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Sunday, October 30, 2011

Chicken, Sweet Potato and Kale Stew



Chicken, sweet potato and kale? How could that be wrong? Unlike any of the stews I normally make, this one isn't brown.

Chicken, Sweet Potato and Kale Stew
from Cooking Club of America
click to print

1/2 lb. boneless skinless chicken thighs, cut into 1-inch pieces*
2 tbsp all-purpose flour
1 1/2 tsp dried thyme
1/2 tsp salt
1/8 to 1/4 tsp cayenne pepper
2 tsp olive oil
1 small sweet onion, chopped
1 red or yellow bell pepper, cut into 3/4-inch pieces
1 large sweet potato, peeled, coarsely chopped (2 cups)
1 1/2 c lower-sodium chicken broth**
3 c packed coarsely chopped kale or Swiss chard (I used a "bound bunch")

Toss chicken, flour, thyme, salt and cayenne pepper in medium bowl until chicken is coated.

Heat large saucepan over medium heat until hot. Add oil; heat until hot. Add chicken mixture; cook and stir 3 minutes.


Add onion; cook and stir 2 minutes or until chicken is no longer pink on outside.


Add bell pepper, sweet potato and broth; bring to a boil, stirring to scrape up any browned bits from bottom of pan. Reduce heat to low; simmer, covered, 5 minutes.


Stir in kale; cook, uncovered, 8 minutes or until chicken is no longer pink in center and vegetables are tender, stirring occasionally.


* I was a half-pound shy of the one pound the original recipe called for. Apparently a 3.93 lb bird doesn't offer much in the way of dark meat.
** from Better Than Bouillon


Vibrant as all get-out with it's healthy vegetables, this stew looks like a crazy mango salsa with some chicken fruit mixed in. Ultimately, the dish really needs the entire pound of dark meat, maybe cut into smaller pieces for better dispersion. What can I say, I like brown in my stew. That said, this was a nice change of pace and I'd certainly do it again, particularly since outside of mise-en-place it's done in 30 minutes, suitable for any weeknight.

Next time though, I'll do this in my Lodge Dutch oven and won't be shy about really browning the chicken before the onions are added to get those glorious brown bits.

Cost:
  • chicken: $0.90
  • onion: $1.12
  • yellow bell pepper: $1.50
  • sweet potato: $1.62
  • kale: $1.99

Total: $7.13, but I'll round up to $7.50 to include flour, seasonings, and oil. That makes each of four 1.3 cup servings $1.88.


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