Creamy Chicken and Vegetable Stew

This is a deliciously hearty casserole which in a tropical environment like Singapore with daily heat and humidity needs to be toned down a fraction and eaten with a light green salad instead of rice as suggested in the cooking book.

Another from Women's Weekly Casseroles and Stews collection, this recipe is definitely abundant.  Instead of serving 4 as suggested, it actually serves 6-8 people.  So nice to make in bulk if you want to have some for lunch the next day or for leftover nights when you don't feel like being in the kitchen.

I found the creamy sauce a little thick making the meal far too dense when topped on rice, however, it was rectified the next day with some extra milk to thin it out along with a bit more mustard in order to maintain the flavour.  The next day, instead of rice we had it with fresh spinach leaves topped with fresh mango pieces and drizzled with vinaigrette.  It made a world of difference to the dish and we ate with a lot of gusto.

Ingredients

2 large chicken breast, skinned, deboned and cut into 2cm pieces (or 1 kg thigh fillets)
2 tablespoons plain flour
3 tablespoons olive oil
1 large onion, peeled and chopped coarsely
1 clove garlic, crushed, peeled and finely chopped
1 medium carrot, peeled and chopped coarsely
1 large potato, peeled and chopped coarsely
2 celery stalks, trimmed and chopped coarsely
1 cup white wine (use something you're happy to drink)
1.5 cups chicken stock (if you don't want to use wine then substitute the quantity for extra stock)
1 large zucchini, chopped coarsely (do not peel as it will turn into mush during the cooking process)
1 can green beans (you can use fresh if you prefer)
2 medium tomatoes, chopped coarsely
300ml light/thin cream (don't use thickened cream as it makes the stew too dense)
2 tablespoons wholegrain mustard

Method

Coast the chicken in the plain flour.  In a large saucepan (preferably non-stick), on medium, heat 2 tablespoons of oil and cook the chicken until browned.  Remove from pan.

Heat the remainder 1 tablespoon of oil on medium and add onion, garlic, carrot, potato and celery.  Cook for 5 minutes, stirring regularly (if you are not using a non-stick saucepan then make sure you are stirring regularly, otherwise the chicken will stick to the bottom of the pan and start burning).  Add the wine and bring to boil.  Leave pan uncovered and boil until the liquid reduces by half.

Return the chicken, add the stock and bring back to boil.  Reduce heat and simmer covered for 30 minutes or until chicken is cooked.

Add zucchini, beans, tomato, cream and mustard.  Simmer uncovered for another 10-15 minutes.

If the sauce has thickened too much add some milk to dilute until the consistency is more fluid.  Retest the flavour and add more mustard if necessary.

For a hearty approach to your meal serve it with rice or small pasta shells.  If you want it lighter serve it with a green salad on the side.

Bon appetit.