Chicken Stew with Preserved Lemons and Olives

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I’ve got some interesting things coming up… maybe even a giveaway? Not in this post though, but soon! I’m generally against giveaways… People should read blogs for their content, not for the swag. But y’know, Savory Notes has been up for over a year now, I figured it was time to reward you for sticking around for so long. Kind of like disciplining your kids; I’m rewarding your good behaviors. Positive reinforcement.

It’s been raining on and off randomly here in SoCal, and I’m loving it. Day after day of 80°, sunshine, and clear skies is boring. Clearly I’m not meant for this type of climate. But when it gets dark and stormy, it gives me a great excuse to make warm and hearty stews!

I don’t mean to toot my own horn here, but this is fantastic. The little bits of preserved lemons and olives give you these bursts of flavor that cut through the meatiness and richness of this stew. It’s so delicious. Really, I can’t emphasize enough how awesome this turned out. But because preserved lemons and green olives are so briny and salty, you really need to be careful about the amount of salt you use throughout the stew. I used a low sodium chicken stock, and barely any salt at all on the veggies to sweat them out.

Remember when we made the preserved lemons and limes? You’ll be so happy you did.

Ingredients for Chicken Stew

• 1 lb boneless, skinless, chicken thighs
• 1 C chopped onion
• 1 C chopped celery
• 1/2 C chopped carrots (or whole baby carrots)
• 5 cloves garlic, finely minced
• 4 C chicken stock
• 2 C red wine
• 1, 14oz can of diced tomatoes
• 1/2 C chopped mushrooms
• 1-2 C chopped potatoes (anything but russet/baked potato. Amount is up to you, as potato-y as you like it.)
• preserved lemons, and green olives (amount below)
• 2 Tbsp olive oil
• black pepper

Instructions for Chicken Stew

1. Heat olive oil in a pan over medium heat. Sprinkle black pepper onto chicken thighs and add them to the pot. Brown on both sides. Even though the chicken thighs are skinless, there is still enough fat on them to get nice and brown. We aren’t looking to cook the chicken here, just to brown it on both sides. This should take you about 10 mins total.
2. Remove chicken, and add onion/celery/carrots to pot. Sprinkle just a pinch of salt over them. (Because we’re using preserved lemons and olives at the end, you want to be careful about how much salt you use while making the stew.) Sweat vegetables for ~7 mins until onions are translucent.
3. Add garlic and cook until it is fragrant (only about 3 mins).
4. Pour in 2 cups of wine, and simmer until wine is reduced by half.
5. Add chicken back to the pot, along with the chicken stock, 14oz can of tomatoes (juice and all!) and add the potatoes. Bring to a boil, then lower the heat to a simmer and cook for about 20 mins.
6. Add the mushrooms and cook for a final 15 mins.
7. Finely mince about 1 Tbsp of preserved lemon (don’t forget to rinse the pieces before you dice them!) and 1 Tbsp of green olives. Serve on top of individual servings.

I used a blend of purple and red potatoes, to make everything more colorful. Not that I would’ve noticed because I inhaled it so quickly. An optional addition to this stew would be a fresh loaf of Italian sesame seed bread to sop up all the glorious broth.

So hey, about that giveaway… stay tuned early next week!

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5 Notes

1. Adam says:

   April 27, 2012 at 9:11 pm

   This looks delish! I love the styling, good work!

   Reply
   • Cathy says:

     April 28, 2012 at 2:49 am

     Thank you!

     Reply
2. Jen says:

   April 28, 2012 at 2:01 am

   I made this tonight and was so pleased! It was super delish and I could see it made with beef or even just a vegetable stew. Very nice!

   Reply
   • Cathy says:

     April 28, 2012 at 2:49 am

     So glad to hear you enjoyed it! Thanks!

     Reply
3. Ann says:

   April 28, 2012 at 6:49 am

   I have a jar of preserved lemons that are just destined for your chicken stew. ~Ann

   Reply