Chaos Kitchen Creations: Stew for the Cold
When it snows in Houston, it's time for chili and other kinds of stew. This week, Anna shares her own recipe for chicken stew! She also asks, what's the weirdest winter prep you've seen a Texan do?
It snowed, in Houston! I’ve been missing seasons for almost two decades now. We don’t get “real” seasons in Texas. Houston specifically is even less so, with “rainy and hot”, “hot and muggy”, and fleeting “damp cool” periods. But this week, as the Southern US was covered by an unusual cold front, life in Houston changed. It snowed about 6 inches and everything shut down. It was beautiful and a crisp, clean chill of winter.
It was wonderful! All of the Chaos Critters agreed, (except maybe Fluffy - being cold-blooded has its drawbacks).
To celebrate the cold, I created a new stew recipe to warm us up after tromping around in the snow and throwing snow balls at the house and dogs. (Is that why Crokell was really so wet when he came in? -Tod)
You’ve seen Pollen Dog - now, for the first time ever, behold Powder Snow Dog!
Recipe:
Ingredients
salt to taste (1-3 tablespoons depending on the bone broth)
2lbs of chicken breasts (skinless, boneless) - to be cubed
5 carrots cubed
5 parsnips cubed
10 small red potatoes cubed
20-30 mushrooms (Cremini mushrooms and Button mushrooms)
2 Tablespoon of olive oil.
3 tablespoons of garlic (minced or powdered)
3 tablespoons of onion powder
2 tablespoon of cumin
2 teaspoon of rosemary
2 teaspoon of thyme
2 teaspoon of Italian seasoning
3 bay leaves
1 quart bone broth
4 cups water
1 cup of rice
I would love to put in chopped onions and smashed garlic, to make it even better. If I had those, I’d sauté them up with the mushrooms, carrots, and parsnips. I would use one large yellow onion and 3 cloves of fresh crushed, chopped garlic. If I had them.
Preparation:
Cube parsnips and carrots together in 1 inch.
Slice mushrooms.
Cook the the Cubed Chicken
Cube the chicken breasts on a separate plastic cutting board.
In a large pot or Dutch oven, heat a tablespoon of oil over medium heat.
Add cubed chicken breast cook until browned with 1/4 of the seasoning.
Heat oil in a pan over medium-high heat, cook undisturbed for about 3 minutes, then flip and cook for an additional 3 minutes until the internal temperature. This will be a little undercooked, but we will put it in the stew later.
Put to the side and use the pot for the broth.
Cook Start Potatoes
Cube potatoes in 1.5 inch on a clean vegetable cutting board.
Put cubed potatoes in broth.
Bring water and bone broth with 1/2 of the seasoning up to boil and all 3 bay leaves.
Cook for ~12 minutes at low simmer.
(Looks a little bit “witches’ brew to me. But really tasty. -Tod)
Prepare Aromatics and vegetables
In a sauté pan, heat a tablespoon of oil over medium heat.
Add slice the mushrooms
Add the cubed parsnips and carrots
Also add the rice to get a little color on it.
Cook for 4 minutes.
Stir in the minced garlic (or garlic powder) and onion powder.
Cook for an additional 2 minutes until fragrant.
Incorporate Soups
Add the rice, vegetables, and browned chicken into soup.
Spice it Up
Add the last 1/4 of the seasoning.
If you want some spice add 1 teaspoon or so of cayenne powder. (Or more, if you’re like me. -Tod)
Let it Simmer
The rice will take around 20 minutes to cook, so let it simmer on low for about 20 minutes. It can be on a little longer as it will help lock in the flavors.
Taste and Adjust
After simmering, taste the soup and adjust the seasoning if necessary. You can add more salt or cayenne to suit your preference. (Yes! -Tod)
Serve
Serve the soup hot! After all it is for a cold day.
Storage: This soup can be stored in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 5 days or frozen for up to 3 months.
Chaos Tip of the Week
You know that parsnips are a little sweet. So, how about roasting parsnips for a party and convincing everyone they're "nature's candy" - because you too can join the dangerous root vegetable propaganda fleet!
Critter’s Weekly Question
So, what do you think the most ridiculous winter gear a Texan or Southern gear might improvise when unexpected snow hits? (Bonus points for creativity!) For our favorite, we’ll generate an AI image for what this would look like. So fellow writing friends and fiends, do your worst!
