Chicken soup - WeekofMenus

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I love this Chicken Stew from Giada de Laurentiis. It's simple but the flavors are really satisfying and there are enough vegetables in there for me to calm my nutrition gauge for my kids. It freezes really well (even tastes better the next day) and is a great staple for any dinner table. I always DOUBLE the recipe because I want to have some frozen. Also, feel free to add extra chicken broth if you like it more "soupy" vs. "stewy." (I tend to add a lot more broth.)

Chicken Stew

2 tablespoons olive oil
2 stalks celery, cut into bite-size pieces
1 carrot, peeled, cut into bite-size pieces
1 small onion, chopped
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
1 (14 1/2-ounce) can chopped tomatoes
1 (14-ounce) can low-salt chicken broth
1/2 cup fresh basil leaves, torn into pieces
1 tablespoon tomato paste
1 bay leaf
1/2 teaspoon dried thyme leaves
2 chicken breast with ribs (about 1 1/2 pounds total)
1 (15-ounce) can organic kidney beans, drained (rinsed if not organic) (I used cannelini beans today, only because I didn't have any kidney beans on hand...equally delicious.)

Serving suggestion: crusty bread (or sandwiches!)

Heat the oil in a heavy 5 1/2-quart saucepan over medium heat. Add the celery, carrot, and onion. Saute the vegetables until the onion is translucent, about 5 minutes. Season with salt and pepper, to taste. Stir in the tomatoes with their juices, chicken broth, basil, tomato paste, bay leaf, and thyme. Add the chicken breasts; press to submerge.

Bring the cooking liquid to a simmer. Reduce the heat to medium-low and simmer gently uncovered until the chicken is almost cooked through, turning the chicken breasts over and stirring the mixture occasionally, about 25 minutes. Using tongs, transfer the chicken breasts to a work surface and cool for 5 minutes. Discard the bay leaf. Add the kidney beans to the pot and simmer until the liquid has reduced into a stew consistency, about 10 minutes.

Discard the skin and bones from the chicken breasts. Shred or cut the chicken into bite- size pieces. Return the chicken meat to the stew. Bring the stew just to a simmer. Season with salt and pepper, to taste.

Ladle the stew into serving bowls and serve with the bread.

http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/giada-de-laurentiis/chicken-stew-recipe/index.html

As an additional note, referring back to my post about The Influential Power of Simple Food where I encouraged my readers to go and cook for someone (a teacher) who may need a bit of extra affection, this is ALSO another great recipe for that. I made some and packed it for my daughter's teachers, as today was their first day of school with 21, four-year old kids. (AGGH!) If you make a double batch, you'll have more than enough to share.