New World Chicken Fricassee

MAKES 6 TO 8 SERVINGS

When the first settlers arrived in what is now New England, they had to learn to live in the wilderness and use it to stay alive. The Native Americans taught the English to gather their foods from the woods, and rahbits may have been the first game they cooked. To make them tender, they stewed them fricassee style, and eventually they came to cook chickens the same way.

SEASONING MIX

1 tablespoon salt
2 teaspoons paprika
1-1/2 teaspoons garlic powder
1 teaspoon onion powder
1 teaspoon black pepper
1 teaspoon white pepper
1 teaspoon dry mustard
1 teaspoon marjoram
1/2 teaspoons dried tarragon leaves
1/4 teaspoon ground allspice
1 (3-1/2- to 4 pound) chicken, cut into 8 pieces, all visible fat removed
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 cup chopped onions
1 cup chopped celery
2 cups sliced carrots, in all
5 small bay leaves
2 cups tiny pearl onions, peeled
3 cups small fresh mushrooms
2 teaspoons minced fresh garlic
1/2 cup all-purpose flour
4 cups chicken stock
2 cups heavy cream

Combine the seasoning mix ingredients thoroughly in a small bowl. Makes 1/4 cup plus 1/4 teaspoon.

Sprinkle 2 tablespoons of the seasoning mix over the chicken and rub it in well with your hands.

Place the oil in a large heavy pot over high heat. When the oil is very hot, add the chicken pieces, skin side down, and cook, turning several times, until the chicken is a deep brown color on all sides, about 12 to 14 minutes. (You may have to cook the chicken in batches.)
Remove the chicken to a bowl. Add the chopped onions, celery, 1/2 cup of the carrots, the bay leaves, and 1 tablespoon of the seasoning mix to the fat in the pot. Scrape the pot bottom, cover, and cook, uncovering the pot and scraping once or twice so the mixture doesn't stick, about 5 to 6 minutes. Stir in the pearl onions, mushrooms, garlic, and 1 teaspoon of the seasoning mix. Add the flour and cook, stirring to keep it from turning brown and sticking to the bottom of the pot, about 1 to 2 minutes. Add the remaining seasoning mix and the remaining 1-1/2 cups carrots, stir in the stock, and bring to a boil. As soon as the mixture begins to bubble, stir in the cream. Add the chicken and any accumulated chicken juices and bring the mixture back to a boil. Cover, reduce the heat to low, and simmer until the chicken is tender, about 25 minutes.
Serve over egg noodles for a feel-good dinner.