Carolina Chicken and Collard Green Stew
- Yield 4 servings
A warm, comforting meal for a cold winter night
"This is one of my family's favorite recipes. Collard greens are plentiful here in the South, and I developed this recipe to showcase them in a stew. Some folks say they don't like the taste of collards, but I believe that is because they have not had them fixed correctly. Trust me, anyone who tries this stew with a chunk of homemade cornbread will be begging for the recipe."
Ingredients
- 3 cups chicken broth
- 3 cups water
- 1 pound boneless, skinless chicken thighs
- 1 medium onion, diced (about 1 cup)
- 1 garlic clove, minced
- 1 celery stalk, sliced (about 1/2 cup)
- 1 medium carrot, sliced (about 1/2 cup)
- 1 large potato, diced (about 1 cup)
- 1 tablespoon chopped fresh thyme or 1/2 teaspoon dried thyme
- 1 tablespoon chopped fresh basil or 1/2 teaspoon dried basil
- 1 tablespoon chopped fresh oregano or 1/2 teaspoon dried oregano
- 1 tablespoon sugar
- 2 tablespoons white vinegar
- 4 cups chopped fresh collard greens, loosely packed
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 teaspoon pepper
- 4 slices crisply cooked bacon
- 1/2 cup chopped pecans, toasted
Instructions
- In a large Dutch oven, heat chicken broth and water over medium-high heat to a boil. Add chicken thighs. Reduce heat to a simmer and poach chicken about 15 minutes or until cooked through. Remove chicken to a plate with a slotted spoon; keep warm.
- Add onion, garlic, celery, carrot, potato, thyme, basil and oregano to broth. Stir and bring to a boil. Reduce heat, cover and simmer about 10 minutes or until potatoes are tender.
- Stir in sugar, vinegar, collard greens, salt and pepper. Return to a boil, reduce heat, cover and simmer 10 minutes.
- Shred chicken into 1-inch strips and add to stew. Stir to combine. Simmer over medium heat about 2 minutes or until chicken is heated through.
- Ladle stew into four shallow soup bowls. Crumble one slice of bacon over each serving. Sprinkle pecans evenly over top. Serve immediately.
—Candace McMenamin, Lexington, S.C.
