With summer heading into its last days, and autumn getting closer and closer, my mind drifts back to those times, when coming back from school I would be craving something warming and nourishing like this chicken sweet potato stew. I had the luck of having a great cook at home (my mum) and a great brother who would be more than willing to give me his portion of veggies that I was more than happy to accept.
Something tells me that, after all these years, when he tries to do this recipe, he will be keeping it all for himself!
Chicken sweet potato stew shopping list
Chicken: You can choose whichever part of the chicken you prefer, as long as it is deboned, since then it would take much longer to cook.
You can always go with chicken breast if you want to cut on the fat, but from time to time, we can afford a nice piece of brown chicken meat, like the thighs I’m using in this recipe.
Barley: When buying barley, you can choose from a few different versions, depending on how the grain was processed. From a nutritional perspective, the best options would be the wholegrain ones, like hulled or hulless barley, where the outer layer (storing significant portions of fibre and various vitamins and minerals) is preserved.
Pot and pearl barley are more convenient options because they cook faster, but nutritionally speaking, they are more poor, even though they still have a good amount of fibre. I chose the former to make the stew more manageable for those of you who don’t have so much time on your hands, but if you do have the time, I would always recommend going with the nutritionally superior wholegrain options.
Savoy cabbage: When searching for Savoy cabbage, check for vibrant green, firm leaves. Older ones tend to be slightly bitter and chewy. But the young leaves will be mild and, if cooked to the right degree, nice and tender.
Hungarian sweet paprika: This staple of Hungarian cuisine gives beautiful red and orange tones to this stew, enhances the flavours and brings a subtle sweetness. It is mostly used in its powder form and can go from very mild and sweet to red hot spicy; the choice is up to you.
Chilli Guajillo: The second most common dried chilli used in Mexican cuisine after anchos. It is made from ground mirasol chilli peppers, bringing mild heat and sweetness. You can find it as whole dried peppers that can be toasted and ground using a mortar, or you can buy it in already powdered form.
You will find it in specialized gourmet and spice stores.
How to make vegetable stock?
If you are short on time, you can go for store-bought vegetable stock, but try to choose one without flavour enhancers like sodium glutamate. At your local butcher, you can often find less processed options. Still, there is nothing quite like homemade vegetable stock, and here I have an excellent recipe for you!
Ingredients:
- 2 onions or 230 g
- 1 leek or 70 g
- 1/4 celeriac/ 2-3 celery sticks or 120 g
- 3-4 carrots or 230 g
- 1/2 fennel bulb or 120 g
- 6 garlic cloves or 30 g
- 1 bay leaf
- 3 thyme sprigs
- 10 white peppercorns
- 2 L water
The weight in grams is for unpeeled vegetables.
Method:
Wash and peel all the vegetables. Cut them into sizeable pieces and put them in a pot with cold water. Bring it to a boil and cook on a light simmer for 40 minutes. You will get around 1,5 L of vegetable stock.
Important: Never salt the vegetable stock! Since you will later incorporate it in different dishes (stews, soups, sauces), you will further reduce its volume. Depending on the following steps, salting it in this stage would, in the end, easily result in an over-salted dish.
How to store vegetable stock?
It is always practical to have some stock in your fridge or freezer to be ready when a recipe calls for it. In the fridge, keep the stock in an airtight container for up to 3 days. If you want to freeze it, you can keep it in the same airtight container or transfer it into those reusable plastic bags with a ziplock closing system. Use it within 4-6 months.
Substitution tips
Here is where your creativity comes into play. Use this chicken sweet potato stew recipe as a template with which you can create so many different variations.
Sweet potato: Don’t have sweet potato? Go for potatoes or even peas, which have even higher protein content.
Savoy cabbage: Good substitutes can be cabbage, spinach or broccoli.
Barley: Why not try with a different grain? Bulgur (wheat) and brown rice come to mind but feel free to experiment with any other option.
As for the spices, the best alternative to substitute Hungarian sweet paprika would be cayenne pepper. Since it brings more heat, I would advise you to use a smaller amount.
