Shredded Chicken Stew

Chicken pieces cooked in tomatoes and warming spices (no chilli heat!) to give a dish full of flavour and loveliness.

I created this dish a few years ago when I was getting into mixing spices and seeing how they tasted together. Putting what I liked and thought would go well into a bowl, dabbing it onto the end of my finger and seeing how it tasted. It was as simple as that really.

Some of those concoctions made it into a recipe, others didn't. This version did and was tweaked a few times after making to get it just right. There are a few spices used in this so that its packed full of flavour but without any kind of chilli heat, which is just what I was after.

I have a little hand written recipe book where I write all my favourites, this recipe is in there simply as Cat's Chicken Stew! However, I didn't want you all thinking it was a recipe for actual cats though so I figured Shredded Chicken Stew would do fine.

Now, because at the time I created this I had not long been on a knife skills cookery course. I buy a whole chicken for this recipe and de-joint it i.e. portion it up. If you don't want to do that though then just buy chicken pieces with the skin on. Equally if you don't have a casserole dish that can go on the hob and in the oven, then by all means start in a large pan then transfer to your casserole dish.

Full details are below but a couple of tips are; once you've browned the chicken, place it on the upturned lid of your casserole dish. One less dish for washing!

When you come to shred the chicken be careful around the joint ends of the leg and thigh bones. You don't want to accidently get any chewy bits of cartilage in your stew.

I usually serve this in wraps with some salad leaves and a sprinkling of cheese. However, you can also serve with everything from potatoes and corn on the cob, to rice. Whatever takes your fancy.

Recipe

Serves 4 - 6

• 1 large (1.7kg) chicken jointed (skin on) or approx.1kg chicken pieces

• 1 red onion chopped

• 500g passata

• 2 garlic cloves (finely chopped)

• 1tbsp soft dark brown sugar

• 1 tbsp honey

• 1 tsp paprika

• 1 tsp smoked paprika

• 1/2 tsp cinamon

• 1/2 tsp mixed spice

• 1/4 tsp ground ginger

• 1tsp salt

• 1/2 tsp black pepper

• 1 tbsp oil for cooking

Optional

• 1 can mixed beans (or other beans of your choice)

• 80 - 100g thickly cut mushrooms

Directions

1. Heat your oven to 180° fan (200° without fan / gas 5.5)

2. Add the oil to a large casserole dish and bring to a moderate temperature on the hob.

3. Place the chicken skin side down in the hot pan until the skin is a deep golden brown colour. Once done remove and set aside.

4. Add the onion and cook for 5 minutes, then add the mushrooms and garlic and continue cooking for another 2 - 3 minutes.

5. Add the spices and stir in to the onions and mushrooms.

6. Now add the tomatoes, sugar and honey, stir together and bring to a low simmer.

7. Place the chicken skin side up in the sauce with the skin just showing.

8. Cover and cook in the oven for 1 hour.

9. Once cooked through, remove the chicken from the pan, take off the skin and shred. Return the shredded chicken to the pan and stir through the sauce until the chicken is completely coated in sauce.

10. Serve.