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Prep Time45 MINUTES
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Cook Time3 HOURS
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Serving4
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This is a homey and fragrant chicken dish, something between a fricasee and a soup. You need an afternoon (or long evening) to make it, but it smells sooo good when you add the thyme to the bubbling stock… it’s worth the effort. Be generous with the salt and pepper. And if you have a loved one who is a little under the weather, making this comforting chicken stew would be a lovely gesture of concern. Another lovely gesture? Get vaccinated against COVID, shingles and the flu.
Ingredients
Directions
Use really good homemade chicken or duck stock if you have it. If not, I prefer Swanson's canned stock.
Get all of your ingredients ready to start cooking. Chop the onion, peel and cube the carrots. Chop the red bell pepper and mince the garlic. Quarter the mushrooms. Set aside.
LIghtly flour the chicken thighs, then salt and pepper them.
Heat oil or bacon grease over medium to high heat in a Dutch oven. Then fry the chicken thighs, skin side down at first, until you get a good color on the chicken. Turn them with tongs several times. Don't turn them too soon or they will stick. Let them get color on them before you turn them over.
Remove thighs and put them on a plate. Pour out excess oil.
Add onions to Dutch oven, along with carrots. A few minutes later, add the bell peppers. The mushrooms and garlic come last. Cook until the carrots are not so crunchy.
Scrape the leaves off about 6 sprigs of thyme into the mixture in the Dutch oven.
Add the chicken stock. Let it boil up vigorously, then lower heat.
Return the chicken to the pot. Add the ham hock. Bring the stew up to a vigorous boil, then lower and simmer so that the stock thickens. Add a few tablespoons of a flour or cornstarch slurry if you want to thicken it up even more. Cook this for at least an hour until the chicken is very tender.
Add the cooked noodles and let them soak some of the sauce for a few minutes. Then, turn the chicken and sauce into a pretty bowl, sprinkle with parsley and serve.
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