Greek Style Potato Chicken Stew

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May 16, 2011 by Dana

When I found out that my assignment for the May Secret Recipe Club was to choose any recipe from Kristen’s blog, Frugal Antics of a Harried Homemaker, I was so thrilled.  I’ve been following her posts ever since I  started reading food blogs… she has a ton of delicious looking recipes, and is always introducing me to new things.   In fact, her Thai Chicken Noodle Soup post is how I found out about the Secret Recipe Club in the first place!

I knew it wouldn’t be hard to find a recipe to try from her vast repertoire.  She has something for everyone, from healthy family meals and snacks to decadent  desserts…. you really can’t go wrong.  I decided to let my brother choose something from her list, since I wanted to make something fun to bring to his graduation party last weekend.

He looked over the list and settled on the Homemade Entemann’s Cheese Filled Crumb Cake. And I fully intended to make it for him.  So the night before I left for his graduation in DC, after getting home from a Mets game,  and in the middle of packing and doing school work,  I looked over the instructions.

Hmm.

The dough alone had to rise for 1 1/2 hours, then rise again for 20 minutes, and then bake for 30 more minutes.  I realized that if I wanted to sleep at all, this was not going to happen.   So I turned to Plan B.  Thirty Minute Crushed Oreo Sugar Cookies.

This week, I went back to Kristen’s recipe list to choose something else to make.  I really didn’t have a need for any desserts or baked goods, so I scrolled down to her selection of main dishes.  It took me about 1.5 seconds to decide on the Greek Style Potato Chicken Stew.  I mean, really.  A soup recipe with a Greek twist?  It was practically calling out my name!

I planned to make it exactly how Kristen had written it.  It was perfect! Except for the green onions.  I just can’t get on board with them.  So instead, I added a Vidallia onion to make up for it.

Then I thought about how delicious lemony Greek potatoes are.  So I decided to add some lemon juice to the mix.

I was all set to make it with just those two small changes, when Jake walked in.

“What are you making?”

“Greek Style Potato Chicken Stew.”

“Oh. Potatoes?”

“Yes, potatoes.  Is there a problem?”

“No. But I was just thinking I could really go for some beans this week.”

Jake never asks for beans.  And I happened to have some dried white beans in the pantry.  I take these kinds of opportunities when I can get them.  Into the mix the beans went.

Then, of course, I had to change the other ingredient measurements around to accommodate my changes.

So here, ladies and gents, is my completely bastardized version of Kristen’s Greek Style Potato Chicken Stew.

Ingredients

3/4 cup of dried small white beans
2 tablespoons olive oil
1.5 lbs potatoes
3 cloves minced garlic
1 sweet Vidalia onion
28 oz can diced tomatoes
32 oz chicken broth
2 lbs chicken breast, cooked and diced or shredded|
4 oz whole black olives
2 tablespoons lemon juice
1 1/2 teaspoons dried oregano
salt and pepper to taste

Directions

1.  In a small saucepan, combine dried beans and about 6 cups of water.  Bring to a boil and then lower heat, cover and simmer for 30 minutes.  Drain water and set beans aside.  

2.  In a Dutch oven or large soup pot, heat the olive oil over medium high heat.  Add the potatoes, garlic and sweet onion.  When the garlic and onion are soft and fragrant, add the reserved beans, tomatoes, chicken broth, chicken, olives, lemon juice, oregano, and salt and pepper.  

3.  Bring to a boil.  Cover the pot, lower the heat, and simmer until potatoes are tender, about 30 minutes.  Stir occasionally to prevent sticking and burning.

Even with all of my changes, the stew came out great!  It is just the right amount of hearty and filling, while still being a lighter and healthy option.

A Big Thank you to Amanda of Amanda’s Cookin’  for conceptualizing and organizing The Secret Recipe Club!  Don’t forget to check out all of the other great Secret Recipe Club posts linked below: