As cooler weather prevails, I turn to soups and stews for dinner. This stew evolved in a stream of consciousness process on the stove in which I started cooking without a specific end in mind. All I knew is that I wanted to use some unused chicken thighs from another recipe and rice instead of pasta or noodles in the soup. I love how the green celery, orange carrots, and red bell pepper pop against a background of white rice. Whole chicken thighs simmering in the soup negate any need for prepared chicken stock or broth. A last-minute addition of heavy cream add richness.
I made this stew twice before going to print on the blog. In the future, I might experiment with substituting mushrooms for the bell pepper to add earthy flavor.
Paul poured a 2013 Sonoma Coast Chardonnay from Failla Wines from his curated collection when we first tried this stew, but any Chardonnay would pair well.
Cream of Chicken and Rice Stew
Ingredients:
- 4 skinless chicken thighs
- Kosher salt
- Cracked black pepper
- 1 Tbsp vegetable oil
- 1 yellow onion, diced
- 1 large carrot, diced
- 2 stalks celery, diced
- 1 red bell pepper, diced
- 4 garlic cloves, thinly sliced
- 2 tsp of a dried herbs (thyme, oregano, marjoram)
- 1 bay leaf
- 5-6 cups water
- 1 cup long grain white rice
- 1/3 cup heavy cream
Directions:
- Salt and pepper skinless chicken thighs and sauté in a little oil heated in a large pot. Cook each side for 3-4 minutes until lightly browned. Remove the chicken from the pot and set aside.
- Add diced onion, carrot, red bell pepper, celery and sliced garlic to the pot and stir until softened. Stir in dried herbs and bay leaf.
- Return the thighs to the pot on top of the vegetables and add 5-6 cups of water until the chicken and vegetables are covered. Bring to a boil then simmer for 30 minutes uncovered. Stir occassionally
- Bring to a new boil and add rice. Reduce to a simmer and cook and stir occasionally for 15 minutes.
- Remove thighs and pry meat with away from the bone with a couple of forks and shred into bite size pieces. Add meat and heavy cream to the pot. Bring to a bubbling simmer, stir and serve.
Place at the Table 