CHICKEN STEW WITH ITALIAN SAUSAGE

Since we've been talking chicken, here's a recipe for a chicken stew that can feed a crowd of 6 or 8 or even 10. Although they're given here, my ingredients and quantities are not set in stone and so this is a little different each time I make it. Sometimes I serve it plain, like soup, in a bowl. Or, if it's too soupy, over rice. It makes a nice hearty meal with some rustic bread and a simple green salad. You can go wild with the dessert. But I encourage you to experiment. If you like hot things, use hot Italian sausage instead of the sweet variety shown here. And, if you have other aromatic vegetables, like carrots or celery, languishing away in your hydrator, just cut them up and throw them in. You can't go wrong. Your guests will love it!



CHICKEN STEW WITH ITALIAN SAUSAGE

serves 6 to 8, or over rice, 10

2 whole (or 4 halves) boneless breasts of chicken, cut into bite sized pieces

flour, with added salt and pepper to taste, for dredging

butter

olive oil

4 large links sweet Italian sausage

1 large Spanich onion (or yellow; it doesn't really matter), chopped

1 red bell pepper, chopped

1 orange or yellow bell pepper, chopped

1 lb (or 1 package) button mushrooms (the common kind). sliced, with stems

1-2 carrots (if you already have them), cut diagonally into bite sized pieces

1-2 stalks celery (if you already have it), cut diagonally into bite sized pieces

chicken broth

white wine

1. Starting with cold water in a saucepan, cook the sausage links in boiling water until almost done, 3 to 4 minutes You can check by taking one link out and cutting a piece off the end. It's done when the sausage is no longer red. Remove the sausages from the saucepan and set them aside to cool. (At this point, you can also saute the sausage links in order to develop a little brown on the outside that will add some flavor but this is not absolutely necessary. Just be sure the sausage is done.)

2. Dredge chicken pieces in flour and  shake off the excess. Later, when you add the chicken to the stew, this flour will thicken the stew.

3. Saute chicken in a (preferably non-stick) skillet over medium heat in a combination of a couple of tablespoons of olive oil and 1 tablespoon of unsalted butter, turning it occasionally until chicken is brown on all sides. The chicken will stick to the pan but that's not a problem; just scrape it up. But don't burn the chicken. And it doesn't have to be completely cooked because you're going to cook it more later. Remove chicken and set aside.

3. Saute chopped onion and red and yellow (or orange) chopped peppers (and the celery and carrots if using) in the same pan, over medium high heat, adding oil as necessary and stirring occasionally until the onions are transparent and the peppers are soft. Remove and set aside.

4. At this point, the pan will probably have bits of chicken and onions and peppers stuck to the bottom. If so, turn the heat to high, add a little white wine and deglaze the pan, scraping up all the bits. (These hold a lot of flavor.) Add this liquid to the reserved onions and peppers.

5. Add a little butter to the same pan and saute the mushrooms over medium heat until they give up their liquid, 3 to 4 minutes. They should be a little brown .

6. When the  sausage is cool enogh to handle, cut it into coin sized pieces and put them into a stock pot or Dutch oven. Add the onions, peppers, mushrooms (and carrots and celery) and all their reserved juices. But not the chicken.

7. Add enough chicken stock to the pot to almost cover the mixture (it should take about 2-3 cups). Add white wine in half the quantity of the chicken broth. The mixture should be completely covered.

8. Bring the mixture to a boil and immediately lower the heat to simmer and cook, covered for about 15 minutes.

9. Add the reserved chicken, with any juice that has accumulated and simmer the mixture for about 15 minutes more.

10. Depending on the soupiness of the mixture, serve plain in bowls, or over cooked basmati rice (see recipe for rice elsewhere in this blog).

Note: while you want the chicken to absorb the flavors in the mixture, you don't want to cook it so long that it gets tough. That's why I leave it out until the end.

Note: if you have more than enough for your dinner, cover and refrigerate the leftovers. The stew is great the next day (or even the day after that). If a layer of fat has accumulated on the surface of the stew, remove it with a spoon before reheating. Reheating can be easily accomplished in individual portions microwaved for about 3 minutes on half strength, or in a 200 degree oven for about 30 minutes.

Note: If you want the stew liquid to be a little thicker, add some of the liquid to a teaspoon of flour in a small  bowl. Stir the combination until it is smooth, then stir it back into the stew.