When it’s cold and you need to warm up from the inside, this hearty roasted veg and chicken stew is just what you need. It’s creamy and thick with chunks of carrot, potato, and mushroom. A sunny spice mix (turmeric, cumin and harissa) perks up the whole pot.
BE PICTURED IN; CHARACTERIZED IN:
Life knows no vanity in winter. It’s a time for windproof layers that don’t lend themselves to magazine covers and hats that hide every inch of your face.
Video: How to prepare roasted vegetables and chicken stew
1:42
Roasted vegetables and chicken stew
Winter in the Midwest calls for stew
I live in an area of the country where winter temperatures regularly drop to 30 degrees below freezing. The wind blows across the bare farm fields surrounding my home and it’s not uncommon to hit those “felt” temperatures of -20F or worse, depending on the year.
And that’s not even counting the snow. Winter in Nebraska is no time for delicate flavors.
Warming spices for victory!
Look for harissa powder at your local grocery store or condiment store. For this recipe, you want the powdered version, not the pasty version that comes in a jar or tube.
If you don’t have it or can’t find it, substitute paprika and a pinch of chili powder. It doesn’t have the complexity of harissa, but it will add color and some much-needed heat to your stew.
How to make a hearty chicken stew
A few things make this chicken stew extra special – and extra hearty:
- I forego the thin broth of traditional chicken noodle soup for a thick and hearty roux. It adds body to the soup—it adds the texture of heavy cream without using real cream—making this stew a great choice for those who are lactose intolerant or otherwise don’t consume dairy.
- Roast the vegetables in the oven before adding them to the stew. It’s also an easy way to build complexity by concentrating the sugar and deepening the flavors. For this recipe, roast all the veggies together on a sheet pan, but keep them in separate rows as the veggies will be added at different times. This way you can cook the veggies and keep them out of the way while you work on other components of the soup.
I also use Yukon golden potatoes for several reasons:
- I want to keep the skins. I have a child with texture sensitivity and Yukon Gold skin is thin which means the kids eat the potatoes and I don’t have to peel them. Things like that make me incredibly happy.
- Some of the potatoes are mashed into the stew along with the carrots. If you use auburn, its brown skin makes a dingy stew base, which defeats the purpose of this colorful dish.
- I want the bold yellow and orange colors of this soup to shine. The creamy yellow color of potatoes pairs well with turmeric and other sunny hues.
Boneless vs. boneless chicken thighs
You may be tempted to use boneless, skinless chicken thighs. I wouldn’t recommend it – the bones give the soup a rich flavor and you need the fat from the skin to add to the stew to make the roux.
The best stew for a winter night
This stew is bursting with veggies, chicken, and the warming flavors needed for those long, dark winter evenings. It’s food that feels like your mom just wrapped a cozy blanket fresh from the dryer around your shoulders.
Freeze the stew!
To freeze the stew, let it cool completely. Transfer it to a freezer-safe container. It has a shelf life of up to a month. Heat on stovetop, stirring occasionally.
More savory chicken recipes
- Slow Cooker Shredded Chicken Chili
- Cheesy Bruschetta Chicken Chops
- Roasted chicken thighs with fennel and orange
- Baked Chicken Parmesan
- Skillet Chicken Puttanesca
Hearty roasted vegetables and chicken stew
ingredients
-
8th ounces Baby Bella Mushroomsquartered
-
4 big carrotspeeled and cut into 1/2-inch-thick rounds
-
1 1/2 lb Yukon Gold potatoesdiced (about 5 medium-sized potatoes)
-
5 tablespoon olive oildivided
-
1 1/2 teaspoon kosher saltdivided
-
1 1/2 teaspoon fresh ground black pepperdivided
-
1/2 teaspoon Harissa powder
-
4 chicken thighsskin and bones (about 1 1/2 pounds)
-
1/4 Cup all purpose flour
-
1/2 big yellow onionchopped
-
3 big carnations garlicchopped
-
1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
-
1 teaspoon ground turmeric
-
1/3 Cup White wine
-
6 cups (48 ounces) chicken broth
-
2 bay leaves
-
3 big Kale Leaves (any variety), stripped from stem and torn
special equipment
-
blender
method
-
Preheat oven to 425°F
-
Fry the vegetables:
Spread chopped mushrooms, carrots, and potatoes in three separate rows on a baking sheet, keeping each vegetable separate from the others—this will come in handy later when you need to add them to the soup in separate stages.
