Perfect Chicken Stew

Heinz Koch's Note:

This Chicken Stew recipe is tried and true and has warmed the hearts and sated the stomachs of any who has enjoyed it. My wonderful mother has made this for me for as long as I can remember. I couldn't get enough of it, and mom couldn't keep up with the demand so I learned and mastered it. This recipe takes a bit of time 2 1/2 - 3 hours, but only 1/2 an hour of real preparation, but it is well worth it. The few extra steps (TLC) ensure perfection. A very basic chicken stew without any extra fat, very inexpensive, nutritious and loaded with Vitamin A, which is proven to prevent colds (I'm hardly ever sick, the stew, perhaps?) and most importantly the best chicken stew you will ever eat!

• Total Time: 2 hrs 35 mins
• Prep Time: 35 mins
• Cook Time: 2 hrs

Ingredients:

Servings: 12

• 1 (3 -7 lb) whole chickens
• 8 potatoes
• 6 carrots
• 2 onions
• 4 stalks celery
• 1 (8 ounce) can cream of mushroom soup
• 1 (10 ounce) can chicken stock
• 1 cup unbleached flour
• 2 cups milk (optional)
• 2 tablespoons garlic powder
• 3 tablespoons pepper (fresh ground is best)
• 3 tablespoons salt (kosher or sea salt optional)
• hot sauce (optional)

Directions:

1. Season a 3-7 pound chicken with Garlic powder and Pepper. Roast chicken in oven at 325 degrees.
2. While chicken is cooking, dice potatoes, slice carrots, chop onions and carrots to desired thickness. Place vegetables in stewing pot and add water until vegetables are covered with about an 3 inches of water. Boil rapidly until potatoes are just finished.
3. Remove vegetables from the pot by straining them and keep the water. By removing the vegetables and letting them cool, you prevent overcooking them and they won't dissolve into nothing.
4. With remaining water on low heat, add can of cream of mushroom soup, can of chicken stock and milk (milk optional, Zie Ga Zink).
5. If you don't use milk, I suggest a premium ready to serve brand of creamed mushroom soup, it will be of a smoother, creamier consistency than the regular cans of mushroom soup.
6. Get a small sealable container and fill with 1 cup of cold water, then add 1 cup of flour, cover and seal, then immediately shake vigorously. You are making a thickener for the stew, it should look like the consistency of glue with no lumps. If to thick add a bit of water, too thin add a bit more flour, shake very hard again. If there are a few lumps you can remove them by straining. This process, once learned, is very useful for making gravies or other stews without using a high-fat butter and flour 'roux' thickener.
7. Rapidly add thickener to the starch water/mushroom soup/stock/milk mixture using a whisk. You may have to make a little more thickener if you want a hardier stew, just remember that the stew will thicken more after it is removed from the heat and it stands. Simmer to desired consistency. Stir often. Do not burn! I suggest a non-stick stew pot, it helps prevent burning.
8. Add the cooked (now cooled) vegetables to the stew.
9. When chicken is finished roasting, drain juices into the stew. Remove skin and bones. Tear or cut chicken apart and add to the stew.
10. Stir in about 2-3 tablespoons of salt to stew and about the same amount of pepper to taste.
11. If you want, try adding a dash of hot sauce or a pinch of Sambel Olek.
12. Let stew simmer for a little longer. Serve with fresh bread and Enjoy.
13. Questions? [e-mail].

Reviews

[BLUE ROSE]

This was well worth making. The outcome was realy good. I did exactly as you put it. This is going to be a favorite of ours.