Chicken Stew

One of the many things on M's "do not like" list is beef. As a result, we don't eat a whole lot around here, but there are lots of beef based foods I really really miss. Beef stew is one of them. I mentioned the troubles with planning meals for a "picky" eater to a coworker, who suggested I try chicken stew. Well, I'd never even thought about that!

I found this one on the food tv website, and it looked really promising. It's Giada, it's highly rated on the website, and it looked really yum! It also has beans, which are also on the "do not like" list. He complained about having to pick so many beans out of his bowl, but nonetheless said he really liked this! YAY! I really liked this one too; it has all the things I love about beef stew (errr, except the beef) and great flavor.

It was really easy too, with the hardest part being the vegetable chopping and the chicken shredding.

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-ounce) can chopped tomatoes
• 1 (14-ounce) can low-salt chicken broth
• 1/2 cup fresh basil leaves, torn into pieces
• 1 tablespoon tomato paste
• 1 bay leaf
• 1/2 teaspoon dried thyme leaves
• 2 chicken breast with ribs (about 1 1/2 pounds total)
• 1 (15-ounce) can organic kidney beans, drained (rinsed if not organic)
• Serving suggestion: crusty bread

Directions

Heat the oil in a heavy 5 1/2-quart saucepan over medium heat. Add the celery, carrot, and onion I added a heap of garlic here too. Saute the vegetables until the onion is translucent, about 5 minutes. Season with salt and pepper, to taste. Stir in the tomatoes with their juices, chicken broth, basil, tomato paste, bay leaf, and thyme. Add the chicken breasts; press to submerge.

Bring the cooking liquid to a simmer. Reduce the heat to medium-low and simmer gently uncovered until the chicken is almost cooked through, turning the chicken breasts over and stirring the mixture occasionally, about 25 minutes. Using tongs, transfer the chicken breasts to a work surface and cool for 5 minutes. Discard the bay leaf. Add the kidney beans to the pot and simmer until the liquid has reduced into a stew consistency, about 10 minutes.

Discard the skin and bones from the chicken breasts. Shred or cut the chicken into bite- size pieces. Return the chicken meat to the stew. Bring the stew just to a simmer. Season with salt and pepper, to taste.

Ladle the stew into serving bowls and serve with the bread.