Chicken Fricassee 4 chicken thighs 4 chicken drumsticks 2 chicken breast halves Salt and black pepper to season chicken ½ to ¾ cup olive oil ½ cup all-purpose flour 3 cups chopped onions 5 cloves garlic, finely minced ¾ cup chopped celery, also include celery leaves if possible 4 to 5 cups water 1 teaspoon dried thyme leaves, crumbled 1/8 teaspoon red pepper 1 teaspoon salt ½ cup red wine 1½ bunches of green onions, chopped, including tops, reserve 1 tablespoon chopped green onion tops for garnish ½ cup plus 2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley, divided Cooked brown or white rice for 6 Liberally salt and pepper chicken pieces. Heat olive oil on medium-high in a large Dutch oven-type pot or two heavy skillets if you don’t have one big enough pot. It’s important when browning the chicken not to crowd the chicken pieces. You have to have plenty of room for the chicken to sear and brown on all sides and not steam cook in this step. Go for a dark golden brown crust on the skin. Remove the browned chicken from the hot oil and add in the flour and stir to make a medium-brown roux. Next, stir the onions (not the green ones), garlic and celery into the roux and cook until everything is softened and caramelized with a nice covering of roux. Return chicken to the pot with the roux and vegetables and pour in 4 to 5 cups water. Add seasonings, the thyme, red pepper and salt. Stir everything until the gravy is starting to thicken. Reduce heat to low and stir in red wine. Simmer, covered, for about 2½ hours. Check occasionally to make sure the gravy is developing. Add more liquid if needed, but it shouldn’t be necessary. Stir in almost all the chopped green onions and ½ cup of the chopped parsley and simmer covered for an additional 30 minutes. Check for seasoning. Serve over cooked rice. Garnish each serving with a sprinkle of chopped green onion and chopped parsley.