My Favorite Chicken Stew
By Emma Collins
This chicken stew is a comforting and colorful dish perfect for winter. The soft, tender chicken is cooked slowly, allowing the flavors from the tomatoes, thyme, bay leaves, mushrooms, and potatoes to meld beautifully. Ideal for cozy meals, this stew pairs well with a piece of bread for soaking up the delicious broth. A patient approach in the kitchen rewards you with a hearty dish that can be enjoyed throughout the week.
Ingredients
- •3 litres water (at room temperature)
- •1 bayleaf bay leaf
- •200 g celery (chopped)
- •200 g brown onion (chopped)
- •200 g carrots (chopped)
- •200 g chicken wings
- •1 litre chicken stock (from above)
- •1.6 kg chicken thighs and legs (without skin and excess fat)
- •200 g brown onion (finely chopped)
- •2 cloves garlic (grated, minced or passed through a press)
- •2 tbsp tomato paste
- •1.5 tsp paprika
- •2 bayleaves bay leaves
- •6 sprigs thyme (leaves only)
- •200 g mushrooms (cut in 4)
- •600 g tomatoes (cut in 4 and deseeded)
- •250 g carrots (peeled and in slices)
- •600 g new potatoes (washed and cut in squares)
- •150 g peas (frozen or fresh)
- •200 ml red wine (not from a box)
Instructions
- 1
Put everything for the chicken stock in a pot and let the temperature go up.
- 2
Once it starts boiling, lower the heat so you only see a few bubbles coming up.
- 3
Let boil for 2 hours.
- 4
Try to remove as much fat as you can from the stock using a spoon.
- 5
Blend the tomatoes with a bit of the stock and reserve.
- 6
In a pot on high heat, put a bit of olive oil to sear the chicken until it’s golden.
- 7
Don’t fill up the pan; only put enough chicken pieces to fill the base.
- 8
Lay them on one side and give them 1 or 2 minutes to become golden without moving.
- 9
Once the first batch is ready, take it out and continue with the rest.
- 10
Lower the heat to medium-low and add more olive oil, onion, bay leaf, and thyme.
- 11
Use the water released by the onions to scrape the burnt bits in the pan.
- 12
Cook the onion until soft and translucent.
- 13
Add garlic, tomato paste, and paprika, and cook for another minute.
- 14
Add the blended tomato, the rest of the chicken stock, chicken, mushrooms, and red wine.
- 15
Bring everything to a boil and regulate the heat so that only a few bubbles appear.
- 16
Cook with a lid on for half an hour.
- 17
After 30 minutes, take off the lid and add the potatoes and carrots.
- 18
Cook without the lid for another half an hour or until the liquid thickens.
- 19
Be careful when stirring to keep the chicken pieces intact.
- 20
At the very end, add the peas and cook for barely 2 minutes.
- 21
Serve immediately on its own or with a side of rice, quinoa, or couscous.
