This was a really good, filling meal–kind of like chicken pot pie, only much more delicious. I had a big pack of chicken breasts from Jewel, but it would also work with leftover chicken or whatever other kind of chicken you have lying around.
I used 4 cups of homemade stock + one can of Swanson’s. The recipe called for 2 cubes of bouillon as well, but I didn’t have any, and I thought that the stock was rich enough without it. Also, if you’re using canned broth, you’ll want to keep the stew from being too salty.
I took a shortcut and used frozen biscuits instead of making them from scratch, but it wouldn’t add that much time overall. The linked recipe includes a biscuit recipe–for simplicity, I left it off. I also left out the pearl onions and just added a little extra yellow onion. It could probably be more onion-y though. You can never go wrong with more onions. I had baby carrots, which I boiled until they were just tender, which worked really well in this recipe.
The recipe calls for 1/4 cup heavy cream. I never have cream around, so I used a cup of skim milk. I’m not entirely convinced of how necessary this is. I may try leaving it off next time. I also plan to try making it in advance and cooking it in the crockpot.
Cooking the stew
Recipe:
- 4-5 whole (6 split) chicken breasts (or whatever kind of chicken you have)
- 3 tablespoons olive oil
- Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
- 5 cups chicken stock, preferably homemade
- 12 tablespoons (1 1/2 sticks) unsalted butter
- 2 cups chopped yellow onions (2 onions)
- 3/4 cup flour
- 1 cup milk
- 2 cups medium-diced carrots (4 carrots), blanched for 2 minutes (or until tender)
- 1 10-ounce package frozen peas (2 cups)
- 1/ cup dried parsley
Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F. Place the chicken breasts on a sheet pan and rub them with olive oil. Sprinkle generously with salt and pepper. Roast for 35 to 40 minutes, or until cooked through. Set aside until cool enough to handle, then remove the meat from the bones and discard the skin. Cut the chicken into large dice. You will have 4 to 6 cups of cubed chicken.
In a small saucepan, heat the chicken stock. In a large pot or Dutch oven, melt the butter and saute the onions over medium-low heat for 10 to 15 minutes, until translucent. Add the flour and cook over low heat, stirring constantly, for 2 minutes. Add the hot chicken stock to the sauce slowly, stirring to incorporate. Simmer over low heat for 1 more minute, stirring, until thick. Add pepper to taste and the milk. Add the cubed chicken, carrots, peas, onions, and parsley. Mix well. Place the stew in a 10 x 13 x 2-inch oval or rectangular baking dish. Place the baking dish on a sheet pan lined with parchment or wax paper. Bake for 15 minutes.
