by Jennifer Sartell of Iron Oak Farm
I’ve made stew quite a bit over the years. My husband Zach is a meat and potato kinda guy. And I have to agree, there’s nothing more delicious on a Sunday evening than a crockpot full of simmering meat and hearty vegetables. When made in the crockpot, stew is an easy, throw together meal. Chop up some meat and veggies add a little broth and “set it and forget it”. While this version of “twice cooked” stew takes a little longer (and a wee bit more effort) it is DEFINITELY worth it!!!
When I say “twice cooked” the first “cook” I am referring is roasting the meat and veggies, where major flavor happens. The second “cook” is in the traditional crock pot where all the flavors meld, and get extra tender. This would work perfect for leftover roasted chicken as well.
What you will need:
A roasting chicken
butter (about 2 tbsp)
olive oil
8-10 potatoes (my favorite is redskin)
bunch of carrots (8-10 skinny ones)
3 medium onions
3 celery stalks
5 garlic cloves minced
salt, pepper, or your favorite poultry seasoning
1 cup dry white wine
chicken broth
Roux:
4 tbsp flour
4 tbsp butter
Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
Wash the chicken and pat it dry. In a 9×13 glass pan drizzle some olive oil to coat. Place the chicken in the pan and smear the skin with soft butter. Season with salt and pepper or seasoning of your choice.
Chop the vegetables into relatively similar sized cubes, place them in a bowl with the garlic, drizzle with olive oil and toss to coat. Arrange half the vegetables around the chicken.
Drizzle more olive oil on a cookie sheet and spread the rest of the veggies on the sheet, in a single layer if possible. Season the veggies too. In the pan with the chicken pour in about a cup of dry white wine.
Place the pans next to each other on the top shelf of your oven if possible. It will be harder to caramelize the bottom pan if you stack them.
Cook the chicken and veggies about 1 hour or until the juices in the chicken are no longer pink. (You can usually tell if you peek in the cavity.) Turn the veggies on the cookie sheet 30 minutes in, so they don’t stick.
While the chicken is cooking, you can make your roux. In a small sauce pan melt 4 tbsp butter. When the butter is melted add 4 tbsp flour and whisk until smooth. If it pastes up on you go ahead and add some more butter…go ahead.
Cook the roux over medium heat, whisking occasionally, until the mixture darkens in color and smells nutty. You want a rich butterscotch golden. Set aside.
This is why we roast our veggies,
And this….
oooh and these…
and this is why we roast the chicken….
All that brown crispy goodness makes for a deep flavored, hearty stew.
The pan with the chicken might not be as caramelized as the cookie sheet because the juice from the chicken and the wine create more of a steamed effect, but that’s ok, it’ll all be delicious, and that juice adds another element of flavor.
Carefully remove the chicken (I use two sets of tongs) and place it on a platter to cool. Or, another technique is to be impatient like me and dive right in and burn the heck out of your fingers. Either way, remove the chicken from the bones and add it to the crock pot. Add the veggies to the chicken and pour in enough broth to where it comes up about an inch in the bottom of the pot. (This can be done on the stove too.) Set the crockpot to low and cook for an additional hour or two.
About a half hour before your ready to eat, add the roux. The oil may have separated from the flour, just give it a good whisk and it’ll come back to life. Stir well to incorporate and thicken. Serve with buttermilk biscuits and a green salad!!!
2 Comments
I’m confused on the amount of broth to add to the chicken and veggies in the crock pot. Do you want to add enough to cover the chicken and veggies?
Don’t cover them, just about half way up the pot. 🙂