Hearty Chicken and Vegetable Stew
Instructions:
- A creamy sauce coats juicy chunks of chicken and a colorful array of vegetables in a dish that’s pure comfort food.
- 2 medium leeks (about 4 ounces each)
- 1 fennel bulb (about 1 pound)
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 2 tablespoons butter or margarine
- 1 pound skinless, boneless chicken breast halves, cut into 11â„2-inch pieces
- 8 ounces mushrooms, thickly sliced
- 3 medium carrots (about 8 ounces), cut into 1-inch pieces
- 12 ounces red potatoes, cut into 1-inch pieces
- 1 bay leaf
- 1â„4 teaspoon dried tarragon leaves
- 1â„2 cup dry white wine
- 1 can (141â„2 ounces) chicken broth
- 1â„4 cup water
- 3â„4 cup half-and-half or light cream
- 3 tablespoons all-purpose flour
- 1 cup frozen peas, thawed
- 3â„4 teaspoon salt
- Cut off roots and trim leaf ends of leeks; cut each leek lengthwise in half and separate leaves. Rinse well with cold running water to remove any sand. Cut leeks crosswise into 3â„4-inch pieces.
- Cut root end and stalks from fennel bulb; discard. Cut the fennel bulb lengthwise into thin wedges.
- In 5-quart Dutch oven or saucepot, heat 1 tablespoon olive oil over medium-high heat until hot. Add 1 tablespoon butter; melt. Add chicken and cook until chicken is golden and just loses its pink color throughout. With slotted spoon, transfer chicken to medium bowl.
- To drippings in Dutch oven, add mushrooms and cook, stirring often, until golden (do not overbrown).Transfer mushrooms to bowl with chicken.
- To Dutch oven, add remaining 1 tablespoon olive oil; heat until hot. Add remaining 1 tablespoon butter or margarine; melt. Add carrots, leeks, fennel, potatoes, bay leaf, and tarragon. Cook vegetables 10 to 15 minutes, until fennel is translucent and leeks are wilted, stirring occasionally.
- Add wine; cook 2 minutes, stirring. Add chicken broth and water; heat to boiling over high heat. Reduce heat to low; cover and simmer 20 minutes or until vegetables are tender.
- In cup, mix half-and-half and flour until smooth. Stir half-and-half mixture into vegetable mixture; heat to boiling over high heat. Reduce heat to medium; cook 1 minute to thicken slightly. Stir in chicken, mushrooms, peas, and salt; heat through. Discard bay leaf.
- P R E P 45 minutes
- C O O K 1 hour
- MA K E S 4 main-dish servings