Chicken Stew
November… yikes! While sitting at my desk wearing a turtleneck sweater and slippers that I switched from my flip-flops a month ago, I look outside my window and most of the leaves 🍂 on the trees are gone, covering the grass.
The clocks 🕗 are also turned back making the days shorter. This is when I start feeling like a bear… it’s time to hibernate! My cave is my kitchen and this is when pots of food simmering on the stove top or casseroles baking in the oven become a daily event!
David and I love stews! They’re hearty, so tasty and definitely comforting 🥰! I think of Texas Cowboy Stew, Coffee Beef Stew, Pork Stew with Meatballs – a Québec favorite! -, Fish Stew, and others including this one… Chicken Stew!
With a rich, savory flavor, this one-pot meal is exactly what everyone needs when the cold weather 🥶 starts to settle in. There are chicken thighs, a gorgeous variety of fresh vegetables along with seasonings that are cooked in a delicious broth! It’s easy to make plus it freezes very well too!
To evenly disperse the meat, I cut the thighs 🐓 into smaller pieces and trim them if needed. That way, there’s always meat in every serving instead of 6 big thighs standing alone. Chicken breasts can be used but thighs are juicier and give more flavor to the stew.
Chicken Stew is a heartwarming dish… there’s nothing fancy about it. When the oil is hot, I simply drop the chicken pieces in the Dutch oven and season generously with salt 🧂, pepper and smoked paprika. If the meat sticks to the bottom, I add more oil, a little at a time to help release them.
Vegetables 🧅🥕🥬 are roughly chopped to about the same size. It’s a stew so let’s not sweat about it, being cute with our knife skills – no julienne or brunoise cuts are required here. The only ingredient that is cut finely is the garlic… yes, I do cut them once in a while!
This is a one-pot dish but at the same, it isn’t. I like to blanch the green beans first for 3 minutes ⏳ and here’s why. It helps to keep their color, flavor and texture by stopping the enzyme actions. It’s also a good jumpstart so they don’t need to cook longer and not overcooking the other ingredients in the stew.
Besides rosemary and thyme, there’s another seasoning that really adds a nice touch to this dish and it’s cayenne pepper. We don’t need a lot… just a little and it will make a big impact in the flavor department 😋. You can skip it but trust me, it really gives personality to the stew.
Without going overboard with it, there’s a ½ cup of heavy cream that goes in at the end. It’s makes it look better but also helps to thicken the broth. After simmering for a couple of minutes, I like to remove the pot from the heat and let it sit for 5 minutes ⏰ before serving.
This homey Chicken Stew is incredibly comforting. This is a nice savory dish for weeknight dinners. Served with crusty bread 🍞, this hearty one-pot meal is so tasty and perfect when it’s cold outside…
Bon Appétit! 🍽
Here are more comfort food recipes for you to try… 😀
– Southwest Beef Casserole
– Turkey Tetrazzini
– Split Pea & Ham Soup
– Lamb Ragù
– Cod au Gratin
– Hamburger Helper Copycat
– Creamy Tuscan Chicken
– Swedish Meatballs
and for even more comfort food recipes 🥘, click on this link… Recipe Category • Comfort Food
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Chicken Stew
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Ingredients
- 2 to 3 tbsp. olive oil tips & tricks
- 1 1/2 lbs. boneless, skinless chicken thighs, trimmed if needed and cut into 1-inch cubes
- ground Himalayan pink salt, to taste
- freshly ground black pepper, to taste
- 1 tbsp. smoked paprika, or as needed
- 2 tbsp. butter
- 2 1/2 cups (about 2 onions) yellow onions, roughly chopped
- 1 1/4 cups (about 2 medium) carrots, roughly chopped
- 1 1/4 cups (about 2 large ribs) celery, roughly chopped tips & tricks
- 1 1/4 cups red peppers, diced
- 4 large cloves garlic, finely chopped
- 1 tbsp. dried rosemary
- 1 tbsp. dried thyme leaves
- 1/4 cup unbleached all-purpose flour
- 4 cups Yukon Gold potatoes, scrubbed and cubed into 1-inch pieces
- 4 cups low-sodium chicken broth
- 2 large bay leaves
- 1/4 tsp. cayenne pepper, or to taste
- 1 cup green beans, cut into pieces and blanched tips & tricks
- 1 cup frozen peas
- 1/2 cup heavy cream
- 2 tbsp. chopped parsley, for garnish tips & tricks
Directions
- In a Dutch oven over medium heat, add oil and when hot, add chicken pieces and generously season with salt, pepper and smoked paprika.
- Toss until no longer pink, about 5 minutes. If the meat sticks at the bottom of the pot, add a little oil.
- Using a slotted spoon, transfer the chicken to a bowl and set aside.
- Add butter and when melted, add onions, carrot and celery; cook for 7 minutes.
- Add red peppers and sauté for 2 minutes.
- Add garlic, rosemary and thyme; sauté for 30 seconds. Add flour, stir to coat and cook for 2 minutes, stirring constantly.
- Add potatoes, broth and return chicken pieces including any accumulated juices. Stir well, add bay leaves, increase the heat to high and bring to a boil.
- When it gets there, cover and reduce heat back to medium. Simmer for 15 minutes, stirring occasionally.
- The last 5 minutes, remove the lid and add cayenne pepper. Stir and cook for the remaining time, uncovered.
- Add blanched green beans and frozen peas. Bring the mixture back to a simmer and cook for 8 minutes, uncovered.
- Stir in heavy cream and when it starts simmering again, set the timer for 2 minutes.
- When time is up, taste and adjust seasonings if needed. Serve in warm bowls and sprinkle on chopped parsley.
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