Rev:Chicken Stew with Shallots, Cider, and Butternut Squash (1/06)

[beckms]

Thumbs up! I made a half batch of this for dinner last night and at the whole thing myself! It didn't take nearly as long to cook as the recipe called for...more like 30 minutes for the chicken and the squash to be cooked (I added both simultaneously). Don't skip the toasted almonds, they make the dish.

I used sparkling nonalcoholic cider, which was rather sweet, but still good. Fermented would be even better.

Chicken Stew with Shallots, Cider, and Butternut Squash

Lightly spiced with curry, this thick stew pairs well with steamed rice and a green salad. Fermented cider, also called hard cider, is usually found in the beer section of grocery stores and liquor stores. Nonalcoholic sparkling dry cider makes a good substitute.

4 teaspoons olive oil, divided
1 cup sliced shallots (about 6 medium)
1 teaspoon curry powder
1/3 cup all-purpose flour (about 1 1/2 ounces)
1 1/4 pounds skinless, boneless chicken thighs, cut into bite-sized pieces
3/4 pound skinless, boneless chicken breast, cut into bite-sized pieces
1 teaspoon salt, divided
1/2 teaspoon black pepper, divided
2 cups fermented dry cider
1 (14-ounce) can fat-free, less-sodium chicken broth, divided
1 tablespoon all-purpose flour
1 cup water
2 cups (1/2-inch) cubed peeled butternut squash (about 1 pound)
1/4 cup sliced almonds, toasted
Chopped fresh parsley (optional)

Heat 1 teaspoon oil in a Dutch oven over medium-high heat. Add shallots; sauté 5 minutes or until tender and golden brown. Add curry powder; sauté 1 minute. Spoon shallot mixture into a large bowl.

Place 1/3 cup flour in a shallow bowl or pie plate. Dredge chicken in flour, shaking off excess. Heat remaining 1 tablespoon oil in pan over medium-high heat. Add half of chicken mixture; sprinkle with 1/4 teaspoon salt and 1/8 teaspoon pepper. Cook 6 minutes, browning on all sides. Add browned chicken to shallot mixture. Repeat procedure with remaining chicken mixture, 1/4 teaspoon salt, and 1/8 teaspoon pepper.

Add cider to pan, scraping pan to loosen browned bits. Combine 1 cup broth and 1 tablespoon flour, stirring with a whisk until smooth. Add broth mixture, remaining broth, and water; bring to a boil. Stir in chicken mixture, remaining 1/2 teaspoon salt, and remaining 1/4 teaspoon pepper. Cover, reduce heat, and simmer 40 minutes, stirring occasionally.

Stir in squash. Simmer, uncovered, 55 minutes or until chicken and squash are very tender and sauce thickens. Spoon about 1 cup stew into each of 6 bowls; sprinkle each serving with 2 teaspoons almonds and parsley, if desired.


Yield: 6 servings

NUTRITION PER SERVING
CALORIES 328(27% from fat); FAT 9.7g (sat 1.8g,mono 4.9g,poly 2g); PROTEIN 35.8g; CHOLESTEROL 111mg; CALCIUM 85mg; SODIUM 628mg; FIBER 2.9g; IRON 3.1mg; CARBOHYDRATE 24.4g

Jeanne Kelley
Cooking Light, JANUARY 2006

[MelissaAS]

I loved this one too. Didn't serve with rice, but mopped up with great whole-grain bread. I also made this with non-alcoholic sparkling cider and used all chicken breast (instead of part thighs). Great winter stew!

[veschke]

I'm starting to get really impatient for my J/F issue to arrive! So many good recipes have been reviewed already - this sounds great.

[Judy K.]

Thanks for the review. This recipe is on my "to try" list.

[Andrea_2]

I made this last night, and it was great! I followed the directions exactly except for using reverse proportions of the chicken thighs/breasts since I had more of the thighs on hand. I used Woodchuck cider which worked really well in this. I agree that it was probably done cooking sooner than the recipe said, but I still cooked it the whole time, and the chicken was just sooooo tender! It turned out very thick and very flavorful and DH and I ate the whole thing ourselves. :o

[manetta]

I used all thighs instead of the thigh/breast combo and would do it again. Also discovered that I was out of curry powder in the midst of making it :o , so I used a combo of ginger, cinnamon, allspice and cayenne. It came out great!

[Angela]

This is very good! I used the combination breasts and thighs and nonalcoholic sparkling cider and it turned out great. I also added the squash when I added the chicken and it was all perfect in about 35 mintues. It was great as leftovers too!

[BeckyM]

Thanks for the reviews! I'm trying to decide between this and the Basic Beef Stew for Super Bowl Sunday. I still haven't decided, but knowing this one is a hit with others encourages me to try it!

Becky:)

[Varaile]

I made this Sunday with delicious results! Sweet, tangy, robust. As this is my lunch for the week I "serve" it along side of cheese and crackers with some fruit.

My modifications: I used 1 lb chicken breast and 3/4 lb chicken thighs (store was out of skinless, boneless thighs and I didn't want to prep 1 1/4 lbs). I cut back on the curry powder to 1/2 tsp because mine is Penzey's "Hot" Curry. Otherwise made as directed!

[ctd1103]

Just another review to share because this was fantastically good! I made some changes - didn't have squash so I used sweet potatoes and 1/2 hard cider, half sparkling cider......it was excellent - my toddler ate 3 (!) portions of it! :0 I served it over TJ's basmatti rice which I seasoned with extra curry and some golden raisins! Excellent!

[laurelhiker]

Just wanted to add another "thumbs up" here. I made the recipe as is (using dry sparkling cider) and simmered it for the time(s) listed. My husband raved about the super tender chicken and we both thought the ingredients married beautifully. A comfort food sort of dish dressed up enough to be company-worthy. I served this over basmati. :)

-- GG

[Marsha]

We thought this was good, but not spicy enough for us - I added 1/2 tsp of Penzey's hot curry powder (used the regular Penzey's curry powder for the recipe) and added a very large japapeno pepper, seeded, minced, to the mixture. That made it perfect for us, but we really like hot & spicy food.