Chicken Stew

It’s chilly and damp down here in Naples tonight, but in the rest of the country…it’s freeeeezing!!  Northern friends, you need something to warm you from the inside out.  Print this list, go to the grocery store, open up a bottle of the spiciest cabernet you can find, turn on some Corrine Bailey Rae, set a table next to the fire, lights low, and settle in for a night of intimate conversation with someone you ADORE. 

All my best relationships involve memories of food in some way or another.  This hearty, Mediterranean stew is bound to make some good ones for you, too :)

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3 tablespoons olive oil

2 stalks celery, chopped into bite-size pieces

2 carrots, peeled and chopped into bite-size pieces

3 garlic cloves, finely chopped

half an onion, chopped

1 - 28 ounce can diced tomatoes, undrained

18 ounces chicken broth, maybe more

2 tablespoons tomato paste

2 bay leaves

1/2 teaspoon dried basil

1/2 teaspoon Italian Seasoning

1 tablespoon garlic powder

2 chicken breasts with skin and bones

1 - 15 ounce can garbanzo beans

1 bunch fresh parsley, washed

salt/pepper

1 loaf crusty bread

Heat oil in large dutch oven.  Add celery, carrot, onion, and chopped garlic and sautee until onion is translucent, maybe 6-8 minutes. 

Add salt/pepper to taste, basil, and Italian Seasoning.  Stir in tomatoes, chicken broth, tomato paste, and bay leaves.  Simmer for 10 minutes.  Add chicken.  Submerge them in liquid and simmer on med-low, covered, approx. 30 minutes, turning chicken periodically.  DO NOT taste during this time, as chicken and juices will still be raw.

 

raw chicken, submerge in broth to cook



After 30 minutes, remove chicken and place on large plate or in shallow rectangular pan.  let cool until you can touch it.  Remove and discard bay leaves, add beans to pot, and simmer on low, uncovered, approximately 30 minutes more, adding more chicken broth if  necessary. 

While the broth is simmering, remove skin  and bones and shred chicken. 

shredded chicken

* at this time, if bread needs to go in the oven, do so now

Place chicken back into stew, adjust seasonings as needed and simmer for approx. 15 minutes more.  When ready, roughly chop parsley and sprinkle on top, stirring lightly into stew.

ready for bowls

 Place stew in bowls and serve with bread.