Cast Iron Italian Chicken Stew

Baby it’s cold outside…. and I am a wimp! All I want to do during this stretch of cold days, is to crank up the heat and kick on the stove. Our farm house kitchen has been a frenzy of roasting chickens, slow-cooking bone broth, stewing chicken, sous vide”ing” steaks and more this week. Our family is in a self-inflicted, low carb mode and it has been fun to take on some new recipes and to research different foods to weave into our regular diets.

I am on a personal kick to learn about bone broth, so stay tuned for a future post on that. I am still scouring the books and resources. This week I will be trying a beef bone broth with some of the bones from the steer from Eckert’s Meat Department. To be continued….

 For now, I want to share a dinner I have made twice in the last couple weeks. I love cooking in my heirloom cast iron pot. It is nothing fancy but it has been seasoned over 3 generations! If you are new to cast iron cooking, I recommend the Lodge Manufacturing website. Their site is very robust and will help you learn the ropes of cast iron cooking. (Note: This recipe for Italian Chicken Stew will also work in a heavy bottomed soup pot if you do not have a cast iron pot.)

 I love the versatility of this stew recipe. My kids devour rice and pasta so I  usually make a bowl for them to put in with their stew. For a low-carb option, this stew is also excellent served on steamed or baked spaghetti squash. And surprisingly, my kids also like spaghetti squash!

Although the recipe is fairly simple, good chicken is key. Many of our regular Country Store customers agree, our chicken breasts are amazing here at Eckert’s. Our butchers trim away all the white fat and muscle fibers which results in the most tender chicken I have ever worked with. You just have to give it a try!

I also hope you will give this feel-good recipe a try soon too. In the meantime, stay warm.

Eat well this winter,

Angie

Cast Iron Italian Chicken Stew

4 boneless skinless chicken breasts
1 Tbs. dried oregano, divided
1 tsp. salt, divided
1/2 tsp. black pepper, divided
1/2 cup all purpose flour or Bob’s Red Mill 1 to 1 gluten free baking flour, divided
8 oz baby portabella mushrooms, cleaned and sliced
14 oz grape tomatoes, halved
2 cloves fresh garlic, peeled and minced
1/2 dry white wine (I used Sauvignon Blanc because I like to drink it!)
Juice of half a lemon
3/4 cup chicken broth

Rinse and pat chicken dry. Cut chicken into 1/2″ thick slices. In a small bowl, combine 1/2 tablespoon oregano, 1/2 teaspoon salt and 1/4 teaspoon of pepper. Season chicken on all sides with spices. Place 1/3 cup flour in a small shallow bowl. Coat chicken pieces in flour and dust off excess.

Heat 2 tablespoons of olive oil in a large cast iron pot. Brown the chicken pieces on two sides for 3-4 minutes or until the chicken releases gently from the pan. Transfer the chicken to a plate and set aside.

In the same pot, add more oil if needed to re-coat the pan. Add mushrooms and saute for 1 minute. Add tomatoes, garlic and remaining oregano, salt, pepper and 2 teaspoons of flour. Cook for 3-4 minutes.

Pour in wine and allow it to reduce for 3 minutes before adding the lemon juice and chicken broth.

Bring liquid to a boil before adding the chicken back to the pot. Cook over high heat for 5 minutes. Reduce heat to medium low, cover pot and simmer for 8-10 minutes or until the internal temperature of the chicken reaches 165 degrees F.

Serve over rice or noodles or just as a bowl of stew with crusty bread for dipping.

Note: This recipe for Italian Chicken Stew will also work in a heavy bottomed soup pot if you do not have a cast iron pot.