Florentine Chicken Stew

SarasotaCook's Note:

This takes beef stew and adds a twist. Chicken, spinach and cannellini beans for a great switch up. This can easily be adopted to the crock pot, But I do like to saute the flavors of the vegetables and chicken to create several layers of depth.

• Total Time: 4 hrs
• Prep Time: 1 hrs
• Cook Time: 3 hrs

Ingredients:

Servings: 8

• 4 chicken breasts , cut up in cubes
• 2 slices pancetta or 3 slices bacon , chopped
• 2 celery ribs , rough chopped
• 1 onion , large chopped
• 1 leek , thin sliced
• 1 red pepper , diced
• 2 carrots , medium chopped
• spinach , baby 1 bag
• 2 red potatoes , large peeled and chopped
• 30 ounces cannellini beans , rinsed and drained (2 cans)
• 3 teaspoons garlic , minced
• 15 ounces whole tomatoes , rough chopped
• 45 ounces chicken broth (or approx 3 cans)
• ¼ cup white wine
• 1 tablespoon fresh basil
• 1 teaspoon fresh thyme
• 2 bay leaves
• 1 teaspoon kosher salt
• 1 teaspoon ground black pepper
• 2 tablespoons olive oil to saute vegetables
• 1 cup feta , crumbled
• 2 teaspoons cornstarch (optional)
• 1 tablespoon water (optional)

Directions:

1. NOW first thing, you can put everything in the crock pot and turn on -- it will turn out just fine. However, sauteing the individual layers give it so much more flavor.
2. Prepare all your chicken, pork and vegetables and get ready to saute.
3. In a large pot, add the olive oil and saute first the bacon, remove and drain. Then add the chicken, until brown, remove and drain. Then start the vegetables, onions, leeks, garlic, celery, peppers, carrots, and cook until soft. Five minutes or so. Now add the potatoes and tomatoes, then add the broth, white wine, beans, seasonings and cook 30-45 minutes. Then add the chicken and bacon back in, beans and spinach and cook another 15 minutes or so until all heated.
4. If it is too thin to your liking, you can make a slurry with the cornstarch and water and use to thicken the stew right at the end of cooking.
5. Serve and top with crumbled feta cheese. And then serve with grilled baguettes with melted gouda or swiss. Grilled the baguettes brushed with olive oil, s/p and then topped with swiss or gouda and melt. This is the perfect addition to this stew.

Reviews

[suzpizz]

This was great! We made it in the crockpot. I didn't have pancetta, so I used bacon. I didn't cook anything ahead of time because I was worried the vegetables would become mushy. I didn't add the spinach until the last half hour, and I also added some mushrooms. It was delicious. I also didn't have a leek, but we all loved it. Oh, and we sprinkled parmesan instead of feta. Great dinner!