Flashback Friday- Chicken Stew

Chicken Stew is a nice comfort meal served with fresh crusty bread. I first posted this recipe in July of 2008. You can find the original post here.

Ingredients:

• 2 Tablespoons olive oil
• 2 stalks celery, cut into bite size pieces
• 1 carrot peeled, cut into bite size pieces
• 1 small onion, chopped
• Salt and freshly ground black pepper
• 1 (14-1/2 oz) can chopped tomatoes
• 2 cups low-salt chicken broth
• 1/2 cup fresh basil leaves or 1 teaspoon dried basil
• 1 Tablespoon tomato paste
• 1 bay leaf
• 1/2 teaspoon dried thyme leaves
• 2 chicken breasts with ribs (about 1-1/2 pounds total)
• 1 (15 oz.) can of kidney beans, drained and rinsed

Method:

1. Heat the oil in a heavy 5-1/2 quart saucepan over medium heat. 
2. Add the celery, carrot, and onion. 
3. Saute the vegetables until the onion is translucent, about 5 minutes. 
4. Season with salt and pepper, to taste. 
5. Stir in the tomatoes with their juices, chicken broth, basil, tomato paste, bay leaf, thyme. 
6. Add the chicken breasts; press to submerge.
7. Bring the cooking liquid to simmer. 
8. Reduce the heat to medium-low and simmer gently uncovered until the chicken is almost cooked through, turning the chicken breasts over, stirring the mixture occasionally, about 25 minutes.
9. Using tongs, transfer the chicken breasts to a work surface and cool for 5 minutes. 
10. Discard the bay leaf. 
11. Add the kidney beans to the pot and simmer until the liquid has reduced into stew consistency, about 10 minutes.
12. Discard the skin and bones from the chicken. 
13. Shred or cut the chicken into bite size pieces. 
14. Return the chicken meat to the stew. 
15. Bring the stew just to a simmer. 
16. Season with salt and pepper, to taste.
17. Serve with bread.
18. Serves 4-6

Here are some variations you can consider: Double the recipe. Use a whole chicken instead of just breasts. Let the dark meat cook longer than the breasts. Use chopped tomatoes with jalapeno and chopped tomatoes with sweet onions and garlic for extra flavor and spice. Use a different type of bean instead of kidney beans. This time around I used garbanzo beans (chick peas), drained and rinsed. If you don't have fresh basil use a teaspoon of dried. If your family enjoys mushrooms add some fresh mushrooms, too. This recipe can be simplified by using shredded chicken from a rotisserie chicken or leftover chicken that has been baked already.

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