Chicken and Spring Vegetable one-pot Stew

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This is a great dish for spring where our tastes can feel mixed; some days we still crave the cosy comfort of winter foods, while on other days we are ready to welcome the lighter, fresher flavours of the new season.

This nourishing spring vegetable and chicken one-pot, finished with lemon and fresh herbs has you covered whatever your mood. It offers warmth and familiarity alongside freshness and vitality, perfect for those in-between days.

This dish is also packed with nutrients that nourish your mind and uplift your mood. Mood is central to my work because how we feel emotionally is deeply connected to how we eat, sleep and cope with the day. Good nourishment provides the building blocks for neurotransmitters, our brain’s communication chemicals, that can influence how happy, calm, focused and motivated we feel.  

Serves: 4
Ingredients

·       500g skinless chicken thighs

·       Olive Oil

·       2 cloves of garlic, grated

·       1 onion, finely chopped

·       2 celery stalks, finely chopped

·       Spring vegetables

o   100g garden peas

o   100g handful sugar snap peas, chopped into bitesized peices

o   100g asparagus tips, cut into 2 inch chunks

·       500ml good quality chicken stock

·       400g tinned cannellini beans, drained and rinsed

·       1 lemon, juiced

·       10g each of mint, finely chopped

·       10g basil, finely chopped

·       100g natural yoghurt, preferably full fat

·       Grated parmesan to finish

Method

1.     Season the chicken thighs.

2.     Heat a couple of tablespoons of olive oil in a lidded casserole pan and fry the chicken until brown on both sides. Set aside on a separate plate.

3.     Drain off any excess oil from the pan leaving around one tablespoon.

4.     Now add the onion, garlic and celery to the pan. Saute for a few minutes until soft and translucent.

5.     Return the chicken to the pan and add the chicken stock.

6.     Cover and simmer gently for around 20 minutes, until the chicken cooked through and tender. Remove the chicken from the pan, take two forks and shred the chicken into chunky strips.

7.     Meanwhile bring the stock back to boil and add the peas, sugar snaps, asparagus and cannellini beans. Cook for 5 minutes until the vegetables are just tender.

8.     Stir in the yoghurt.

9.     Just before serving add the lemon juice, mint and basil. Adding the lemon too early may discolour the vegetables.

10.   Season and serve in large bowls, top with the shredded chicken and grated parmesan

Top tip for leftovers - Thicken the sauce with some cornflour – serve ontop of pasta or along-side rice