Chicken Vegetable Winter Stew
Today was our first snowstorm in New York City. They have been predicting this storm all week, and finally it's here. By the time the storm is over, we should have 20- 30 inches. Not my favorite weather. I'd rather be on a tropical beach, but another time. It is freezing, with 60-mile-per-hour winds and travel bans, so there is nowhere to go. It's a perfect day to wear your comfy clothes, put on a good movie or movies, read a book, and make a warm and comforting chicken vegetable stew.This is rather quick to prepare, makes the house smell inviting, and tastes delicious! Plus, it's a great way to get your veggies and protein into your meal. If you happen to have any leftovers, even better the following day. That is the great benefit of a stew: once you allow it to sit, all of the flavors just get enhanced. Serve this wonderful, hearty stew with some good bread and a nice glass of white wine (or 2). For this recipe, I used organic chicken thighs with skin, but if you do not like dark meat, you may substitute with organic chicken breast with the rib bone and skin. No cooking time adjustments needed. You can also omit purchasing the chicken with skin if you prefer. The skin just adds extra flavor, which you discard after cooking. But that is the great thing about cooking: you can make so many different adjustments. Either way, I assure you you will have a wonderful meal to eat and share. And as always, Enjoy!
Equipment
- 5 1/2-quart saucepan
- Tongs
- Cutting Board
- Chefs Knife
- Soup ladle
Ingredients
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 2 stalks celery cut into 1 inch pieces
- 1 carrot cut into 1-inch pieces
- 1 zucchini cut into 1-inch pieces
- 1 small onion chopped
- 1 clove garlic minced
- 2 cups butternut squash peeled, cut into bite size pieces
- to taste Salt
- to taste freshly ground pepper
- 2 cups low salt chicken stock
- 14 ounces diced tomatoes with their liquid
- 1 tablespoon tomato paste
- 1 leaf bay leaf
- 1 teaspoon dried thyme leaves
- 1 ½ pounds chicken thighs with skin
- 1 red potato cleaned, not peeled, cut into bite size pieces
- Crusty bread for serving with stew
Instructions
- Heat the oil in a heavy 5 1/2-quart saucepan over medium heat.
- Add the prepped celery, carrot, zucchini, onion, garlic, and butternut squash. Sauté the vegetables until the onions are translucent, about 6 minutes.
- Season with salt and pepper. Stir in the tomatoes with their juices, chicken broth, tomato paste, bay leaf, and thyme. Stir to dissolve the tomato paste in the liquid.
- Add the chicken thighs; pressing them in to submerge.
- Bring to a simmer. Reduce the heat to low and simmer gently uncovered until the chicken is almost cooked through, turning the chicken breasts over and stirring the mixture occasionally, about 25 minutes.
- Using tongs, carefully transfer the chicken thighs to a cutting board and remove the skin.
- Using a knife and fork, shred the meat right off the bone and cut into bite-sized pieces. Discard the bay leaf. Add the chicken meat back into the stew.
- Add the red potatoes to the pot and simmer until the liquid has reduced into a stew consistency and the potatoes have cooked, about 10 minutes.
- Season with salt and pepper, to taste. Ladle and serve in a soup bowl with some bread on the side.
Notes
You may substitute chicken breasts for the thighs and cook the same way.
Nutrition
Calories: 361kcalCarbohydrates: 20gProtein: 38gFat: 15gSaturated Fat: 3gPolyunsaturated Fat: 3gMonounsaturated Fat: 8gTrans Fat: 0.03gCholesterol: 162mgSodium: 263mgPotassium: 1250mgFiber: 4gSugar: 8gVitamin A: 10396IUVitamin C: 37mgCalcium: 112mgIron: 4mg
Tried this recipe?Let us know how it was!