken Fricassee with Meatballs
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My grandma’s Chicken Fricassee with Meatballs is a family favorite recipe. Browned chicken braised with meatballs and carrot and onion sauce.
My grandma was an incredible cook and we all loved her recipes. We all had a favorite and this Chicken Fricassee was my mom’s absolute favorite. We also call it potted chicken and meatballs.
Now I make this recipe for my family and it’s toddler and kiddo approved!
Recipe ingredients and notes
- Carrots – We use regular carrots, not baby carrots.
- Onions – Yellow onions, not sweet. This is a big part of the flavor.
- Chicken Pieces – You can use whatever pieces of chicken you like. My family usually goes for thighs so I use chicken thighs, but grandma would cut up a whole chicken and use all the pieces.
- Ground Beef – If you don’t eat ground beef you could also use ground chicken.
- Matzo Meal – We use matzo meal as the binder for our meatballs.
- Eggs – We add eggs to add more fat and richness to the meatballs.
- Seltzer – This is to help add air and moisture to our meatballs.
- Spices – You’ll need onion powder, garlic powder, paprika, salt, and pepper.
Step-by-step instructions
For the full ingredient amount and full instructions on how to make Jewish Chicken Fricassee see the recipe card below.
First prep the meatballs. Combine the ground beef with matzo meal, seltzer, eggs, and seasonings. Mix until combined and then use a cookie scoop to make uniform-sized meatballs. Place the meatballs onto a parchment-lined baking sheet and bake at 350 degrees F for about 30 minutes.
Meanwhile, wash and peel the carrots and cut them into bite size chunks. Wash the onion and rough chop. Add both the carrots and onions to a saucepan and then cover paprika, onion powder, and water. Cook until the carrots and onions are soft and then puree the mixture.
While the carrots and onions are cooking place a cast-iron skillet on medium heat and add in some avocado oil. Add the chicken to the pan and season with the seasonings. Brown the chicken on both sides. Once both sides are browned add in the carrot and onion puree and continue to cook. When the chicken is done cooking you can add in the meatballs and cook for another 5-10 minutes.
Check the temperature of the chicken and the meatballs. The chicken should be 165 degrees F and we do the same temperature for the meatballs since they’re with the chicken.
Recipe tips and variations
- Use whatever cuts of chicken you like, you can use a whole cut up chicken, chicken breasts, chicken thighs, or just chicken drumsticks.
- Want more veggies? Add more chopped carrots and onions or even add in some potatoes and tomatoes.
- We love making extra sauce as it’s delicious on pasta or over white rice.
- Don’t want to make homemade meatballs? Skip the step and use precooked.
- Don’t have matzo meal? You can also use bread crumbs.
Storage and reheating tips
- Refrigerate: Store any leftovers in an air-tight container in the refrigerator and enjoy within 3 days.
- Freeze: To freeze place it in an airtight freezer safe container and freeze for 3-4 months.
- Reheat: To reheat you can use the microwave or a saucepan and heat it up.
How to serve
We like to serve Jewish Chicken Fricassee with white rice or wide egg noodles and spoon the sauce over it all.
Frequently asked questions
Yes! We have also added tomatoes whenever we needed to use them up. You can also add potatoes as they go well with the dish.
Absolutely! We recommend cooking them a bit on their own before adding to the dish.
If you added too much water to the carrots and onions you can remove a little water before pureeing the mixture if needed.
Matzo meal is ground up matzo. You can purchase it already made or make your own matzo meal using whole sheets of matzo.
Chicken Fricassee with Meatballs
Ingredients
Meatballs
- 3 lbs ground beef
- 1 cup matzo meal
- 1/2 cup seltzer
- 3 large eggs
- 2 teaspoons granulated onion
- 2 teaspoons kosher salt
- 1 teaspoon granulated garlic
- 1/2 teaspoon black pepper
Carrot and Onion Sauce
- 3-5 carrots
- 3 medium yellow onions
- 3-4 cups water
- 2 teaspoons paprika
- 2 teaspoons granulated onion
Chicken
- 6 chicken thighs or 1 whole chicken cut into pieces
- 1 tablespoon avocado oil
- 1/2 teaspoon onion powder
- 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1/2 teaspoon paprika
- 1/2 teaspoon parsley
- salt and pepper to taste
Instructions
Meatballs
- Combine the ground beef with matzo meal, seltzer, eggs, and seasonings. Mix until combined and then use a small cookie scoop to make uniform-sized meatballs.
- Roll the meatballs with your hands to make them smooth and then place the meatballs onto a parchment-lined baking sheet and bake at 350 degrees F for about 25-30 minutes.
Carrot and Onion Sauce
- Wash and peel the carrots and cut them into bite size chunks. Wash the onion and rough chop it as well. Add both the carrots and onions to a saucepan and then cover with the water. Sprinkle with paprika and onion powder.
- Cook on medium-high heat until the carrots and onions are soft and then puree the mixture.
Chicken
- In a deep pan or a cast-iron skillet add the avocado oil and place it on medium high heat. Add the chicken to the pan and season with the seasonings.
- Brown the chicken on both sides. Once both sides are browned add in the carrot and onion puree. Reduce to medium heat and finish cooking the chicken.
- When the chicken is just about done add the meatballs and cook for another 5-10 minutes on medium low-heat.
- Check the temperature of the chicken and the meatballs. The chicken should be 165 degrees F and we do the same temperature for the meatballs since they're with the chicken.
- Serve with rice or pasta.
Video
Nutrition
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Hey Courtney, Thank you for sharing this fantastic recipe, I can’t wait to try it! Just a quick question regarding the carrot and onion sauce; could you substitute vegetable broth for the water? Thanks again. Bon appétit.
Absolutely! I would limit the salt and season to taste is all 🙂