Simple Chicken Stew

Wash, dry and cut the chicken into bite size pieces. Sauté and stir it over medium heat, to create a little browning which will seal in the juiciness and add a lot of flavor to the stew. 

24oz. boneless skinless chicken

a little finely chopped onion

3-4T butter

Lowry's Seasoned Salt and pepper

Chop and add the carrot, celery and onion. Sauté with the chicken 10 minutes. Add the 28oz. can of diced tomatoes and liquid, simmer another 15 minutes. Scrub, quarter and slice a regular and Japanese purple sweet potato and add them to the pot.

Cover and simmer over very low heat an hour. Check the vegetables from time to time. Everything will be ready when the vegetables are cooked the way you like.

This is another recipe that will taste better reheated in a day or so. Cold Weather Cooking . . . I love it!

If, like me, you're in love with cream based tomato gravy, add 2/3 to 1 cup of sour cream to the cold stew before reheating. Stir it in, then slowly bring everything to a low simmer for 10 minutes before serving. . .Lin

Baked Lemon-Pepper Chicken and Vegetables

Cut these in chunks, then layer in a big glass baking pan:

• 2# chicken breast meat
• 2 potatoes
• 3 big carrots
• 1 purple onion
• 8oz. sliced mushrooms

In a small pan combine:

• 1 stick butter
• zest of one lemon
• juice of one lemon
• a sprinkle of salt
• a sprinkle of cayenne
• Lemon Pepper seasoning
• fresh ground black pepper
• 5 cloves of minced garlic

Melt, stir, then simmer for a few minutes.  Pour this over the chicken and vegetables.  Cover with foil and bake at 325° for an hour and 20 minutes.  Transfer the liquid to a small pot and thicken with a flour roux and add a little powdered chicken soup base if you'd like.  Or just ladle the liquid over big bowls of the chicken and vegetables as it is.

Warming comfort food on a chilly fall day. . .Lin

Clean-Out-The-'Fridge Chicken Stew

2-3# chicken legs - skinned

5 carrots

2 med. red potatoes

8 garlic cloves

2T oil or butter

1½c leftover (frozen) gravy from

~ Easter chicken and beef

Simmer the chicken, covered, for an hour or hour and a half, until a fork stuck in the meat comes out easily.  Remove the chicken, refrigerate and chill the cooking water overnight.  Scrape off the fat layer, heat the broth and strain it into a 3 quart pot.

Chop the carrots, potatoes and garlic.  Saute and stir, in butter or oil, 10 minutes or so.  Add 2 cups of water, the leftover gravy, and the chicken.  Simmer, covered 30-45 minutes, or until the vegetables are tender. . .Lin