Everything but the Kitchen Sink Chicken Stew

There is nothing I love more than throwing into a crockpot a bunch of ingredients of whatever I have on hand and a few hours later having something delicious for dinner or for lunches for the week. This is one of those recipes. I also love to re-purpose and utilize the bones from a roasted chicken (see my Herb & Orange Roasted Chicken) to get all the flavor out of the remains and also any extra meat that is on there. A lot of times I'll just make broth - lots of water and some seasonings. But most of the time I'll make chicken noodle soup. This past weekend I decided I wanted something a little heartier AND I had things I needed to get rid of in my fridge so this everything but the kitchen sink chicken stew came to be.

You might be thinking, what is the difference between a soup and a stew. Simply put - its the amount of liquid. Soups tend to have mostly liquid, where as stews have less liquid to what the 'fillings' are - in addition, the ingredients are quite literally stewed in the liquid for hours for cooking. What is great about this stew, is that it is full of literally whatever you can find in your pantry or fridge.

When I was making this version, I first used the bones from my roasted chicken, but this is also a great recipe for using up leftovers - or better yet, make it vegetarian and not use chicken at all! I did all measurements for this recipe as if you hadn't used bones, since most people will not be making it the way I did :D

Its as simple as throwing it all in the crockpot and letting it stew for a few hours. I also like to microwave the potatoes for about 3-5 minutes just to soften them slightly so I know for sure they will be cooked by the time I'm getting ready to eat. Makes the BEST leftovers and I love topping with fresh chopped cilantro.

Everything but the Kitchen Sink Chicken Stew (GF/DF)

Prep Time: 15 minutes

Cook Time: 3-4 hours in the crockpot

Ingredients

• 8-10 cups of low or no sodium broth

• 2 cups diced potatoes

• 1 cup peas (I used frozen)

• 1 cup corn (frozen)

• 1 cup diced carrots

• 1 can diced fire roasted tomatoes (no or low sodium)

• 1 teaspoon sriracha

• 1 teaspoon minced garlic

• 1 teaspoon salt

• 1 teaspoon pepper

• 1/2 small white onion, chopped

• 1/2 cup celery

• 1 tablespoon tomato paste

• 1 tablespoon lemon juice

• 4 cups shredded chicken

• Fresh chopped cilantro - to add when serving

• Optional: white or kidney beans would also be great in this or as a substitute for the chicken.

Directions

1. Dice up carrots, celery, onion and potatoes. Set aside

2. Shred chicken if it isn't already.

3. Place all ingredients into a crockpot, give a good stir and cook on high for 3-4 hours until ready to serve. Top with chopped cilantro.

xx

Rita