Lemony Greek Chicken, Potato, and Spinach Stew (using ground chicken)

I was looking for a relatively simple one-pot dish that would serve for dinner for a couple of nights before Thanksgiving, and I found this recipe in my files. It way surpassed my expectations! The lemon flavor to this dish really lifted it beyond the ordinary. It is definitely guest-worthy!  

I made a couple of changes to the recipe: The recipe called for 6 cups of broth, but commenters mentioned using less for a stew consistency rather than soup, so that's what I did. The recipe still made a hefty 5 servings. Also, the recipe called for dill, with parsley or mint as possible substitute; I went with a combination of parsley and mint. 

LEMONY GREEK CHICKEN SPINACH AND POTATO STEW (using ground chicken)

adapted from https://cooking.nytimes.com/recipes/1024015-lemony-greek-chicken-spinach-and-potato-stew

4-5 servings

 

8 large garlic cloves, smashed and finely chopped

1 red or yellow onion, finely chopped (yellow is fine)

¼ cup extra-virgin olive oil

1½ teaspoons coarse kosher salt, plus more to taste (I left out)

1 pound ground chicken [or turkey if can’t find chicken]

1 heaping tablespoon roughly chopped fresh rosemary or 1½ teaspoons dried rosemary

1½ teaspoons dried oregano

½ teaspoon red-pepper flakes or 1 t. Aleppo pepper

Black pepper

1½ pounds Yukon gold potatoes (ca. 3 medium), scrubbed and chopped into ½-inch chunks (I used only about 1 lb., and I liked the balance with fewer potatoes)

4 cups chicken broth (two 14.5 oz cans worked well)

Juice of 1 large lemon (about ¼ cup juice) [fresh lemon juice is important for the flavor]

8-ounces spinach, stems included, roughly chopped, or 1½ cups frozen leaf spinach 

¼ to ⅓ cup lightly packed roughly chopped parsley, mint, or a combination of the two (I used a combination)

Crumbled feta and crushed pita chips, for topping (optional—I skipped)

 

Mince the garlic and finely chop the onion (in a food processor). In a large skillet, pot or Dutch oven, warm the oil over medium-high heat. Add the onion, garlic and salt and cook, stirring, until the onion and garlic are softened and just starting to brown, about 5 minutes or a little more.

 

Add the chicken, rosemary, oregano, red-pepper flakes and several generous grinds of black pepper. Cook, breaking up the chicken into crumbles, until the meat starts to lose its translucent pinkness and is turning white, about 2 minutes. Add the potatoes and stir well to combine. Add the chicken broth and half the lemon juice, scraping up any browned bits on the bottom. Bring to a rolling boil and then lower the heat to maintain a very brisk simmer. Simmer until the potatoes are nearly tender, 15 minutes.

 

Add the spinach and parsley/mint. Continue to simmer briskly until the potatoes are tender, about 5 minutes more. Add the remaining lemon juice, as well as salt and pepper, if needed. 

 

If desired, top with with feta and crushed pita chips when serving. But this is also delicious without any toppings!

Turkey Stew with Peppers and Mushrooms

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[I've re-typed and reposted this, trying to fix the strange capitalization that the original post showed up in, but alas, something still is goofy.  Sorry!]  

 

I made this recipe this past weekend, and it was a big hit.  I had originally planned it as a somewhat-more-work-than-usual meal for just David and me, but I ended up doubling the recipe and making it as a meal for us and three dinner guests.  Usually when we have guests, I make something more "special," but I had my eye on this recipe.  It turned out to be a very satisfying dish, and the leftovers the next day were even better.

 

This recipe is lightly adapted from the Simply Recipes blog.  I was going to just send you directly to that website, but I did make a few small changes, and thought it would be easier for you if I incorporated them into the recipe rather than wrote them out separately.  I do recommend this blog by Elise Bauer:  http://simplyrecipes.com/  In addition to the regular postings of recipes, there's a sidebar that lists recipes by type, and an index where you can look up either by ingredient or by name of recipe. 

 

Turkey Stew with Peppers and Mushroom

adapted from simplyrecipes.com

serves 4

2 T. olive oil (divided 1 and 1)

1 large onion, cut in half and sliced

3 bell peppers of various colors, sliced thinly

2 large cloves garlic, minced

1 teaspoon hot Hungarian paprika or a few dashes cayenne pepper

1 Tbsp Hungarian sweet paprika

1 1/2 to 2 pounds skinless, boneless turkey thigh or breast, cut into large chunks

4 ounces mushrooms, sliced thinly

1 14-ounce can of plum tomatoes with juice

1 T. Worcestershire sauce

1 T. lemon juice

1 teaspoon fresh or dried rosemary

Freshly ground black pepper to taste

Salt

3 t. cornstarch

3/4 cup plain yogurt

Heat 1 T. of olive oil on high heat in a large sauté pan. Add the onions and peppers and sauté them until they begin to soften and lightly brown. Add the sweet paprika, the hot paprika (or cayenne), and the garlic and cook for 30 seconds more. Remove the peppers, onions, and garlic from the pan and set aside.

Heat the remaining tablespoon of oil over high heat. Add the mushrooms and the turkey to the pan. Sear the mushrooms and turkey over high heat, stirring often, for 3-4 minutes, until the turkey and mushrooms begin to brown. Reduce the heat to medium, return the peppers-and-onion mixture to the pan and mix well.

Squeeze the tomatoes to break them up, and add them with their juices to the pan, along with the Worcestershire sauce, lemon juice, rosemary and black pepper. Mix well, reduce the heat to medium-low, cover the pan and simmer for 15-20 minutes.

Stir the cornstarch into the yogurt and add to stew. Cook over low heat (do not let simmer or boil), stirring occasionally, until sauce thickens a little.

Serve with white rice.  (Bauer recommends serving with rice, mashed potatoes, or polenta.  The first night I served it with mashed potatoes, and the second night with rice.  Rice wins!  I usually use brown rice when cooking, but white was very nice in this dish.)