Chicken Stew from The Careless Cook
I thought of calling myself The Careless Chef, but that is a little too haughty and my significant other assures me I have no reason to be haughty…and besides, calling me a chef is akin to calling me an artist after I spilled catsup down the front of my white shirt.
And besides, I look at a chef as a general manager, while a cook works at the stove with burned fingers and a dirty apron. The cook is the one you ought to thank, but the chef is the one writing cookbooks and passing out autographs.
The careless part, however, is well placed. I enjoy being in the kitchen, sloshing and sipping a generous pour as I ponder….I don’t know exactly what’s for supper. Let’s see what we’ve got.
In the case of Chicken Stew, the chicken part first grabbed my attention last night, when it was still a whole, nicely baked bird. Tonight, it is to be boned, skin removed, and the meat shredded. Once I got to that point, there were several ways to go, paths to take, taste buds to satisfy.
Memories of Robert Frost were there to guide me. I pictured good ole Bobby, reaching for his pen and scratching out, the first line: The Recipe Not Taken. Well, that was certainly helpful. Are you ready? Here we go!
Chicken Stew
Ingredients
Half a baked chicken, deboned, skin off, shredded, or the raw equivalent
(If using raw chicken, chop and sauté it in a little bit of olive oil or butter)
4 stalks of celery, diced
2 carrots, peeled and diced
1 ½ cups sliced mushrooms
1 baking potato, peeled and chunked
1 handful of spinach
1/2 onion (I used a sweet onion), peeled and diced
2 cloves garlic, peeled and diced
tarragon to taste (I used 3 large sprigs of fresh tarragon)
4 pats of butter
1 32 oz box chicken broth
2-3 tablespoons of flour for thickening
For those careful cooks, as well as the nervous stutters attached to painting by the numbers and staying within the lines, I will answer a few questions.
How much is a pat of butter? It’s right between a love tap and a slap in the face.
What size eggs? I think mine were large, but then every man thinks his are large.
How big were the celery sticks and carrots? Not too large, but then again they may have been large.
What if I don’t like garlic? Substitute vanilla wafers.
What brand of chicken stock did you use? The one that clearly states, chickens were at first astonished and then alarmed when making this broth.
How much spinach is a handful? Depends on what else you’ve holding in your hand. I usually put down my wine glass, but only for a moment.
When you say to chunk the potatoes, how big is a chunk? A chunk is small enough to fit in your mouth without making your eyes pop, as you gasp for breath.
Now, let’s get started!
Puttin’ It All together
In a large pan, over medium heat, toss in onions, garlic, carrots, mushrooms and celery. Pour in just enough chicken stock to cover.
When the celery and onion are translucent, add the butter and chicken. Dust the chicken with 1 heaping tablespoon of flour and stir well.
Add the rest of the chicken stock and the tarragon. Taste and add more tarragon if it suits you.
Cook until the stock is slightly reduced. Add the potatoes and cover. Cook until the potatoes are lightly softened, then stir.
Add the spinach.
Uncover and allow the broth to reduce a little more. Still too juicy and want a thicker sauce? Dust with a second heaping tablespoon of flour and stir well. Repeat if you want it thicker, BUT, the sauce will naturally thicken as it cools.
Too thick? Add more chicken stock. You may have to play with it to get it to the exact thickness you want.
I served mine in bowls with a side of basmati rice. I also sprinkled the stew with finely chopped basil.
Wine: A soft, dry Alsatian Pinot Gris, or another light white wine.
This was so delicious, this cook was kissed several times….but thinking back, it was not until after I’d opened the second bottle….
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| After this photo, I added more chicken stock. |
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