Ingredients
1 brown onion, thickly chopped
2 celery sticks, thickly sliced
4 garlic cloves, peeled and roughly chopped
150gm baby carrots, thickly sliced
500gm boneless, skinless chicken thighs, chopped to bite size
4 tbsp plain flour
1.5 tbsp butter
1 tbsp olive oil
400gm baby potatoes, halved
1 tsp dried parsley
1/2 tsp dried rsoemary
1/2 tsp dried tarragon
1/2 tsp dried thyme
500ml vegetable stock
250ml chicken stock
salt & pepper
1 tbps fresh parsley, finely chopped
Method
1. Put the chopped chicken in a bowl, add 2 tablespoons of the flour and toss to coat.
2. Heat a large, heavy based pot and add the butter and olive oil.
3. Add the chicken to the pot and cook over high heat to brown. Don’t turn until well browned on the bottom. Don’t worry if chicken is not cookd through, you want it well browned.
4. Remove chicken from pot with slotted sppon and set aside in bowl. Don’t worry if flour and bits of chicken are stuck to the base of the pot.
5. Add onion, carrot and celery and reduce heat to medium. Stir to dislodge some of the flour.
6. After 2-3 minutes, add the garlic. Sauté for 2 minutes to soften the vegetables, stirring occasionally.
7. Stir in the remaining flour and continue cooking for another 2-3 minutes.
8. Return the chicken to the pot, and add the potatoes and stock. Stir to dislodge and dissolve any flour stuck to the bottom of the pot.
9. Add the herbs and good grind of pepper, and bring to a bubbly simmer.
10. Let the stew simmer and thicken for about 30 minutes, strring occasionally. It should be thicker than soup but still soupy enough to need a spoon.
11. Taste and add salt if needed.
12. Serve in bowls with a sprinkle of fresh parsley on top, with crusty bread.
Notes
The vegetables here are a classic mirepoix, with garlic and potato added. Feel free to add any vegetables you like.
I like chicken thighs in this dish, as they generally have a little bit of fat that dissolves nicely in the stew, they’re full of flavour, and they’re chepaer than chicken breast.
I think of this dish as being quite French, kind of peasant and fancy at the same time.
If there’s any trick to this dish, it’s to let it simmer long enough so the chicken is thoroughly cooked and all the flavours combine, without letting it get so thick you could eat it with a fork. If it’s thickening too quickly, reduce the heat and/or put a lid on to stop liquid evaporating.