Friday Food Club's Lean Chicken Stew

Thank you, so much to Friday Food Club’s Lee Behan for giving us his recipe for chicken stew. Lee was behind the cooking with Gizzi Erksine at this summer’s celebrity Great British C Party.

Lee says ‘you can't beat anything that warms the soul and nothing warms the soul better than a hearty stew. This recipe is full of liver rejuvenating properties and you can pretty much add any of your favourite vegetables, however try and keep it seasonal which will mean it will not only taste better, but it also be easier on the pocket’.

Serves 4 hearty portions:

4 lean chicken breast (cut into decent sized chunks)
3 rashers of streaky bacon (diced)
2 gloves of garlic (sliced thinly)
4 large carrots (peeled and sliced into 2cm chunks)
2 large parsnips (peeled and sliced into 2 cm chunks)
2 large Onions (quartered)
1 whole broccoli (trimmed into florets)
2 chicken stock cubes (diluted as per the packet instructions)
4 table spoons plain flour
4 table spoons of olive oil
Table spoon chopped parsley
Salt & Pepper

1. Add the oil to the casserole dish (or heavy based oven ready saucepan). Heat and then add the diced streaky bacon and cook until it starts to go crispy. Pop the oven on at 170c
2. Remove the bacon from the pan, leaving the oil and then add the pieces of chicken breast, garlic & the flour. Cook this until the edges of the chicken start to catch. Don't worry of the pan is starting to smoke.
3. Now add the chicken stock (this should loosen any burnt bits from the bottom - this is where all the flavour is)
4. Let this cook in the pan for about 3 minutes, keep stirring to get rid of any loose bit or flour.
5. Add all the vegetables except the broccoli and place a lid on your casserole dish (or cover tightly with foil)
6. Pop in the oven for about an hour (or until your vegetables are just cooked
7. 10 mins before the stew is finished bring a pan of salted water to the boil and cook the broccoli until tender (normally about 4 mins).
8. Remove the stew from the oven, check the season and served with the hot, steaming broccoli and a sprinkling of the chopped parsley

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