Creamy French Chicken Stew

• servings: 6 servings
• active time: 25 minutes
• total time: 1 hour

Ingredients

1 tablespoon olive oil

1 tablespoon (1/2 oz) unsalted butter

1 1/2 pounds boneless, skinless chicken breasts (cut into bite-sized cubes)

2 medium (2 cups) carrots (peeled and finely diced)

2 small stalks (1 cup) celery (finely diced)

1 small (1 cup) onion (finely diced)

2 teaspoons fresh thyme leaves

Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper

8 ounces (3 cups) white or cremini mushrooms (finely sliced)

1/4 cup all-purpose flour

2 cups canned chicken broth or homemade chicken stock

1/4 cup heavy cream

Fresh thyme or fresh parsley (for serving)

Directions

Heat

In a large, deep heavy skillet over medium-high heat, warm the oil and butter.

Sear

Add the chicken and cook, stirring occasionally, until it just starts to brown on the outside, 6 to 8 minutes.

Scoop

Using a slotted spoon, transfer the chicken to a plate.

Cook

Add the carrot, celery and onion to the skillet along with the fresh thyme, a big pinch of salt and a few grinds of black pepper. Cook over medium heat until the vegetables just start to soften, 4 to 7 minutes.

Sauté

Toss in the mushrooms and cook until they start to brown and release their juices, 4 to 6 minutes.

Stir

Sprinkle the flour over the vegetables and stir until completely coated.

Deglaze

Pour in 1 cup of stock and cook until the liquid starts to thicken, about 15 seconds.

Heat

Return the chicken back to the skillet, then pour in the rest of the stock and increase the heat to high. Bring the mixture to a boil.

Simmer

Once the mixture is bubbling, reduce the heat to medium-low and simmer until the liquid has reduced and thickened, 10 to 15 minutes. It should look like a slightly watery stew at this point.

Finish

Reduce the heat to low and add the cream. Stir through and cook over low heat until desired sauce consistency is reached.

Serve

Season to taste with salt and pepper and sprinkle with fresh herbs to serve.

Nutrition

• Serving Size: 1 portion
• Calories: 255 kcal
• Total Fat: 11 g
• Saturated Fat: 5 g
• Unsaturated Fat: 5 g
• Trans Fat: 1 g
• Cholesterol: 91 mg
• Sodium: 177 mg
• Total Carbohydrate: 10 g
• Dietary Fiber: 1 g
• Total Sugars: 2 g
• Protein: 28 g