Comforting French Chicken Recipes

Written by
Rebecca Franklin
Rebecca Franklin is a freelance lifestyle writer and recipe developer. Her expertise is in French cuisine, which she writes about and teaches.
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Rebecca Franklin
Updated 09/17/20

Tuck into these comforting chicken dishes the next time you're craving a hearty main course. These recipes are reminiscent of grand-mere cuisine, the family-style, grandmother cooking that is so popular in home kitchens throughout France.

  • 01 of 07

    Chicken and Sausage Cassoulet Recipe

    Discard bouquet garni

    ​The Spruce Eats / Nita West 

    This chicken and sausage cassoulet recipe is a modern update on the classic white bean cassoulet from Toulouse. This version evokes particularly complex and developed flavors by cooking certain ingredients separately, and then together. The result is an irresistible, hearty stew.

  • 02 of 07

    Chicken Francaise Recipe

    Simple chicken francaise recipe

    ​The Spruce Eats / Teena Agnel

    This chicken Francaise recipe is the one famously served in French restaurants. It showcases a thick, buttery, lemony sauce with just a hint of something that no one can quite figure out. Leave the secret ingredients to the chefs and make this deliciously rich, nearly addictive, and always impressive at home in your own kitchen.

  • 03 of 07

    Chicken in Cream Sauce Recipe

    Chicken in Cream Sauce
    Laurel Fan

    This chicken in cream sauce recipe, famously known as volaille a la crème in the Bresse region, is delicious in its simplicity. Brown high-quality chicken in butter and then simmer it in a cream sauce. That’s all there is to it!

  • 04 of 07

    Chicken a la Maryland Recipe

    Chicken Maryland. Neil Conway

    Chicken a la Maryland is none other than famous fried chicken. This chicken Maryland recipe is a loosely adapted take on Escoffier's version in Ma Cuisine, in which he dredges the chicken in flour, eggs, and breadcrumbs, and then fries it in butter. Escoffier's version, and countless others, include some form of banana garnish, because bananas were one of Baltimore's prime imports around the time this dish became popularized.

    Continue to 5 of 7 below.
  • 05 of 07

    Chicken Cordon Bleu Recipe

    Chicken Cordon Bleu. Flickr user TheCulinaryGeek - Creative Commons

    This chicken cordon bleu recipe produces flavorful, tender chicken roulades filled with prosciutto ham and melted Gruyere cheese. It's quite possibly the most famous "French" chicken recipe in the world when, in fact, it is not historically connected to France. Chicken cordon bleu was an American creation during the roulade culinary trend of the mid-20th century, and only its name, which means "blue ribbon," can be traced to France.

  • 06 of 07

    Garlic Herb Roasted Chicken

    Garlic Herb Roasted Chicken. Laurel Fan

    This delectable lemon and herb roasted chicken recipe is a deceptively quick and easy way to make a healthy dinner. The herbs and vegetables can be adjusted according to personal taste, so it works as the ultimate family meal. Add a crisp, green salad to complete the wholesome menu.

  • 07 of 07

    Coq au Vin

    Coq au Vin. ©Rebecca Franklin, Licensed to About.com

    Coq au vin, or rooster in wine, was created as a delicious way to tenderize a tough, old bird in poor households. Chicken stewed in wine is a wonderful, hearty meal that needs no more than a baguette and good wine to be complete.