"New" Brunswick Stew

Rachael Ray's Big Orange Book

• Ready In: 1 hr 30 mins
• Serves: 8

Ingredients

• 3  tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
• 3  slices  center-cut bacon, chopped
• 3  lbs boneless skinless chicken breasts, cut into 2-inch pieces (can be combo breast-thighs)
•  salt
•  pepper
• 1  cup all-purpose flour
• 1  tablespoon poultry seasoning
• 1  large onion, chopped into big pieces
• 3 -4  celery ribs, chopped into big pieces
• 1  large green bell pepper, seeded and chopped into big pieces
• 3 -4  garlic cloves, minced
• 1  bay leaf
• 2 1⁄4 cups biscuit mix
• 2⁄3 cup milk
• 3  tablespoons  chopped fresh chives, divided (or scallions)
• 1  teaspoon  smoked paprika
• 1  teaspoon  hot sauce
• 2  cups  chicken stock
• 1 (15 ounce) can stewed tomatoes
• 1  tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
• 1 (15 ounce) can butter beans, drained
• 1 (10 ounce) package frozen corn
• 2 -3  scallions, sliced thin on the bias

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 450°.
2. Place a heavy-bottomed sauce pot or a Dutch oven over med-high heat with a drizzle of oil.
3. Add the bacon to the pan and cook until crispy and golden brown, 3-4 minutes.
4. While the bacon is cooking, season the chicken with salt and pepper.
5. Combine the flour and poultry seasoning and sprinkle it over the meat, tossing it lightly to coat.
6. Remove the crisp bacon from the pan and reserve it on a paper towel-lined plate.
7. In two batches, cook the seasoned chicken in the same pan, adding 1 tablespoon oil to the pot, with each batch.
8. Cook until golden brown, 5-6 minutes.
9. Remove the browned chicken from the pot and reserve it on a paper towel-lined plate.
10. Add the remaining tablespoon of oil to the pot and toss in the onions, celery, bell pepper, garlic, and bay leaf.
11. Season the veggies with salt and pepper and cook until tender, 8-10 minutes.
12. While the veggies are cooking, combine the biscuit mix, milk, 2 tablespoons of the chives, the smoked paprika, and reserved crisped bacon in a medium mixing bowl.
13. Drop 8 biscuits onto a nonstick or lightly greased baking sheet and bake until light golden brown, about 10 minutes.
14. When the biscuits are done, remove them from the oven and allow them to cool on the baking sheet.
15. Once the veggies are softened, add the hot sauce, chicken stock, stewed tomatoes, and Worcestershire sauce to the pot and bring up to a bubble.
16. Add the reserved chicken, the butter beans, and corn to the pot, and simmer until the chicken is cooked through and the stew is slightly thickened, 5-8 minutes; discard bay leaf.
17. Serve the stew topped with the remaining chives and with the sliced scallions, and pass the biscuits.