Chicken Stew

"August Potluck", our theme for this week at I Heart Cooking Clubs (IHCC). Everyone loves a potluck, we get to choose tons of recipes from our previous featured chefs at IHCC. So for this month's potluck, I've cooked a Chicken Stew dish, recipe from Giada de Laurentiis.

There are a few changes I've made, just little changes. Firstly, I have used half a chicken (minus the wings), instead of two chicken breasts with ribs. I do not have anymore homemade chicken stock, so have used water with 2 teaspoons chicken stock powder. Replaced the canned kidney beans with potatoes, as we love potatoes in stews. I omitted the basil leaves as well, even though I love basil leaves, but I'm not sure about using all 1/2 cup of it in Chicken Stew. I'm happy with just the bay leaf and the dried thyme leaves as listed in the recipe. One other thing is, I've replaced the tomato paste with 3 tablespoons tomato ketchup, since I do not have any tomato paste at hand.

No wonder there are so many good reviews about this dish at foodnetwork. This is one delicious stew!

We ate this for our dinner on Sunday, with store-bought crusty bread. Such a simple meal, yet so satisfying

My notes : The bay leaf and the dried thyme leaves gave a wonderful aroma to the stew, and I'm glad that I did not include the basil leaves. The next time, I would probably use the kidney beans as stated in the recipe, but will include the potatoes as well, like I did here, as potatoes are so delicious in stews, they soaked up the surrounding flavours really well. The veggies are tender-soft without being mushy. I cut the cooked chicken meat into bite-sized chunky pieces, discarding the bones, and the meat is tender and so tasty from the simmering with the herbs and veggies. I can see this stew appearing in my kitchen anytime in the near future! Delicious! 

Chicken Stew
(adapted from foodnetwork.com)
2 tablespoons olive oil
2 stalks celery, cut into bite-size pieces
1 carrot, peeled, cut into bite-size pieces
1 small onion, chopped
3 medium potatoes, peeled and cut into bite-size pieces (my addition)
salt and freshly ground black pepper
1 (14-1/2ounce) can chopped tomatoes
1 (14-ounce) can low-salt chicken broth
1/2 cup fresh basil leaves, torn into pieces
1 tablespoon tomato paste
1 bay leaf
1/2 teaspoon dried thyme leaves
2 chicken breast with ribs (about 1-1/2 pounds total)
1 (15-ounce) can organic kidney beans, drained (rinsed if not organic)
serving suggestion : crusty bread

Heat the oil in a heavy 5-1/2 quart saucepan over medium heat. Add the celery, carrot and onion. Saute the vegetables until the onion is translucent, about 5 minutes. Season with salt and pepper, to taste. Stir in the tomatoes with their juices, chicken broth, basil, tomato paste, bay leaf, and thyme. Add the chicken breasts; press to submerge.

Bring the cooking liquid to a simmer.  (Add the chopped potatoes). Reduce the heat, to medium-low and simmer gently uncovered (I put the lid on) until the chicken is almost cooked through, turning the chicken breasts over and stirring the mixture occasionally, about 25 minutes. Using tongs, transfer the chicken breasts to a work surface and cool for 5 minutes. Discard the bay leaf. Add the kidney beans to the pot and simmer until the liquid has reduced into a stew  consistency, about 10 minutes.

Discard the skin and bones from the chicken breasts. Shred or cut the chicken into bite-size pieces. Return the chicken meat to the stew. Bring the stew just to a simmer. Season with salt and pepper, to taste.

Ladle the stew into serving bowls and serve with the bread.

I'm linking this post to :

I Heart Cooking Clubs (IHCC), for August Potluck.

Souper Sundays @ Kahakai Kitchen