Chicken Stufato
Serves 4 plentifully. Serve over rice or traditionally like the Italians who enjoy it best over roasted potatoes (Oven Roasted Potatoes).
Ingredients
1 ½ lbs. boneless & skinless chicken thighs, (appx. 6 med thighs), trimmed of excess fat and cut into large 2″ chunk pieces
3 TBS canola or vegetable oil
3 TBS pine nuts, toasted
2 sprigs fresh rosemary without stems, finely chopped
3 sprigs fresh thyme without stems, only the greens, finely chopped
2 large carrots, chopped small dice
3 large celery stalks, chopped small dice
1 medium onion, chopped small dice
1/2 cup white wine, preferably dry, not a sweet wine
1/2 cup whole olives with or without pits (use Tagiasca, or oil cured black olive – Ligurian or nicoise.)
1 cup low sodium chicken broth, warmed a little
Kosher Salt and fresh pepper
BROWN CHICKEN ON BOTH SIDES – Heat oil over medium heat in a medium to large Dutch or French oven (Le Creuset) or high rimmed large skillet with lid. Add chicken to pot, positioning pieces in a single layer on bottom. Cook for 5 – 10 minutes on one side until golden browned. Using a wooden spoon, or tongs, flip chicken pieces to brown on other side, about 5 minutes. Some sticking may occur, though it will release relatively well once the chicken has browned well enough. Continue cooking the chicken, until liquid from the chicken cooks off and a little oil remains. Stir frequently.
ADD CHOPPED VEGETABLES (not the herbs yet) – Mix the vegetables with chicken, still on medium heat. Cook until veggies are softened a little and there’s some browning, about 8 – 10 minutes.
DEGLAZE WITH WINE – Pour wine into the pot. Using a wooden spoon or straight edged wooden spatula scrape the browning or fond off the sides and bottom of the pot. These are the flavor bits that melt into the sauce. Reduce wine to at least half or more.
FLAVOR WITH HERBS – And the herbs, toasted pine nuts, and olives. Mix together, continuing to cook on medium heat for a few minutes. Sprinkle a couple pinches of salt and several grinds of pepper to your taste
ADD BROTH – Pour in the broth and bring to a boil. Turn down to a simmer, just bubbling, and cover loosely with a lid for 30-45 minutes. Should be a stew with a little liquid when it’s done.
TASTE IT! Season with salt and pepper if needed.
Suggestion: If you don’t have white wine, simply add the chicken broth from the get-go and deglaze accordingly. You can also substitute red wine for the white. For a spicier dish, sauté with the diced vegetables a jalapeño pepper diced finely, core and seeds removed.
