As we’re coming out of the produce wasteland that’s been happening during Bountiful Basket’s annual break, I had to take stock of what was actually in my refrigerator and come up with something for dinner. I managed to find some tomatillos (from the Mexican pack that was offered the last distribution before Christmas), and a lonely jalapeno. Hubby keeps us stocked in avocados & cilantro (he shops on his way home from work – which is 65 miles away – we live in a super small town with limited options unless you’re in the “big city” – in which case, you have pretty much unlimited options), and he’d picked up a monster bag of garlic at the beginning of December. And a trip to Costco during the break netted us a big bag of onions. Whew!
I also tend to “put up” lots of goodies when they become available over the year as add-ons – which means I also had canned corn and canned tomatoes. And with the combination of all these ingredients (plus a couple more), I was able to come up with this hearty stew to warm our tummys.
Ingredients
- 3 1/2 tbsp olive oil
- 2 lbs boneless chicken breasts, cut into 1 1/2 to 2-inch cubes
- 4 tsp ground cumin
- 2 tsp salt
- 2 tsp pepper
- 6-8 tomatillos, husked and chopped
- 1 large onion, diced
- 6 garlic cloves, finely diced
- 1 jalapeno, seeded and chopped
- 1/4 cup flour
- 3 cups chicken stock
- 1 pint whole tomatoes, chopped, juice reserved
- 2 tbsp brown sugar
- 1 pint canned corn
- 2 cups frozen corn, drained
- 1 handful cilantro, chopped
- 2 avocados, peeled and diced (optional)
Instructions
- Season chicken with 2 tbsp cumin and 1 tsp each of salt and pepper.
- Heat 1 tbsp olive oil in a large dutch oven over medium heat, until oil is shimmering.
- Brown 1/3 of the chicken. Repeat with remaining chicken, adding 1 tbsp oil to dutch oven each time.
- Remove chicken from pan.
- Add remaining oil to pan. Add tomatillos, onion, garlic, jalapeno, and remaining cumin, salt, and pepper.
- Cook, uncovered, until softened, stirring occasionally.
- Sprinkle flour over vegetables. Stir and cook until incorporated (1-2 minutes).
- Slowly add 1 cup of chicken stock, stirring until thickened.
- Add remaining stock, tomatoes, sugar, and corn. Cover.
- Reduce heat and simmer 15-20 minutes, stirring occasionally.
- Stir in cilantro and serve.
- Top each bowl of stew with diced avocados.
