Chicken Stew

It was chilly and damp the other night, and soup seemed to be the order of the day.  Ryan wanted cream of chicken soup, but I had something a bit less caloric in mind.

CHICKEN STEW

2 pounds boneless, skinless chicken
2 onions, cut in 1/4" cubes
5 ribs celery, cut in 1/2" slices
1/2 pound carrots, cut in 1/4" slices
2 tsp vegetable base
4 tsp chicken base
6 allspice, crushed
2 bay leaves
1 cup barley or rice
10 cups water

Cut the chicken into bite sized chunks (about 1/2" to 3/4" cubes).  Saute in a stockpot with the diced onions until they are browned.  Rinse 2 or 3 times in cold water to remove any fat, then return to the stove.  Stir in the vegetable base and chicken base, then add the water, allspice and bay leaves.  Cook 20 minutes, add the carrots and celery, cook another 10 minutes, then add the barley or rice and cook about 30 minutes.  Optional: if you like a thicker broth, stir 1/4 cup cornstarch into 1/4 cup cold water, then stir that into the soup 5 minutes before serving.  Remove the bay leaves before serving (or maybe just tell the recipients of the bay leaves that bay leaves bring good luck).

I served this with baking powder biscuits, and there was nothing left.  Ryan even whined a little that he wouldn't have anything to eat for lunch the next day.  I guess that means this was a good effort.

Happy Monday, everyone!