Chicken and Vegetable Stew
Reading high fantasy novels like Game of Thrones or Redwall always makes me hungry. The authors go to such lengths to describe simply prepared, delicious foods with farm fresh veggies, aromatic meats and bread. Reading such fare makes me crave something reminiscent of a European medieval feast-the kind of food you'd find (or at least wish you could find) at a renaissance faire or Medieval Times.
So when I was in such a mood after reading a particularly delicious fantasy novel I looked up some recipes and came up with this hearty stew recipe using the ingredients I had at my disposal. I picked up some bread bowls from the store-though it would have been better to make the bread fresh!- and set about satisfying my literary-culinary urges.
It's a stew, so it takes a little while to make. Simmering over the stove for a good amount of time gets the vegetables nice and tender and the flavor good and rich. A bit of beer lends complexity to the flavor and is a little nod to old Irish stew recipes that inspired me in the first place. It's healthy, hearty and really quite simple to make. I hope you enjoy this chicken stew as much as I did!
Cook Time
Ingredients
- 6-8 pieces stiff bread or bread bowl
- 2 Tbs canola oil
- 2 lbs chicken, 1 inch cubes
- 1 onion, chopped
- 1/4 Cup flour
- 8 Cups water
- 8 Tbs chicken bouillon
- 1 Cup Stout beer, (I used Guinness Stout)
- 28 OZ diced tomato
- 5 Cups vegetables (carrots, potatoes,celery), chopped
- salt and pepper, to taste
- 2 Tbs garlic salt
- 1 Tbs Coriander
- dash thyme
Instructions
- Prepare vegetables. (washing, peeling, chopping dicing etc.)
- On medium, heat the oil in a large pot.
- Add chopped onions and cook for about 3-4 minutes so they are soft but not browned.
- Add flower to onions and coat them thoroughly.
- Add all ingredients to the pot except thyme and stir. When all the ingredients are mixed well lower the heat and simmer for 30-40 minutes.
- Remove when meat and vegetables are tender. Sprinkle Thyme on top. Serve in bread bowl or with bread on the side.