Description
Hearty Country Chicken Stew brings rustic comfort straight from farmhouse kitchens. Savory herbs, tender chicken, and rich broth combine to deliver a soul-warming meal that satisfies deep hunger and nourishes more than just taste buds.
Ingredients
Scale
- 1 whole chicken (about 1.4–1.8 kg), skin removed if desired
- 4 slices thick-cut bacon, chopped
- 1 large onion, thinly sliced
- 4 cloves garlic, thinly sliced
- 8 oz (226 g) dried navy beans (or 2 cans, drained and rinsed)
- 3 carrots, sliced
- ⅓ head green cabbage, shredded
- 2 bay leaves
- 4 sprigs thyme (or 1 tsp dried)
- 2 tbsps lemon juice or red wine vinegar (for finishing)
- Salt and black pepper, to taste
- Water, to cover
Instructions
- Prep Beans: Submerge dried beans in water overnight, then drain and rinse thoroughly to prepare for cooking.
- Render Bacon: Crisp bacon in a substantial Dutch oven, extracting the rendered fat while setting aside the meat for later incorporation.
- Develop Aromatic Foundation: Sauté sliced onions and minced garlic in the residual bacon fat until translucent and releasing fragrant notes, approximately 5 minutes.
- Construct Flavor Base: Introduce whole chicken, pre-soaked beans, aromatic bay leaves, and earthy thyme into the pot. Cover with water, season with salt, elevate to a boil, then reduce to a gentle simmer under a tight lid for one hour.
- Integrate Vegetable Components: Incorporate carrots and cabbage into the simmering liquid, continuing to cook uncovered for an additional 30 minutes until vegetables become tender and chicken reaches complete doneness.
- Deconstruct and Reassemble Protein: Extract chicken, discard skin and bones, meticulously shred meat, then reunite shredded chicken and reserved crispy bacon within the stew.
- Final Refinement: Brighten the dish with a splash of lemon juice or vinegar, adjust seasoning with salt and pepper, then serve piping hot alongside crusty bread or fluffy rice.
Notes
- Soak dried beans overnight to reduce cooking time and improve digestibility. Quick-soak method works if you’re short on time by boiling beans for 2 minutes, then letting them rest for an hour.
- Use low and slow simmering technique to keep chicken moist and tender. Avoid high heat which can toughen meat fibers and make chicken stringy.
- Cook bacon first to release its fat, creating a rich, smoky base for the stew. Reserve crispy bacon bits for final garnish to maintain crunchiness and maximize flavor profile.
- Substitute bacon with smoked paprika for vegetarian version. Use gluten-free tamari instead of regular soy sauce if avoiding gluten. Replace chicken with firm tofu or tempeh for plant-based alternative.
- Prep Time: 20 minutes
- Cook Time: 1 hour 30 minutes
- Category: Dinner
- Method: Simmering
- Cuisine: American
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 5
- Calories: 350
- Sugar: 3 g
- Sodium: 800 mg
- Fat: 15 g
- Saturated Fat: 5 g
- Unsaturated Fat: 8 g
- Trans Fat: 0 g
- Carbohydrates: 30 g
- Fiber: 10 g
- Protein: 25 g
- Cholesterol: 70 mg