Summer Chicken Stew – Super Simple Recipe 19

Stews aren’t just for the winter months but can be summery too and don’t have to be cooked for hours in the oven (which is welcome news in some parts of the world – and rumour has it, we, in the UK, have a heatwave coming next week). This one is cooked on the hob in just over half an hour.

So when you tire of the salads, barbecue food, picnic fare and want something a little more like ‘meat and veg’ then this summery chicken assembly with leeks, baby new potatoes, green beans and petits pois (and flavoured with garlic and thyme) is just the ticket. Fabulous protein, complex carbs, fibre and vitamins galore.

For convenience I have used some frozen peas and sliced beans but do use fresh if you have them (mine aren’t ready as yet from the kitchen garden). I like to serve with wedges of lemon for squeezing over (it really does lift the dish into the luxury class).

I am fairly confident that this could be made in the slow cooker (another heat-saving bonus) but you would need to reduce the liquid to about half. I also think it would freeze too – but to be honest there wasn’t a scrap left to check!

SUMMER CHICKEN STEW

Ingredients

METRIC/US

low-fat cooking spray or mist

450 g/1 lb leeks, finely sliced

2 cloves garlic, finely sliced

2 sprigs fresh thyme, leaves only

8 skinless and boneless chicken thighs

350 g/12 oz baby new potatoes, scrubbed, halved or quartered if large

350 ml/1½ cups chicken stock/bouillon

200 g/11/3 cups sliced green beans (I used frozen from Field Fare)

300 g/2 cups peas or petits pois (I used frzeon petits pois from Field Fare)

salt and freshly ground pepper

lemon wedges, to serve

Method

Generously spritz a large flameproof casserole with low fat cooking spray and heat. Add the leeks, garlic and thyme, cover and cook gently for 10 minutes, stirring occasionally.
Add the chicken and potatoes, turn up the heat, pour in the stock/bouillon and bring to a simmer. Reduce the heat and allow to bubbly gently with the lid on for 35 minutes, adding the green beans and peas for the final 10 minutes of the cooking time with salt and pepper to taste.
Taste and adjust the seasoning and serve in bowls with lemon wedges for squeezing over.

SERVES 4

WLS PORTION: ½

CALORIES PER PORTION: 440

PROTEIN: 39.7 g

CARBOHYDRATE: 26.9 g

FAT: 18.5 g

Image courtesy of http://www.field-fare.com