Saturday 17 August 2019

Creamy chicken and tarragon stew

So the ridiculous thing about this recipe is that it heralds from the good folk at Weight Watchers, or WW as they now prefer, except I then went and fatted it. (Made that word up but you know what I mean.) WW is a stalwart. This mob has out-survived most competitors in the diet industry. They promote their brand in such a way that it makes you feel like you need to lose weight or you're missing out on some fun. Like another 10 years of life or wearing your size 10 jeans.

I own a veritable library of their recipe books and dip in and out of their online space all the time, because I, too, wouldn't mind another 10 years and even though the smallest size jeans I've ever owned are a 12, I still harbour fantasy I'll wear them again.

I like their recipes because they're simple to make (great for mid-week), use heaps of veggies (tick tick tick) and the flavour is pretty ok. The secret is to stick to their exact list of ingredients. Do not add an extra teaspoon of oil or an extra cup of double cream. Don't do what I do. Or, do what I do and wear whatever size jeans feel comfy.

Ingredients

500g chicken thighs, chopped to about 2cm pieces
1 leek, white part only, thinly sliced
4 bacon rashers, diced (not too small, you want to be able to see them)
2 garlic cloves, squashed and diced finelh
Cornflour or plain flour - a few tablespoons
Mustard powder - a few tablespoons
3-4 carrots, peeled and cut kinda thickly
500g or so of potatoes, cut into large chunks
Fresh tarragon leaves (strip them off the stem but don't cut them)
3-4 cups chicken stock
Spinach leaves - heaps
Cream - the quantity is up to you (I used half a cup but you can omit it if you're a WW slave)

Method

(If you're smart, you would have noticed that I made you do all the chopping in the ingredients section.)

Bonus: this meal can be cooked on the stove in one pot, so use a big one with a lid.

Add the chicken, flour and mustard powder to a plastic bag and shake (or just put them all in a bowl and mix)

Cook the chicken in batches and remove from the heat. Add the bacon, leek and garlic and cook it for a few minutes.

Return the chicken to the pan and add the potato, carrot and tarragon. Bring to the boil then reduce to simmer (lid off) for about 45-50 minutes.

Add the spinach and the optional cream and stir until the spinach has wilted.

Believe me it's way better with the cream. Don't tell WW.