BASIL CHICKEN STEW + GIVEAWAY

 

STEW SEASON IS BACK! this past weekend in toronto the weather dropped. the air was crisp, i put on my favourite knit grey sweater & decided it was finally time to make stew. figures it is back to summer weather this week, but let's just ignore that & talk about this stew. you probably thought until now i ate cookies & cake for breakfast, lunch & dinner. however, most of the time i eat healthy, vegetable rich meals. soups & stews are something i can make in my sleep. they are perfect for a cozy sunday afternoon & the left overs make for a healthy, hearty, homemade work day lunch. this particular stew is super healthy, as i pack a ton of veggies & lean chicken into it. if you want to make it even healthier, feel free to swap out the chicken legs for chicken breasts (but i prefer the bones to give it some additional flavour). lastly, using fresh basil, freshens up the dish & gives it a subtle rather then overwhelming flavour. now blow the dust off your cocotte & lets get stewing!

PS. there i am hosting an amazing giveaway on instagram with polders old world market that you should probably check out. it's a $350 giftcard to get yourself some hand carved wood dreamware!

ingredients:

  • 1 large onion, chopped
  • 3 carrots, pealed & chopped
  • 3 celery stalks, chopped
  • 1 red pepper, chopped
  • 1 cup sliced white mushrooms
  • 1 cup diced potatoes
  • 2-3 garlic cloves chopped
  • 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
  • 6 chicken legs
  • salt & pepper
  • 5 cups chicken stock (store bought or homemade)
  • 2-3 sprigs fresh basil
  • 1 teaspoon dried parsely
  • 1 tablespoon cornstarch (optional)
  • 1 cup frozen peas

directions:

  • in a mixing bowl place onion, carrots, celery, red pepper, mushrooms, potatoes and garlic. set aside.
  • to a large stock pot or dutch oven heat two tablespoons of olive oil to medium high.
  • season your chicken legs with salt & pepper and sear on each side. remove from the pot and set aside.
  • add in your bowl of chopped veggies and cook until they begin to soften & the onions begin to turn translucent. season with salt & pepper.
  • add the chicken legs back to the pot followed by the chicken stock, basil and parsely.
  • turn heat on high & bring to a boil. turn back down to medium low & let simmer with the lid on for 45 minutes to 1 hour.
  • if you wish to thicken it with cornstarch add it now by making a cornstarch slurry (to avoid adding it straight to the pot which may result in clumping).
  • finish off with adding your frozen peas and remove from the heat. adding the peas at the end ensures the colour stays fresh & vibrant.
  • serve with a few springs of fresh basil.