I’ll be honest, I had a hard time coming up with the name for this one. Do people even use the word ‘stew’ anymore?? Is this 1956?
I don’t know, but coming up with the right name is really the only thing that’s hard about this recipe. And the BEST part is that it uses a store-bought rotisserie chicken, so the effort is very minimal, with AMAZING results.
Oh, I also should mention that it makes kale taste good! I mean, if you braise a rubber eraser in bacon it would probably taste good too.
Facts are facts.
Anyhow, I saw a recipe similar to this once (but I forget where – I know it was a magazine though, in a doctor’s office), and it gave me the inspiration for this dish. Feel free to add or subtract veggies too – I added some baby portabello mushrooms and YUM.
NOTE: you don’t have to be a skilled butcher to cut the chicken – they should cut up pretty easily into 8 pieces without much effort. But if you need extra help, click here.
Tomato & Bacon-Braised Roast Chicken Stew
- 1 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
- 4 slices bacon, cut into 1-inch pieces
- 1 shallot, diced
- (1) 10 oz. package of white or Portabello mushrooms, quartered
- 2/3 cup dry white wine
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
- (1) 14.5 oz can of diced tomatoes
- 1 tbsp tomato paste
- 2 cups chicken broth
- 1/2 tsp Kosher salt
- Pinch of chili flakes
- Pinch of black pepper
- (1) Rotisserie Chicken, cut into 6-8 pieces
- 1 bunch of kale, stems removed, torn/cut into bite-size pieces
Directions
- In a heavy/large pot or Dutch oven over medium-high heat, add olive oil. Cook bacon until it starts to brown, about 4-5 mins. Add the shallot and cook another 5 mins until they soften. Add mushrooms and cook until they start to shrink a little in size and become tender, just a few more mins.
- Add the wine and garlic and deglaze the bottom of the pot, aka, scrape up any of the brown bits stuck to the bottom. This is where the flavor comes from! The wine should reduce by half in a few minutes during this process.
- Add diced tomatoes (along with the juice from the can), chicken broth, Kosher salt and red pepper flakes and bring to a light boil. Reduce the heat to medium, and add the chicken into the tomato-broth, skin-side up.
- Add the kale right on top (don’t worry about mixing it yet) and just cover the pot with a lid that fits. The steam from the chicken and tomato-broth underneath will steam the kale, allowing it to shrink in size, about 5-7 mins. Once this happens, you can remove the lid and push the kale down into the stew and mix (gently) with the chicken, tomatoes, and bacon.
- The chicken is fully cooked, so all you need to do is make sure it’s warmed through. Should be done by the time the kale is wilted, but if not, allow it to cook with the lid off for another 5 mins. Serve in bowls with a side of crusty bread!
