Stew and I have a somewhat tumultuous past. When I was younger, my mom often made her own version of stew during the winter months, and I positively hated it. I couldn’t even tell you what, exactly, I despised so much about my mother’s stew, and I honestly think I have convinced myself not to like it for no apparent reason.
Children can be real assholes, in reflection. Sorry, Mom.
I haven’t had her stew for a while now, but plenty of people enjoy this dish in cold weather months because of its heartiness and its comfort. So, I wanted to share a recipe for Country Chicken Stew from pinchofyum.com to share with all of you, because it sounds positively scrumptious. Check it out:
“Country Chicken Stew
“Ingredients:
- 8 ounces (half a pound) dried navy beans
- 4 slices thick-cut bacon, cut into very small pieces
- 2 small onions, thinly sliced
- 5 cloves garlic, thinly sliced
- Thyme, bay leaf, and parsley (tie them together for easy removal)
- 1 whole chicken (rub some salt under the skin ahead of time, if you think of it!)
- Water to cover
- 1 tablespoon salt
- 3 large carrots, sliced
- One-third of a head of cabbage, thinly sliced
- Lemon or red wine vinegar to finish
- Parsley or any other herbs to finish
“Instructions:
- Cover the beans with water and soak for 4-12 hours.
- Heat the bacon, onion, and garlic over medium high heat. Sauté until everything is very soft and flavorful, about 10 minutes.
- Add the beans and herbs to the pot, and place the whole chicken on top of everything. Cover with water. Throw in the salt, put a lid on, and let it simmer for about an hour.
- After an hour, take the chicken out and transfer to a large plate or cutting board to cool. Skim the top of the soup pot for any weird-looking foam. Pull out the herbs. Add carrots and cabbage and let the whole thing keep cooking to get those veggies softened.
- When the chicken is cool enough to handle, pull the chicken meat off and cut / shred into bite-sized pieces. I usually add half of the chicken back to the pot and then save the other half for something else delicious later in the week. Squeeze a little lemon juice in there or hit it with a splash of red wine vinegar to finish. Serve with extra herbs if you want, and definitely get a piece of hot crusty bread slathered with that amazing garlic herb butter ready for some dunking. Oh my goodness, what a beauty. You’ve arrived,” the recipe states.
I could sure tuck into a warm bowl of this after a chilly day.
Photo by Sanket Shah on Unsplash
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