Autumn Chicken Stew Recipe

We finally turned on our heater today. After a gorgeous, mild fall — chilly weather has now arrived.
So to warm up today, decided to make a soup with all of these apples we still have around. I was in the mood for something easy and comforting, so ended up trying this easy recipe from Eating Well. It called for parsnips, but I was feeling lazy (and warm with the heat!) and didn’t want to make a chilly trip to the store. So ended up substituting in some yummy potatoes I had on hand.
Unfortunately my fresh rosemary was also gone (can’t wait for those little rosemary Christmas trees to show up in the stores!), so I was more than happy to sub in what I consider to be the other best kitchen invention “since sliced bread”….powdered rosemary! I discovered this awhile back at Penzey’s, and LOVE using it. No little twigs in my bites of soup. :)
Anyway, sure enough, the soup/stew was completely delicious. A basic chicken soup with some hearty potatoes mixed in, highlighted by the sweet cooked apples, which also made the broth taste unbelievable. Definitely a yummy sweet + savory meal — my kind of comfort food!


Autumn Chicken Stew Recipe(Adapted from Eating Well)
Ingredients:

• 2 Tbsp. olive oil, divided
• 1 lb. chicken breasts or tenders, diced into bite-sized pieces
• 1 large onion
• 2 lbs. of potatoes (I used Yukon gold), diced to the size of the chicken
• 1 cup chopped carrots
• 3 sprigs of fresh rosemary (1 tsp dried, or 1/2 tsp. powdered)
• 1/2 tsp. salt
• 1/4 tsp freshly ground black pepper
• 4 cups reduced-sodium chicken broth
• 2 Granny Smith apples, peeled, cored, and chopped
• 2 tsp. cider vinegar

Method:
Heat 1 Tbsp. oil in a Dutch oven (or large cooking pot) over medium heat. Add chicken and cook, stirring occasionally, until just cooked through, 3 to 5 minutes. Transfer to a plate.
Add the remaining 1 Tbsp. oil to the pot. Add onion, potatoes, carrots, rosemary, salt and pepper and cook, stirring often, until the vegetables begin to soften, 3 to 5 minutes. Add broth and apples; bring to a simmer over high heat. Reduce heat to maintain a simmer and cook, stirring often, until the vegetables are tender, 8 to 10 minutes. Return the chicken to the pot and stir in vinegar. Check seasoning and add extra salt or pepper if desired.

Ali’s Tip:
If you’d like to use parsnips, just substitute 4 of them in place of the potatoes!  http://gimmesomeoven.com/autumn-chicken-stew/