Spring Chicken Stew with Leeks and Potatoes
 
 
Serves 6 to 8 If you want to learn how to cut up a whole chicken (or need a refresher), watch this video. I find it’s easier to remove and discard the skin before I begin cutting up the bird. For this stew, I cut the breasts into large pieces and leave the legs, thighs, and wings on the bone. The bones impart unparalleled richness, flavor, and body. (Be sure to save the chicken carcass for stock!) If you don’t want to cut up your own bird, use boneless, skinless chicken thighs.
by:
Ingredients
  • 1 whole chicken, skinned and cut into pieces (see note above)
  • Kosher salt and ground black pepper
  • 3 slices thick-cut bacon, cut into medium dice
  • 8 ounces button mushrooms, sliced thin
  • Olive oil
  • 3 medium leeks, trimmed, halved lengthwise, thoroughly washed, and sliced thin
  • 2 medium white onions, cut into medium dice
  • 3 medium carrots, cut into medium dice
  • 3 medium celery stalks, cut into medium dice
  • ¾ teaspoon dried thyme leaves
  • ¼ teaspoon hot red pepper flakes
  • 4 large garlic cloves, minced
  • 1 ½ cups dry white wine
  • 2 bay leaves
  • 4 cups low-sodium chicken broth
  • 1 ½ pounds potatoes (Red or Yukon Gold), cut into bite-sized pieces
  • 1 large bunch kale, washed, stemmed, and rough chopped
  • Chopped fresh parsley (for garnish)
Instructions
  1. Sprinkle chicken pieces with salt and pepper; heat oven to 425 degrees.
  2. Fry bacon in a Dutch oven or large soup kettle over low heat, until very crisp. Remove and drain on a paper towel. Increase heat to medium-high. Working in 2 batches, sauté the mushrooms until brown, seasoning with salt and pepper to taste; transfer to a plate and set aside. Working in 2 batches, sauté chicken until well browned, adding olive oil to the Dutch oven as needed.
  3. Adding a little more olive oil to the Dutch oven, sauté leeks, onions, carrots, and celery until soft, 5 to 7 minutes, seasoning with thyme, red pepper flakes, and salt and pepper to taste. Add garlic; sauté until fragrant, about a minute. Add wine, mushrooms, bacon, and bay leaves; continue to cook for another minute. Return chicken to the pot, along with the broth; bring to a steady simmer. Transfer to oven and cook, covered, until chicken is very tender, about 1 hour.
  4. Remove pot from oven and return it to a burner set to medium. Taste and adjust seasonings, if necessary. Add potatoes; cook until crisp-tender, 7 to 10 minutes. Add kale and cook until both the kale and the potatoes are tender. Remove chicken bones (if using whole chicken) and bay leaves. Sprinkle stew with chopped fresh parsley and serve.
Recipe by Three Many Cooks at https://threemanycooks.com/recipes/meaty-mains/spring-chicken-stew-with-leeks-and-potatoes/