One Pot Meal: Hearty Vegetable and Chicken Stew

Now that I’m getting the weekly veggie box I’ve got this incredible assortment of vegetables around the house at all times. When I picked up this weeks selection, it was a chilly day and my loot begged to be turned into a hearty stew. The thought of heading to the store for other ingredients had zero appeal, so I headed home and went shopping in my pantry and freezer. Turns out my mini grocery store has quite a good selection! Get the recipe and find out what’s good to keep in your pantry after the jump…

Hearty Vegetable and Chicken Stew Recipe

4 cups of chicken broth (I keep the pantry stocked with Trader Joes liquid concentrate chicken broth packets)

2 chicken breasts, cut into strips (there’s always several packs of 2 frozen chicken breasts in my tiny freezer)

2 carrots, sliced

1/2 onion coarsely chopped

3 ribs celery chopped

6-8 swiss chard, leaves trimmed and coarsely chopped, stems chopped

1 small turnip, cubed

1 small parsnip, cubed

1/3 cup barley, rinsed ( I keep a bag in my pantry because it makes any soup heartier, not to mention, mmmm)

2 cloves garlic

1 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley or 1 tablespoon dry

olive oil

sea salt and pepper

* Vegetarian Option: omit the chicken and use veggies broth in place of the chicken broth

Heat oil in a pot over medium and add the onions, cook for 3 minutes. Add the celery, swiss chard stems, carrots, and garlic, cook for 5 minutes. Drop in the chicken pieces and cook until the chicken is light, not pink, on all sides. Pour in the chicken broth and add the barley. Bring to a boil, cover and cook for 10 minutes. Add the turnip and parsnip, cook at a simmer for 20 -25 minutes or until barley is done and veggies are soft. Serves 6.