I like to make this luscious French stew once the frigid winter lets up, when asparagus and baby new potatoes are at their prime. By swapping out bone-in chicken pieces for boneless, skinless thighs, dinner can be on the table in around 45 minutes, but the depth of the velvety sauce tastes as if you had this simmering all day.
If you have any favorite vegetables you’d like to add, the recipe is very flexible to additions. Fresh wild mushrooms or baby artichokes would be superb! Serve with a simple salad of baby greens or butter lettuce and a crusty baguette to round out the meal.
Ingredients
Serves 4
24 oz. boneless, skinless chicken thighs
Salt and pepper
Flour, for dredging
2 tablespoons butter, divided
4 parsley stems
2 sprigs fresh thyme
1 bay leaf
1 large onion, diced 1 inch
1/2 cup white wine
6 small carrots, cut in 2-inch lengths and halved if thick
8 mushrooms, cleaned and halved or quartered if large
12 oz. baby red potatoes, halved if large
3/4 cup chicken stock, preferably homemade
1 cup baby peas
8 asparagus spears, cut in 2-inch lengths
1/3 cup crème fraîche
Preparation
1. Season chicken with salt and pepper, and coat in flour, shaking off excess. Melt half the butter in a large heavy-bottomed pot or casserole. Brown chicken, in batches if necessary, and transfer to a plate.
2. Tie thyme, parsley and bay leaf together into a bouquet. Add onion and herb bouquet to pot, and sauté for 1-2 minutes. Add white wine to pot, and bring to a simmer, scraping up any browned bits on the bottom with a wooden spoon. Return chicken to pot, along with carrots, mushrooms, potatoes, and chicken stock. Bring to a boil. Cover, then simmer, stirring occasionally, until potatoes are tender, around 30 minutes.
3. In a separate small pot, steam asparagus until crisp-tender, 2-3 minutes. Drain and add to chicken, along with peas and crème fraîche. Heat through. Discard herb bouquet, and adjust salt and pepper, if necessary.
AUTHOR’S NOTE
To choose your organically grown and fresh ingredients wisely, use the following criteria:
·chemical- and hormone-free meat
·wild-caught fish
·pastured-raised, organic eggs
·whole, unrefined grains
·virgin, unrefined, first-press organic oils
·whole-food, unrefined sweeteners
·pure, clean, spring water
·sea salt
·raw and/or cultured milk and cream products
