OLIVER'S CHICKEN STEW

Oliver's Chicken Stew image

Remember the chicken-and-stars soup of your youth? This is like that, but heartier, more healthful and a touch more sophisticated. It's loaded with vegetables - carrots, leeks, celery - and seasoned with generous amounts of garlic, tarragon, thyme, parsley and bay leaf. Tiny little star pasta (stellini) make it unbearably charming, and a good squeeze of lemon juice brightens it all up. Serve it over slices of toasted Italian bread for the ultimate in comfort food.

Provided by Jennifer Steinhauer

Categories dinner, one pot, soups and stews, main course

Time 1h

Yield 6 servings

Number Of Ingredients 18

Ingredients

1 3 1/2 - to 4-pound chicken, rinsed
8 cups chicken stock
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
5 medium carrots, thickly sliced
4 medium leeks, tender white part only, thickly sliced
4 celery stalks, thickly sliced
4 cloves garlic, smashed
1 teaspoon chopped thyme
1 bay leaf
3 sprigs flat-leaf parsley
1/2 cup stellini (tiny star pasta)
3 tablespoons unsalted butter
1 tablespoon lemon juice
1 tablespoon chopped tarragon
1/4 cup chopped flat-leaf parsley
6 slices toasted Italian bread
1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil
1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese

Steps:

Place the chicken in a 6-quart pot, breast side down. Add the stock, lightly seasoned with salt and pepper, and bring to a boil, skimming often. Add the carrots, leeks, celery, garlic, thyme, bay leaf and parsley and simmer. After 15 minutes, flip the chicken and cook for 25 minutes more. Remove the chicken and let cool.
Discard the bay leaf and parsley. Strain the vegetables, reserving the vegetables and the liquid. Return the stock to the pot; bring to a simmer. Pull the chicken meat off the bones. Add the pasta to the stock and cook for 3 minutes, then whisk in the butter, lemon juice, tarragon and parsley. Add the chicken and vegetables; heat through.
To serve, place a piece of toast in the bottom of each of 6 bowls, then drizzle with olive oil and sprinkle with Parmesan. Top with stew.

Nutrition Facts : @context http, Calories 855, UnsaturatedFat 32 grams, Carbohydrate 45 grams, Fat 51 grams, Fiber 5 grams, Protein 52 grams, SaturatedFat 16 grams, Sodium 1870 milligrams, Sugar 11 grams, TransFat 0 grams