Today, I really wanted soup.
But it’s summer, and if I have leftovers, my kids will never eat it. So I decided to make just enough food for dinner.
Now, I love leftovers. So this goes against my basic code. The whole point of cooking, in my mind, is to not have to cook again tomorrow!
But I also dislike food waste so I compromised and decided to make a small batch of Italian Chicken Stew.
We get a CSA (or farm share) each summer from a local organic farm, and our vegetables are abundant this time of year. Since I am not a stickler for following recipes, I can usually find a way to incorporate all the vegetables into some of my normal meals or devise entirely new concepts.
I completely agree with my favorite vegan chef, Tabitha Brown, when she says, “That’s my business!” in reference to how much of a certain spice or ingredient to use. I love this flexibility!
What You’ll Need
- Some basic pantry staples that I think everyone should keep on hand: olive oil, salt, pepper, onion powder, garlic powder, and red pepper flakes
- Stock or broth
- An onion
- Carrots
- Celery
- Other vegetables, if desired
- Chicken or your preferred canned beans
- Fresh herbs if you can get them! Basil, parsley, or your favorites
I’m not a cookbook cook and consider most elements of a recipe mere suggestions. So you should see my “recipes” as basic formulas and swap ingredients in and out based on your own preferences.
I’ll make some suggestions to help you get started if this is a completely foreign concept!
Italian Chicken Stew
Serves: 5 Total Time: 40 minutes Active Time: 10 minutes
- Olive oil
- 1 onion
- A handful of carrots
- 1 stalk celery
- 3 cloves garlic
- 1 can diced tomatoes (or use a jar of pasta sauce – whatever you have handy)
- 2 cups chicken bone broth or stock*
- 1.5 lbs diced chicken*
- 1 cup basil leaves*
- Parsley
- Spices to taste: I used red pepper flakes, onion powder, garlic powder, salt and pepper*
Directions
- Saute your onions with a little olive oil (use about a tablespoon to start and add more a little at a time if things get sticky). Approx 3 min.
- Add your chopped carrots, celery, and garlic; let them sweat down a little until things start to soften. Approx 5 min.
- Add remaining ingredients.
- Bring to a low simmer and cook approximately 30 minutes.
- Serve hot over pasta, rice, or with a side of warm bread if you want to stretch the stew out even more!
Feel free to add in extra vegetables, if desired, when you add in your chicken and just add a bit more broth or stock if you need to thin out your stew. I added green beans this time around but other great additions would be corn, bell peppers, zucchini or other summer squash, or even fresh chopped tomatoes to add a different tomato flavor!
*Recipe notes:
- Chicken bone broth or stock – I always have broth on hand in the freezer. If you need to open a container but don’t need all of it, freeze the surplus in zipper top bags or even breastmilk bags if you’re a nursing mom! Just be sure to label and date it!
- Diced chicken – you can easily make this vegetarian or vegan by substituting beans and using vegetable broth instead
- Basil leaves – I had some leftover vegan pesto on hand and subbed this in instead. It’s a great shortcut that adds a ton of flavor without any chopping required. You can also freeze pesto!
- Spices – start with a little and increase from there. The key to any good soup or stew is to taste, taste, and taste again while you’re cooking. Keep a canister with small spoons near your cooktop so you can sample what you’re making
- You can also use a smaller quantity of dried parsley if you don’t have fresh parsley on hand.