A hearty stew, with a medley of fragrant spices that is surely going to warm your soul and stomach!

The winter has surely set in; we already had our first snow in Texas,  pretty flurries which turned everything around to a wonderland even though for just a while. The flurries left with the sun shining and some bad chills in the air. All I want to do is curl up and read and hold a warm bowl of soup or stew in the palm of my hands.

This a perfect stew for times like this; I have thrown in whatever vegetables I could salvage from my refrigerator along with the chicken. What makes this stew so heartwarming are the aromatic spices – fennel, clove, cinnamon and finally some rosemary, thyme, peppercorn and crushed pepper. If you want a vegetarian version, use some beans instead of  the chicken, or just the vegetables.

On the other note:

‘Am on a short break/vacation till next year! Here’s wishing all of you a very Merry Christmas and Very Happy New Year! . Have a fun and warm holiday with friends and family. Hugs!

Chicken Stew

Ingredients:

1. 6 Chicken Drum Sticks (Skinless)
   
2. 1 Red Bell Pepper,Chopped
3. 1 Green Bell Pepper, Chopped
4. 3 Small Potatoes, Quartered
5. 2 Carrots, Sliced
6. 2 Squashes/Zucchini, Chopped
7. 5 Cloves of Garlic, Peeled & Halved
8. 1/2 Onion, Sliced
9. 2 Large Tomatoes, Grated
10. 3/4 Cup Olives
11. 1/2 Cup Olive Oil
12. 1 Teaspoon Peppercorns
13. 1 Teaspoon Fennel
14. 2 Cloves
15. 1 Finger long Stick Cinnamon
16. 1/4 Teaspoon Turmeric
    
17. Rosemary
18. Thyme
19. Salt
20. Crushed Red Pepper & Parsley for Garnish

Note: I have used chicken drumsticks here, but any kind/any part of meat can be used.

Any vegetables you like can be added here. Same goes with the herbs & spices; go ahead & use your favorite.

Preparation:

Crush/Grind the fennel & the peppercorns together & set aside.

Heat oil in a stock pot/saucepan. Add the chicken pieces in the oil & fry while tossing till you see brown spots on them. Add the potatoes & fry will they turn slightly brown on the edges. In the same pan add the cinnamon, cloves, onions & garlic & toss everything together till the onions are translucent.

Add all the chopped/sliced vegetables (except for the tomatoes), turmeric, salt, herbs (Rosemary & Thyme) & the ground fennel & peppercorn. Cook everything by tossing frequently till all the oil & the spices coat the the vegetables & the chicken.

Add the grated tomatoes, & about 3 cups of warm water (or vegetable/chicken stock); stir everything till well combined. Cover & cook till the chicken & vegetables are tender.

Once done uncover & stir in the parsley & crushed red peppers.

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





My kids love to pick up and eat the vegetables from the stew; well this is what happened to the olives. My little one is pretty unpredictable. She loves her olives, but decided to do adorn her fingers with them before she ate them.

Related Posts:

Chicken Curry

Red Lentil and Vegetable Soup

Roasted Vegetable Stew with Coconut Milk

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This entry was posted on Tuesday, December 22nd, 2009 at 1:46 pm and is filed under Main Dishes, Meat & Poultry, Soup. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.