Chicken Cider Stew
Chicken Cider Stew, fills the kitchen with the scent of hot bacon and pungent apple

Over the years, I’ve collected several recipes that feature sweet potato, the thick-skinned, orange-fleshed tuber so packed with Vitamins A and C that some nutritionists call them a “super food”.

Especially plentiful during the fall, sweet potatoes carry about a third fewer calories and carbohydrates than white potatoes. Even low-carb diets encourage sweet potatoes when others are a no-no.

If your experience with sweet potatoes is limited to sweet concoctions topped with marshmallow, try these simple recipes and be treated to rich flavor unadulterated by added sugar. I could make a meal out of either one!

MASHED SWEET POTATOES Cook peeled sweet potatoes in boiling water until soft. Drain the water, then mash until smooth. Season lightly with salt and pepper. Top with a touch of butter.
ROASTED SWEET POTATOES Peel sweet potatoes and slice cross-wise about 1/3” thick. Spray or lightly brush both sides with olive oil, then arrange in single layer on a baking sheet. Sprinkle lightly with salt or parmesan cheese and bake at 350F for 30-40 minutes or until edges become crispy and centers soft.
CHICKEN CIDER STEW makes up quickly and will fill your home with the scent of hot bacon and pungent apple while cooking. Serve with rice cooked in half water, half apple cider, which adds a sweet, almost nutty flavor to the rice that complements the stew beautifully.
Kitchen Parade is written by second-generation food writer Alanna Kellogg and features fresh, seasonal dishes for every-day healthful eating and occasional indulgences. Have a favorite way to serve nutrient-rich sweet potatoes at your house? Forward a recipe to e-mail.

CHICKEN CIDER STEW

8 1-cup servings
Hands-on time: 25 minutes
Total preparation time: 50 minutes
  • 2 slices thick-cut bacon
  • 1 large onion, chopped (about 1 cup)
  • 1 stalk celery, chopped (about 1 cup)
  • 1½ pounds skinless, boneless chicken breasts
  • 2 carrots, chopped (about 1 cup)
  • 2 sweet potatoes, peeled and chopped (about 2 cups)
  • 1 apple, cored and chopped in ½” pieces
  • 2 cups apple cider
  • 1 cup water
  • 3 tablespoons ketchup
  • 1½ teaspoon salt
  • ¼ teaspoon savory, crushed
  • ¼ teaspoon basil, crushed
  • 1/8 teaspoon pepper
  • 2 tablespoons flour

Cook bacon until crisp over medium heat in 4-quart kettle. Remove bacon, chop and set aside. Drain fat from pan, leaving only what coats the surface. Add onions, celery and chicken to the hot kettle and sauté, stirring regularly, until onions are golden and chicken is cooked through. Add carrots, sweet potatoes and apple and let cook 3-5 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add apple cider, water, ketchup, salt, savory, basil and pepper. Stir in bacon pieces. Let simmer over low-medium heat about 20 minutes until carrots and sweet potatoes are cooked. Put flour in small dish and slowly add ½ cup hot liquid from the stew to make a smooth paste. Stir into hot stew and cook another five minutes.

NUTRITION ESTIMATE Per Serving: 225 Cal (9% from Fat, 39% from Protein, 52% from Carb); 22 g Protein; 2 g Tot Fat; 1 g Sat Fat; 1 g Mono Fat; 29 g Carb; 3 g Fiber; 49 mg Calcium; 2 mg Iron; 629 mg Sodium; 51 mg Cholesterol, Weight Watchers 4 points
LATER NOTES

• TIP: You may substitute 2 cups apple juice for the 2 cups apple cider. But for the needed astringency, near the end of the cooking time, stir in a tablespoon or two of apple cider vinegar.

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© Copyright 2002 Kitchen Parade

October 25, 2002 printme Page Permalink |email E-Mail this Recipe
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Your Comments:

I wanted to let you know how much I'm enjoying your web page. I absolutely love the Apple Cider Chicken Stew. It's one of my lunch staples.
Anonymous Amanda on 5/12/2008
 
The weather turned to Fall and I got ginormous sweet potatoes in the CSA share, so my thoughts immediately turned to this stew! My husband was deployed when I tried it last year so he got to try it for the first time last night. He loved it, and so did I! The folks are in Turkey, cruising around the Black Sea, so there is a container in my freezer for them when they return (it may thaw as mush, but then we'll call it soup).

I couldn't find savory in the store, so I substituted Herbs de Provence for the herbs.

Yum!
Anonymous kirsten on 10/03/2008