Recipe: Chicken Stew

Based on a  recipe for "Best Chicken Stew" from the November 2013 Cook's Illustrated. Read the story behind this dish in Sunday, Dinner for Two.  Serves 6.

Ingredients

2 pounds boneless, skinless chicken thighs
3 slices bacon
1 pound chicken wings halved at the joint (I purchased "party wings" which were already halved)
1 onion
1 rib celery
2 cloves garlic
2 teaspoons anchovy paste
fresh thyme
5 cups low sodium chicken broth
1 cup dry white wine
1 tablespoon low sodium soy sauce
3 tablespoons unsalted butter
⅓ cup all-purpose flour
1 pound small red potatoes
4 carrots
fresh parsley

Instructions

1. Trim excess fat from the chicken and cut the thighs in half crosswise.
2. Lightly season both sides of the chicken with salt and pepper, arrange them on a baking sheet,  cover with plastic wrap, and set aside.
3. Chop the bacon.
4. In a Dutch oven on medium low heat, cook the bacon until browned and most of the fat has been rendered, 6 to 8 minutes.
5. While the bacon and chicken wings cook, prepare the vegetables. Peel the onion and chop it fine, mince the celery rib, peel and press the garlic with a garlic press, mince fresh thyme to make 1 teaspoon of minced thyme.
6. Use a slotted spoon to move the bacon from the Dutch oven to a medium bowl and set it aside.
7. Add the chicken wings to the fat in the Dutch oven and increase the heat to medium.
8. Brown the chicken wings on both sides, 10 to 12 minutes, then move them to the bowl with the bacon.
9. Add onion,  celery,  garlic, anchovy paste, and thyme to the Dutch oven and cook with occasional stirring until a dark fond forms on the bottom, 2 to 4 minutes.
10. Add 1 cup chicken broth, soy, and wine and increase heat to high.
11. Heat the oven to 325° with a rack in the middle position.
12. Cook with occasional stirring, scraping the fond from the bottom of the pan, until the liquid has boiled away and the vegetables start to sizzle.
13. While the broth cooks, cut the unpeeled potatoes into quarters; peel the carrots and cut them into ½-inch pieces.
14. Add the butter and when it has melted sprinkle the flour over the vegetables and stir to combine.
15. Slowly add the remaining 4 cups of broth and whisk until smooth.
16. Add the chicken wings, bacon, potatoes, and carrots and bring to a simmer.
17. Transfer the Dutch oven to the oven, uncovered.
18. Cook for 30 minutes, stirring once halfway through.
19. Remove the pot from the oven and use a spoon and some gravy to scrape the brown bits from the side of the pot.
20. Add the seasoned chicken thighs and, over high heat, bring the stew to a simmer.
21. Return to the oven, uncovered, and cook until the thighs offer no resistance to a fork and the vegetables are tender, about 45 minutes.
22. Mince the parsley making about 2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley.
23. Using two forks or a knife, cut the chicken into bite-sized pieces.
24. Add up to 2 tablespoons of wine, season with salt and pepper to taste, sprinkle with the parsley, and serve.

Trim the chicken thighs, cut in half, season lightly with salt and pepper, cover, and set aside.

Cook chopped bacon in Dutch oven.

While the bacon cooks, prepare anchovy paste, garlic, celery, onion, and thyme.

Remove cooked bacon and brown both sides of chicken wings.

Remove wings, add onion, celery, anchovy, garlic,and thyme, and cook until a dark fond forms.

Add broth, wine, and soy and, scraping the fond, cook until the liquid is almost all evaporated.

While the liquid reduces, prepare potatoes and carrots.

Add butter, when it has melted add flour and stir to combine.

Add remaining broth, vegetables, bacon, and wings and cook in 325° oven.

Scrape the fond from the sides of the pot, add the chicken thighs, and cook in the oven until done.

Cut up chicken, add chopped parsley and some wine, season with salt and pepper, and serve.