El chicken stew it has a delicious flavor, a pleasant presentation, it is easy to prepare and it is inexpensive. The fundamental thing is to prepare a suitable base for the sauce, which is done simply with tomato, garlic and onion.
The simplicity, the deliciousness and its nutritional value have led this dish to be one of the most common today in both Latin America and Europe. Its origins go back to various European countries, among which Italy and France stand out, regions that developed the so-called version of cooking to the “stuffa”, hence the name of "stew", which is a culinary method of boiling meat with little water together with vegetables, over low heat, so that the juice or juice of the vegetables slowly penetrates the meat.
Later, this stewing technique was made popular in Spain, being widely used for the preparation of the meat of bulls that were sacrificed after the well-known bullfights. The stew modality came to America through the tradition of the Spanish colonizers and was so highly accepted that today it is considered as belonging to our lands.
It is commonly said that its manufacture is so simple that it is practically "Cook alone"as it requires little work and supervision during cooking.
Recipe of chicken stew
Ingredients
- 5 pieces of chicken, without skin
- 3 tomates
- 2 red peppers
- 1 green pepper
- 3 medium onions
- 3 cloves of garlic
- 1/2 kg of potatoes
- 2 medium carrots
- ¼ kg of celery (celery)
- 2 Bay leaves
- ½ teaspoon thyme
- 1 teaspoon powdered or ground oregano
- ½ teaspoon pepper
- 2 tablespoons sugar
- 150 ml of vegetable oil
- Salt to taste
- Required amount of water
Additional materials
- Medium cauldron, thick bottom
- Blender
Preparation
Place two tablespoons of vegetable oil with two tablespoons of sugar in the cauldron and bring to the fire until the sugar caramelizes and takes on a brownish tone. Incorporate the chicken pieces, previously washed and drained, and reheat the sugar with the oil to start sealing the chicken, turning it continuously to obtain a uniform browning. Once this is achieved, remove the chicken pieces and reserve.
The tomatoes, a red pepper, two onions, the garlic and the celery leaves, are blended, having added the necessary water for this purpose. Reserve.
Potatoes and carrots stripped of the rind are cut into medium cubes and set aside in water to prevent them from browning and browning.
Pour the rest of the oil into the cauldron together with the bay leaves and thyme and fry lightly, so that they give off their aroma better. Immediately add the chicken pieces, the previously blended sauce and salt to taste and cook over medium heat for 10 minutes.
Separately chop the remaining red pepper, the green pepper, the celery stalks and the julienned onion into medium pieces. Add these starters together with the chopped carrot, to the sauce that contains the chicken and add the oregano and pepper. Add necessary water to dilute the sauce. Continue cooking for 10 minutes. Incorporate the potato pieces into the preparation. After 20 minutes remove the laural leaves, check the seasoning of the salt and correct it if necessary, check that the potatoes are tender and puncture the chicken that should expel a transparent liquid indicating that it is already cooked; Otherwise, dark liquid comes out, cook for a little longer, approximately 10 additional minutes.
Helpful tips
It is important to cut the vegetables and cook them in the order indicated so that they do not overcook.
When the chicken is initially going to be sealed, it is convenient to let the oil cool to prevent it from splashing when it comes into contact with the liquid contained in the chicken.
Nutritional contribution
Chicken is a substantial source of proteins, carbohydrates and lipids, as well as other nutrients such as vitamins and minerals, which in the case of Chicken Stew add the minerals and micronutrients provided by the vegetables used in the preparation of this dish. .
It is considered that 100 g of chicken meat provides 25% protein, 12% carbohydrates and 10% fat. Chicken has the advantage that by removing the skin, a large part of the fat can be eliminated and thus reduce part of this component, obtaining a lean meat type.
The proteins present in chicken meat are considered of high biological value since they contain essential amino acids such as methionine, histidine, phenylalanine, valine, threonine, lysine, leucine, isoleucine and tryptophan. Some of these amino acids must be incorporated into our diet, since they are not produced by our body, as is the case of tryptophan, which is a regulator of serotonin at the brain level.
Among the minerals it provides are iron, calcium, zinc, potassium, sodium, magnesium, phosphorus and selenium. In relation to the vitamin content, it is a source of vitamins A, C, B complex, the content of thiamine and folic acid being quite important.
Food properties
Chicken meat and vegetables are easily digestible. The high protein content helps to maintain an acceptable state of health, strengthening the immune system, helping the proper muscle function and intervening in the synthesis of some hormones which makes it ideal to consume during the growth stage during childhood and adolescence.
It contains a low amount of saturated fat and is therefore low in cholesterol, with the advantage that most of the fat in the chicken It is found in the skin, so removing it from the skin reduces the fat content. This favors its consumption in case of diets that require low fat content.
Its nutritional value makes Chicken Stew an ideal food for all occasions, especially for convalescent people, for children and for the elderly.