Drizzle 3 tablespoons olive oil over the vegetables, then sprinkle with 3/4 teaspoon salt, 3/4 teaspoon freshly ground pepper, and 1/2 teaspoon harissa. Toss each row for coating.
Roast the vegetables in the oven for 20 to 25 minutes. When soft, set them aside while you finish the soup base. (Note: For this recipe, you really don’t want the vegetables to brown, you want the colors to stay vibrant.)
While the veggies are roasting, cook the chicken and begin preparing the stew.
-
Cook chicken:
Heat 2 tablespoons oil in a Dutch oven or large, heavy-bottomed stockpot over medium-high heat. Trim excess fat and skin from chicken. Sprinkle the four chicken thighs with 3/4 teaspoon salt and 3/4 teaspoon freshly ground pepper.
Once the oil starts to shimmer, add the thighs, skin-side down. Fry the thighs for 7 minutes, until the skin is a nice golden brown color.
Turn the chicken over and cook an additional 5 minutes. When flipping, a few pieces of skin may stick to the pan. That’s okay.
After cooking, the skin should be crisp and golden and you should have about 1/4 cup of fat in the pan. (Just watch it; you’ll be fine!) The chicken won’t be fully cooked, which is fine; transfer it to a plate.
-
Make the roux:
Sprinkle 1/4 cup all-purpose flour over the chicken fat. Use a sturdy wooden spoon to stir constantly and scrape the brown bits (the stock) off the bottom of the pan.
Continue cooking until the color deepens and looks like a golden paste, about 6 minutes. This is the roux that thickens your soup.
-
Cooking onion and garlic:
Add the chopped onion, chopped garlic, turmeric and cumin to the pan with the roux. Keep stirring and scraping the bottom of the pan. The roux will become crumbly and the color will continue to deepen. That’s okay.
Keep stirring and scraping the bottom of the pan until the onions are cooked through, about 5 minutes.
-
Stir in wine and broth:
Slowly add 1/3 cup white wine, scraping bottom of pan to loosen brown bits and stir for another minute.
Slowly pour in the broth, you guessed it, while stirring! Add the bay leaves and simmer gently.
-
Add the chicken and simmer:
Remove the skin from the chicken thighs and discard. Place the drumsticks in the pot with the simmering broth.
Cover with a lid but leave slightly open. Continue to simmer over medium-high heat for 25 minutes, stirring occasionally. don’t let it boil
-
Add half of the fried potatoes and carrots and puree:
Remove the bay leaves and chicken from the pot with tongs and place on a plate.
Add half the roast potatoes and half the carrots to the pot (reserve the mushrooms). Use an immersion blender to puree the vegetables into the soup.
-
Finish the stew:
After pureeing, add the remaining vegetables, including all the mushrooms, and allow to warm up.
When the chicken has cooled sufficiently, use two forks to shred the chicken into bite-sized pieces. Throw away the bones. Put the chicken back into the pot.
Stir in kale. Let everything warm through over low heat for a few minutes, making sure the kale has collapsed.
-
Surcharge:
Pour into bowls and serve with fresh, crusty bread. Leftovers will keep in the refrigerator for about a week or up to 1 month frozen.
| nutritional information (per serving) | |
|---|---|
| 590 | calories |
| 30g | Fat |
| 45g | carbohydrates |
| 36g | protein |
