Celebrity chef Jamie Oliver has put his twist on a classic, creating a perfect chicken stew for the dreary weather. It’s an easy recipe that can be recreated at home.
His ‘not too tricky’ recipe, which he calls ‘Jools’ simple chicken and veg stew’, will warm you up with its combination of succulent chicken thighs, a medley of root vegetables, streaky bacon, and fragrant thyme.
To add depth and a rich flavour to the stew, Jamie includes a secret ingredient a dash of Marmite enhancing the savoury taste that complements freshly baked crusty bread beautifully.
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According to the chef, any root vegetables you have to hand can be thrown into the pot. He explained: “I’ve used celeriac and parsnips in my recipe, but you can use any root veg you’ve got knocking around in the bottom of the fridge turnips, butternut squash and potato all work really well.”
Jamie also said: “I don’t really like onions in my cooking, so I always leave them out of my stews I prefer to use leeks instead. My kids also like sweetcorn in there, which I stir in from frozen just after the casserole has come out of the oven.”
The dish not only promises to satisfy your stomach but also offers a health boost. With each serving dishing up 25.8 grams of protein and containing just 420 calories, this stew is a conscientious yet comforting choice, reports the Mirror.
For an extra touch of home comfort, serve it with fluffy mashed potatoes or warm, crusty bread.
Ingredients
- Two medium leeks
- Two carrots
- Two sticks of celery
- Two cloves of garlic
- Three sprigs of fresh thyme
- Three rashers of higher-welfare smoked streaky bacon
- Olive oil
- 200g celeriac
- Two parsnips
- Six new potatoes
- Eight free-range chicken thighs, skin off, bone out
- One heaped teaspoon Marmite
- 600ml organic vegetable stock
Method
Preheat the oven to 180oC/350oC/gas 5.
Trim, wash and slice the leeks 1cm thick, scrub and cut the carrots into rough chunks and finely slice the celery. Peel and finely slice the garlic, pick the thyme leaves, discarding the stalks, and finely slice the bacon.
Heat a lug of oil in a large casserole pan on a medium heat, then add the bacon. Scatter in the thyme leaves and fry for a few minutes, or until the bacon is golden.
Next, add the leeks, carrots, celery and garlic and cook for around 10 minutes, or until the leeks start to soften, stirring regularly. Meanwhile, peel and roughly chop the celeriac and parsnips, then roughly chop the potatoes.
Add the chicken, celeriac, parsnips and potatoes to the pan. Stir in the Marmite, add a good grinding of black pepper and stir to coat.
Pour in the hot stock, bring to the boil, then turn the heat down to low. Crumple up and wet a piece of greaseproof paper, then open it out and place on top of the stew.
Cover with a lid and pop in the oven for 1 hour, or until the chicken is super-tender.
When the time’s up, gently break the chicken up into the stew, then serve up in bowls. I like to serve this with broccoli on the side.