Italian Chicken Stew #SoupSaturdaySwappers

Welcome to Soup Saturday Swappers - our event is led by Wendy of A Day in the Life on Farm! Are you interested in joining this great group of Soup Swappers? Request to join our Facebook group here. 

Today, Sue invited us to: "Join us with your favorite recipe for any type of chicken soup or stew.."

January brings another very big and fun change to our household - in addition to COVID boosters, Lindsey getting her 2nd vaccine, our trip to WA over the holidays to see family, Lindsey starting rehearsals for Coppelia with her ballet group, and a very long list of small household projects that have been tackled over the past couple of weeks - we met and welcomed our very first international student, Dallas! He is attending a local Christian school that has a wonderful international program where students stay with local host families. My dad has been working with this school as a host for the past three years and has been lucky to have the same student the entire time. Max has become a member of the family and we are going to miss him terribly when he graduates this year! My sister and I decided to sign up as a potential host family almost a year ago and about a month ago we got a call that they had a student for us from China coming in half way through the school year!

We have been so excited to welcome Dallas into our home, and have been slowly but surely adjusting to our new routine and new normal. We all get up at about the same time in the morning, I cook a hot breakfast every morning, Kylie drives him to school, I clean up and feed everyone else, we work all day, and then I pick him up in the afternoon and have been cooking a new dinner every night since he arrived on the 4th. If nothing else, it has pointed out to me how out of the family dinner routine we've gotten over the years! 

Evenings have been free for all most of the time and occasional delivery! It's been nice to cook so regularly again. And we're slowly cycling through a lot of familiar and "classic" meals (at least familiar and classic to us)! I think some of it has gone over well, and some of it not so much. I can only imagine how much of a system shock it must be to overnight go from home / familiar / routine to a completely different culture / home / family / language. He and his mom are both incredibly brave! We just want to help him have the BEST experience while he's here!

Which leads me to chicken soup! Chicken soup is always cozy and comforting - and this recipe comes together in no time. If you've got some leftover chicken in the fridge, with a few pantry stapes you can have a very comforting, and light meal in no time. Chock full of fresh veggies and a lightly sweet delicious tomato based broth. The flavor will definitely depend on the broth and wine you use. I really enjoyed this one - and if you're looking for chicken soup inspiration, look no further than the list below!

Our homemade chicken soups:

• Caldo de Pollo + Sopa a la Mexicana by Karen’s Kitchen Stories
• Chicken Noodle Soup by Sneha’s Recipe
• Chicken Poblano Chowder from Palatable Pastime
• Ground Chicken Noodle Soup by A Day in the Life on the Farm
• Italian Chicken Stew from Making Miracles
• Chicken & Stars Soup with Peas & Fresh Dill from Faith, Hope, Love, & Luck Survive Despite a Whiskered Accomplice

Italian Chicken Stew

Ingredients

1 tablespoon olive oil

2 stalks celery, diced

2 carrots, peeled and diced

1 medium onion, diced

1 heaping tsp minced garlic

salt and pepper (to taste)

1 (14 ounce) can diced tomatoes (undrained)

1 (14 ounce) can chicken broth

1⁄4 cup white wine

1 teaspoon dried basil

1 teaspoon dried thyme

1 bay leaf

2-3 cups cooked, chopped chicken

1 (15 ounce) can cannellini (or northern) beans, drained and rinsed

Directions

1. Heat the olive oil in a large soup pot over medium-high heat. Add in the celery, carrots, and onion, stirring occasionally and adjusting heat as needed. Cook until lightly caramelized and tender (about 8-10 minutes). Add in garlic and cook another minute until fragrant. Season vegetables lightly with salt and pepper while cooking.
2. Add in the diced tomatoes, chicken broth, white wine, basil, thyme, bay leaf, and chopped chicken. Stir to evenly combine, and bring to a low simmer. Cover and simmer 15 minutes. Stir in beans and simmer another 10 minutes. If your liquid boils off too much, add a little bit extra broth if needed. Keep the simmer low so that it doesn't boil off. 
3. Taste and adjust seasoning as desired. Serve with crusty bread to sop up the liquid if desired! 

Recipe adapted from Food.com