Every winter I get addicted to one ingredient and use it as widely as possible. Last year it was shallots cooked in butter, wine and herbs, this year it’s chicken! I’ve been pescatarian first about 20 years but after a year of breastfeeding my daughter my body demanded animal protein and chicken was happy to oblige. The daughter in question also influenced not only what but how I cook – mainly one pot or tray dishes that are easy to throw together (quite literally) with one hand. So a chicken soup / stew of sorts became my new staple. It really ticks all the boxes: a perfect winter warmer, it has all the nutrients my family needs, full of simply yet delightful flavour & it keeps for days!
I’ve made different versions of it so feel free to add your stamp. Mine is mainly dictated by what’s in the fridge and needs to go first. So it’s pretty green too in every sense of the word!
Recipe
Makes 4-6
1.5 litres of chicken stock (home-made or cubes)
2 chicken legs or breasts
1 celery stick
1 broken onion
2 garlic cloves
2 tablespoons of capers
1 small bunch of parsley stalks & leaves
Splash of white wine
1 large yellow potato
1 tin of beans or chickpeas, drained and rinsed
Lots of greens of choice – cavolo Nero, kale, Savoy cabbage
1/2 lemon
Salt and fresh pepper to taste
Method
Heat up the stock in a pot and boil the chicken until tender and falls off the bone easily if using legs. Strain and pull the meat. Set aside.
Heat up some olive oil in a pan fry the celery, onion, garlic, capers and fund it chopped parsley stalks with some salt and Italian herbs for 10 mins until it starts to catch. Add a splash of white wine and increase the heat till the alcohol evaporates.
Add the fried stuff into the pot with the chicken along with peeled and cubed potato and beans.
Bring to boil and cook till the potato is soft. At this point add the greens and give them a few minutes only so they don’t lose their colour.
Take off the heat and squeeze half a lemon.
Season more to taste and serve with some cracked black pepper.
It’s a great way to use all sorts of greens that might be getting tired sitting around in the fridge. You can also swap potato for orzo or any other pasta which works just as well!
kinovino.org 