Chicken Stew

Made in a pressure cooker, this is a traditional rustic stew full of poultry and veggie goodness. Pears, herbs and a dash of vinegar help to give the dish a rich and complicated flavour profile.

• Serves: 4
• Time to Make: approx. 60 minutes

Ingredients

• 4–6 chicken thighs (~600g)
• 4 large potatoes
• 2 medium carrots
• 150g celery
• 1 large onion
• 1 small pear
• 3 cups (750mL) chicken stock
• 40mL white wine vinegar
• 1 tsp salt
• ½ tsp rosemary
• ½ tsp thyme
• ½ tsp basil
• ½ tsp sage
• 1 bay leaf
• 1 tbsp (15g) cornstarch
• 1 tbsp (15g) cooking oil

Method

1. Set the pressure cooker to its “brown/sauté” setting. Sprinkle some salt and pepper over the chicken, and cook it for 6 minutes on each side to brown.
2. While the chicken is cooking, chop the onion, carrots, celery (finely) and potatoes and pear (in dice cubes).
3. Temporarily remove the chicken from the pot. Add the onion and celery and stir around. Use a plastic spoon to dislodge any of the browned chicken that’s got stuck to the bottom, to ensure the flavour infuses through the vegetables. Cook for about 3 minutes, then progressively add some of the chicken stock (not all yet unless you want splashing as you add later ingredients) and stir it through.
4. Add the potatoes, carrot, pear, herbs, a teaspoon of salt, and the chicken you cooked previously. Then add the rest of the chicken stock and the vinegar (or white wine) and stir again.
5. Put the lid on the pressure cooker and seal shut. Set the pressure cooker to cook on HIGH for 25 minutes. Once that time has passed, allow the steam to release naturally (i.e. without touching the valve) for at least 10 minutes.
6. Vent any remaining pressure and open the lid. You don’t need to shred the chicken; it will come apart when you mix in the cornstarch (assuming you want the stew to thicken). So, add a tablespoon of cornstarch into the stew and mix in very thoroughly. Cook uncovered for a final 5 minutes or so until the stew thickens. Taste the mixture, season with some further salt and pepper if needed, and serve.

Nutrition Info

Notes

• My recipe has been cobbled together from these ones: Pressure Cooker Chicken Stew Recipe , Dad Cooks Dinner’s Pressure Cooker Chicken Stew , and The Healthy Mom’s Healthy Slow Cooker Chicken Stew