It seems to me that the main reason why people don't cook (or for that matter do any number of things that they say they would like to) is due to lack of time. I for one, often find myself racing against the clock, incredibly annoyed because once again, the hours of my day off seem to have evaporated into a parallel universe, while most items on my to do list have yet to be crossed off.
And this is why I absolutely love making stews, and it only seemed fitting that I write a post on this fabulous one pot dish now, as I am struggling with finding time to blog :)
If you make a big enough stew, in a few minutes you can have dinner ready for every day of the week
(granted you and your family might get sick of eating the same thing every day but that's a different story).
My go to stew is always chicken. I find that it holds best, reheats wonderfully, and if you add enough veggies to it and serve it over brown rice, it provides all colors of the nutritional spectrum.
But also, I just love me some chicken. Those tasty little birds are just so underated! I like using the thighs for my stews. They are a bit darker, more flavorful and much juicier, and I encourage you to give them a try, because they are also much cheaper. However, if you prefer breast, being that the meat will be cooked in liquid, you don't risk drying it up, so have at it.
If you happen to have some homemade stock in the freezer from the last time you roasted a bird, your stew will be all the better, if not, store bought stock will do.
Below is my base recipe, which will vary a bit with the seasons, but serves as a wonderful starting point.
I hope you enjoy it as much as we do.
Ingredients:
8 ea Chicken Thighs, skin off
1 ea can of Coconut Milk
1 ea can of diced Tomatoes (juice included)
1 ea Onion, diced
3 ea Garlic cloves, minced
1 ea Anaheim pepper (or your favorite) diced
1 ea Lime, juiced
LOTS of veggies and any aromatics you find in the fridge (ie:celery, ginger, lemongrass, herbs...)
Chicken Stock to cover
Salt, Pepper and Cumin, Cayenne or Curry to taste
An hour or two before you start (depending on your geographic location and it's weather) take your chicken out of the refrigerator and let it come to almost room temperature. Dry out each thigh with a paper towel, and season with salt and pepper. In a cast iron pan (or a good dutch oven) saute the meat on one side only, in very hot grapeseed oil for about 3 to 5 minutes or until golden brown. Turn and saute for another 3 to 5 minutes. Tranfer to a plate and set aside.
If you used a deep pan or dutch oven to saute the chicken, in the same pan, sweat the onions, peppers, garlic and any aromatics over very low heat until translucent.
Add any hard vegetables you might be using (carrots, sweet potatoes, turnips, or squash) and season with salt.
Cook the veggies for a few minutes, then break apart the chicken with your hands or some kitchen shears, and throw it in. Add the coconut milk, lime juice, tomatoes and stock to cover. Cook over hight heat until it comes to a boil, then turn down to a simmer and let it do it's thing, stirring occasionally, until the liquid has reduced by 1/4. If you would like a thicker stew, keep on going. Taste and adjust your seasoning. If you are adding any green veggies (kale, brocolini, mustard greens etc...) now is the time.
Cook for another minute or two, until your green veggies are bright green. And that's it. The dish is ready to serve!
I make some version of this at least every other week. If you use whatever vegetables are in season and available at your local market, you will find that you won't get bored with it too fast, as it is ever changing. You can also add a little peanut butter, miso or hoisin sauce once in a while and give it a fresh new "look". Enjoy it over rice for a complete meal, or as soup on a rainy day.
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