Spring is still teasing us. Snow keeps rearing is cold, wet head, then the next day you will hear the birds chirping, see the daffodils blooming, and feeling the warmish spring sunshine. I saw this chicken stew from Jamie Oliver in a Food & Wine magazine and thought it would be the perfect kind of dinner for this period of spring peek-a-boo. Warm and comforting, while being somewhat bright and springy. I added potatoes, tarragon and hard-boiled eggs to the recipe, along with some other seasonings/flavors. It turned out super-well, and yes, perfect for the weather.
Chicken Stew with Tarragon
2 Tablespoons olive oil
1 Tablespoon butter
2 leeks, cut in half horizontally and sliced (soak and wash well to remove all the sandy soil)
2 shallots, sliced thin
3 cloves garlic, minced
2 Yukon gold potatoes, cut in half horizontally and sliced into half-moons
2 red potatoes, cut in half horizontally and sliced into half-moons
10 oz. sliced white mushrooms
3 Chicken breasts, cut into bite-size pieces
flour for dusting chicken
4 cups chicken stock
dash of white pepper
dash of powdered ginger
dash of dried thyme
1/2 cup sour cream
1 Tablespoon Dijon mustard
about 2 Tablespoons fresh tarragon, chopped
salt and pepper
hard boiled eggs
tarragon leaves for garnish
Cook the leeks in some oil and the butter until starting to soften. Add the garlic and shallots and cook until fragrant. Add the potatoes and mushrooms and cook until everything starts to brown. Remove veggies from pan and set aside. Dust chicken pieces with flour, and cook them in some more oil until they start to brown on all sides. Add the chicken stock, scraping the bottom of the pan to remove the brown bits. Let the liquid reduce a little bit, about 2 minutes, then add the veggies back in, and add the white pepper, ginger and thyme. Let simmer for about 20-30 minutes until your desired consistency is reached and all the potatoes are cooked through. In a small bowl, mix the sour cream, mustard and tarragon. Turn off the heat on the stew and stir in the sour cream mixture. Serve hot with hard-boiled eggs on top.
Related posts from the archives:
Cock-a-leekie pie
Pasta with Anchovies & Eggs
Peruvi-ish Seafood and potatoes
Eggs Jeanette
Crockpot soy sauce chicken and eggs