Chicken Pot Pie Stew
Chicken Pot Pie Stew
This recipe is ideally made in two stages, even one day apart: poach the chicken in the broth on day one, strain the broth and pull the meat off the bones. Day two then the stew comes together quickly and easily. Serves 4-6 generously, and can also be served with broad, buttered egg noodles. Recipe can be doubled.
Note: you may end up with extra broth. That's never a bad thing!
1 large (4lb) whole chicken
Cold Water, to start
2 onions (1 finely diced for soup, 1 cut into quarters for broth)
2 large carrots (1 diced for soup, 1 cut into 1 inch pieces for broth)
2 ribs celery (1 diced for soup, 1 cut into 1 inch pieces for broth)
2-3 bay leaves
3-4 sprigs thyme (use stems in broth and leaves in soup)
4-5 stems parsley (use stems in broth and leaves in soup)
4-6 medium yellow-fleshed potatoes, peeled and large dice
1/2 cup butter
1/2 cup flour
Salt, as needed
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Season chicken with 1-2 tsp salt. Place in a pot & cover with cold water. Bring to a JUST a boil, turn down to a simmer and skim any scum or impurities that rise to the surface.
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Add your roughly chopped onion, carrot and celery, thyme stems, parsley stems, bay leaves.
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Continue to simmer on very low heat (DO NOT BOIL!) for 1 1/2 - 2 hours, until meat is falling off the bone.
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Carefully lift chicken out of broth (using 2 pairs of tongs or a fine mesh strainer works well) and place into a bowl to cool. When cool enough to handle, remove meat from bones in large pieces. Discard bones.
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Strain broth into a large container or two, discarding large pieces of vegetable and herb stems.
- Make Stew: in a heavy, clean pot melt butter and add diced onion. Season with salt, cook until soft but not brown. Add carrot & celery and cook until softened
- Shake flour over softened vegetables and stir to combine. Stir for 2-3 minutes.
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Whisk about 8 cups of the broth into vegetables, soup will be slightly thickened. Add potatoes and chopped thyme leaves and bring to a simmer and allow to simmer gently until potatoes are just fork tender.
- Stir in chopped parsley leaves and chicken meat, just to heat through.
- Do not simmer for too long at this point, or chicken will become stringy.
- Season to taste with salt & pepper.
- Enjoy!
