Norman’s Chicken Stew

Norman’s Chicken Stew

Now that we're into late September, the weather in the Chicago area is cooling down. My tastes change a little in the fall. I start leaning more towards roasts and stews. I still like to grill, but I start longing for a hearty meal like this chicken stew.

When was the last time you had chicken stew? I’ll bet it has been a while, hasn’t it. It is easy to make. It takes a little time, but it isn't difficult. It is a perfect job for a Saturday afternoon.

You can get a lot of other things done while it simmers. You could mow the lawn, rake the leaves, trim the bushes, do the laundry, or if you’re like me, just curl up with your favorite book and read. 

Don't forget to make homemade bread to go with your stew.

1 fryer chicken, whole

Water

3 medium (cut in half) and 1 large onion (chopped)

1 stalk of celery

Poultry seasoning

1 bay leaf

Olive oil

Cajun seasoning

1 tsp. smoked paprika

1 cup of rutabaga, cut in cubes

1/4 cup of flour

2 cups of carrots, cut in chunks

1 tsp. thyme

1 tsp. basil

1/4 tsp. tarragon

Salt and fresh ground pepper

2 medium potatoes, cubed

1/2 lb. sliced shiitake mushrooms

Preparation

Place the fryer chicken in a stock pot. Add enough water to cover it completely and then add the three medium onions, cut in half. Break the celery in half and add that with the bay leaf and about a quarter tsp. of poultry seasoning. Bring the water to a boil, reduce the heat so it just simmers and let it simmer gently for a half hour.

Remove the chicken from the broth and set it on a cutting board to cool. Return the broth to the stove and let it continue to simmer. Once the chicken is cool enough to handle, remove the meat from the bones and coarsely chop it. Place the meat on a plate, discard the skin and return the bones to the pot with the simmering broth. Let the bones simmer while you assemble the rest of this stew. Save any broth that's left over for tomorrow's dinner.

Heat a dutch oven over medium heat. Add enough olive oil to coat the bottom of the pan. Add the the chopped chicken meat. Stir and let it cook for a few minutes. Add the smoked paprika, the chopped onion and the rutabaga. 

Give the stew a good sprinkling of cajun seasoning and another one of the poultry seasoning. Let it cook for another ten minutes. It will start to stick, so you’ll have to stir often. Don’t get all stressed out when it sticks. We’ll fix that in a minute.

Sprinkle the chicken mixture with the flour. Stir for a few minutes. It will really start sticking now. Using a strainer, pour enough of the chicken broth into the stew to cover it. Using a wooden spoon, stir until all the stuff that stuck to the bottom is scrapped up. This will take a few minutes, be patient. Once the bottom of the pot no longer has stuff stuck to it, reduce the heat and let it simmer. Add the carrots, thyme, basil and tarragon. 

Stir and watch it. If it gets too thick, add some more broth. You want it to have the consistency of gravy. Be patient. At first it will be too thin, but it will reduce as it simmers. Stir often and let it simmer for about 30 minutes then add the potatoes. Taste it and adjust for salt and pepper. In another 15 minutes, add the sliced mushrooms and let it simmer for another 15 minutes. Keep checking to see if you need more broth. When the mushrooms are cooked and the stew is nice and thick, you’re ready to serve.

Note, if you goofed up and added too much broth and your stew is too thin, you have two options. One is to let it simmer uncovered until it thickens. If time doesn't allow that, mix equal amounts of room temperature butter and flour and stir little bits of that in to thicken the stew. Let it simmer at least a minute before adding more of the flour/butter paste. It takes about a minute to see how thick the flour will make it.

Serving

I like to serve my chicken stew in a bowl. Ooh, now that I think of it, a bread bowl would be great! I also serve a plate with mixed vegetables with a pat of melting butter. Fresh baked homemade bread is also essential even if it isn't in the shape of a bowl. If you like you can also serve your stew over egg noodles. That is up to you. I like Merlot with this stew, but Zinfandel is also good.