I took a break from going to the gym during the month of December. I went back to the gym for the first time in almost three weeks and definitely needed time to adjust back to my running routine on the treadmill. This past Sunday, it took all the might in me to head back to the gym. Kevin was much better and headed back to the gym almost immediately after our trip. I typically spend 60 minutes doing a combination of running and walking on the treadmill with a 5-minute cool down period. When I started on the treadmill again on Sunday, I tried to keep up with my usual speed of 6.2 for the first 25-30 minutes, then alternating to walking, before turning the speed back up to running again. I started out my run feeling pretty good, but after 15 minutes into my run, I could feel my legs wanting to fall off my body. I had to reduce the speed and walk for a bit after only 20 minutes into my run. Luckily, I still ended up completing my 60-minute interval run and 5-minute cool down period. Two days later, I am still feeling the soreness in my legs. To help my body replenish after my run at the gym, I had prepared some chicken and mushroom stew in my Dutch oven pot. My hearty stew features a combination of dark and white meat from a whole chicken, portobello mushrooms, crispy bacon, and sautéed root vegetables. This stew is a variation of my beef stew, but with bacon and mushrooms added to enhance the overall flavor of the stew. While I did feel a bit sad about the holidays coming to an end, I was also glad to be able to return back to my weekly routine. One of my resolutions for the new year was to improve my health by incorporating more vegetables, fruits, and nuts into my diet. An easy way to add more vegetables into my diet is by adding in tons of vegetables into a stew. Chicken stew is very easy to make and is pretty much a one pot meal. You cut up pieces of chicken, root vegetables, cooked bacon, sautéed mushrooms, and combine all of these ingredients with some aromatics in a Dutch oven pot. The ingredients within the pot are left to cook slowly until all items in the pot are cooked through. Hearty chicken stew is perfect during the winter and can be served any time throughout the day. I made a side of orzo pasta to serve alongside the chicken and mushroom stew. I also packed some of the leftover chicken and mushroom stew in containers for Kevin to take with him for lunch throughout the week. This one pot dish has been a welcome change for Kevin after he spent a majority of the weekend tasting some of my vegan recipes. One vegan recipe I’ve been working on is a vegan meatball inspired by the meatballs I had at By Chloe in Soho back in December. I am looking forward to sharing some of these creations in the near future. For now, enjoy this chicken and mushroom stew.
Chicken and Mushroom Stew:
· ½ tablespoon vegetable oil
· 6 pieces of thick cut bacon, diced
· 2 chicken breasts and thighs, cut into large chunks
· 6-8 button mushrooms, thickly sliced
· 1 tablespoon of unsalted butter
· 1 tablespoon all-purpose flour
· 1 medium onion, quartered
· 3 carrots, cut into about ½ inch pieces
· 3 stalks celery, cut into about ¼ inch pieces
· ¼ teaspoon kosher salt
· ¼ teaspoon freshly cracked black pepper
· 1 teaspoon chicken bouillon powder
· 1-1½ cups pinot noir or red wine of your choice
· ½ cup frozen green peas
Directions:
1) Heat a Dutch oven pot on medium heat. Add the vegetable oil. Let the vegetable oil heat up before adding the bacon. Cook the bacon until crispy. Remove the bacon pieces to a plate. Set aside.
2) Add the chicken to the pot. Brown the chicken pieces on all sides, about 1-2 minutes per side. Remove the chicken to the plate with the bacon. Set aside.
3) Add the mushrooms to the pot. Cook until the mushrooms are slightly browned, about 2-3 minutes. Scoop the mushrooms to the plate with the bacon and chicken. Set aside.
4) Add the butter to the Dutch oven pot. Add the flour. Cook the butter and flour for about a minute until bubbles start to form. Add the onion, carrots, celery, salt, pepper, and bouillon powder to the pot. Cook for five to ten minutes until the vegetables are softened.
5) Add the wine to the pot. Return the bacon, chicken, and mushrooms back to the pot and continue to cook for an additional 20-25 minutes. Add the green peas during the last two minutes of cooking time. Let the chicken and mushroom stew rest for a couple minutes before serving.
Takeaways: Browning the bacon and chicken ahead of time adds a nice depth of flavor to the chicken stew. You can add in any vegetables of your choice. You can also add potatoes to make the stew an even heartier dish.