Hearty Chicken and Vegetable Stew

Hearty chicken and vegetable stew that you can make in about an hour, but it looks and tastes like it has been simmering all day.

Course Main Course

Cuisine American

Keyword chicken stew, hearty chicken and vegetable stew

Prep Time 15

Cook Time 50

Total Time 1 5

Servings servings

Calories 469kcal

2 tsp olive oil
6 oz. thick cut bacon, cut into 1/2" pieces, (3 slabs)
2 lbs. boneless, skinless, chicken thighs, excess fat trimmed, cut into 1" pieces
1 med. yellow onion, chopped
3 cloves garlic, minced
2 stalks celery, washed and chopped 1/4" slices
12 oz. carrots, scrubbed and chopped into 1/4" rounds, (3 large or 5 small)
6 oz. tomato paste, canned
1 cup dry red wine, like cab. sauv., merlot, shiraz
1/4 cup white flour, all-purpose
4 cups beef broth, low sodium
14 oz. Yukon gold potatoes, scrubbed and chopped into bite sized pieces, 1/2" squares
2 tsp. Worcestershire sauce
2 tsp. dried thyme
2 bay leaves
1/2 tsp, each salt and pepper
13 oz. frozen peas no need to thaw them

Add olive oil and bacon pieces to a Dutch oven or heavy 4 Qt. saucepan and place on medium high heat until most of the bacon fat has rendered, 6 to 7 minutes.
Add the chicken and cook, stirring occasionally until nearly cooked through and no pink spots are evident on the chicken, 7 to 8 minutes.
Next, throw in the garlic, onion, celery and carrots and cook for 4 minutes, then stir in the tomato paste and red wine, bring to a simmer and cook for 2 minutes to release some of the alcohol of the wine.
Combine the flour with 1 cup of cold broth in a shaker or lidded jar and shake to combine into a slurry. Add the remaining broth to the pot and bring to a boil. Once boiling, stir in the slurry, bring to a boil to thicken. (See notes, #4).
Then add the Worcestershire, thyme, bay leaves, salt and pepper, and potatoes. Bring to a simmer , cover the pot and cook for 25 minutes, stirring every 5 to 7 minutes to prevent any sticking on the bottom of the pot.
Add the peas and allow them to heat up 5 to 7 minutes.
Serve with a sturdy, crusty bread and sprinkle with chopped parsley if desired.

Get the bacon and chicken chopped up first, then while they are cooking, you can prepare the vegetables. This will speed up the time it takes to make the stew.
I didn't peel the carrots or the potatoes. Just give them a good scrub before chopping.
Even though this is cooked for a good amount of time, the veggies are still firm to the bite. If you prefer softer vegetables, microwave them for a couple minutes before adding to the stew. The peas do not need to be microwaved as they will be soft.
I used Better Than Bouillon roast beef base to make the broth and the water must be hot for the bouillon to dissolve. To make a flour slurry, the broth must be cool or the flour will clump in the hot water. I made the broth about an hour before it was used so it was cool enough. If you also use Better Than Bouillon, you could make a slurry with 1 cup of plain cold water and make 3 cups of broth containing enough bouillon for 4 cups water.
Leftovers can be refrigerated for 3 or 4 days or frozen for up to 3 months.
Recipe adapted from Recipe Tin Eats.

Calories: 469kcal