Whole 30 Chicken, Sweet Potato and Broccoli Stew

Along with about pretty much everyone in America, we caught the Whole 30 bug in January. Although we didn’t fully commit to the challenge (hence the glass of wine in the photo above), we did purchase the book to check out what all the fuss is about. Even without doing the challenge, the book is a great reference for how to steam, roast, saute, grill or bake any kind of meat or veggies and is a great source for few ingredient meals which are great for simple weeknight cooking.

Since it’s been so cold and rainy recently, we have been making a lot of soups, stews, and curries with the veggies from our CSA box. We have also been especially drawn to anything with a can of coconut milk in it which the Whole 30 is big on. This stew fit all that criteria plus fell into the category of one pot wonders so we had to try it out.

The first step was to bake the chicken in the oven for about 20 minutes on a sheet pan. While the chicken was baking, we cooked the cubed sweet potatoes with the chicken broth and spices in a large soup pot.

Once the sweet potatoes were fork-tender, we removed them from the pot and added the broccoli florets (and stems!) Love that we could use the broccoli stems since it always seems like such a waste to throw them out.

The can of coconut milk goes in with the broccoli, and once the broccoli is cooked it gets pureed. The recipe calls for transferring it  to a blender or food processor, but we have this handy immersion blender which works quite nicely and doesn’t require as much transferring and dish washing.

Once the broccoli is blended (a few chunks are OK) it goes back on the stove with the cubed cooked chicken and sweet potatoes + cilantro. All that’s needed at this point is to make sure the stew gets heated through and is well blended. Then it’s ready to serve with diced red onion, fresh lime, and more chopped cilantro on top!

Sorry Whole 30ers…no wine for you! But if you’re not on the plan, a glass of rose is the perfect pairing for this fresh and hearty dinner.

“Chicken Chowder” Recipe from Whole 30:

Serves 2 (with leftovers)
Prep time: 20 mins
Cook time: 25 mins
Total time: 45 mins

Ingredients:

1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp cumin
1/4 tsp paprika
1/8 tsp cayenne
1 lb chicken thighs (boneless)
1 quart chicken or vegetable broth
2 medium sweet potatoes, 1-inch cubed
1 head broccoli cut into 1-inch pieces (save stems)
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 jalapeno, finely diced (optional)
1 14.5 oz can coconut milk
1 tbsp fresh cilantro, minced
1 lime, juiced
1/2 small red onion, finely chopped

Preheat oven to 350

Mix the salt, cumin, paprika and cayenne in a small bowl. Season the chicken thighs evenly with the spice mixture. Place the chicken in a baking pan and roast for 20 mins. Remove the chicken from the oven and let it rest for 5 minutes on a cutting board. Cut the chicken into 1-inch cubes.

While the chicken is roasting, add the broth to a medium-sized pot. Bring to a boil, then add the sweet potatoes. Cook over high heat until the sweet potatoes are fork-tender, about 10 minutes. Remove the sweet potatoes from the broth with a slotted spoon and set them aside.

Add the broccoli stems, garlic, and jalapeno to the broth. Reduce the heat to medium high and boil for 15 minutes. Add the broccoli florets and coconut milk, and continue to boil until the broccoli is very tender, about 5 minutes. Remove the pot from the heat.

Transfer the broth and vegetables from the pot to a food processor or blender (or use an immersion blender) and blend until smooth. Place the blended mixture back into the pot and add the cooked chicken, sweet potatoes, and cilantro. Return the pot to medium heat, stir well, and cook for 2 to 3 minutes to reheat the chicken and sweet potatoes. Serve immediately.

Garnish the chowder with the fresh lime juice and finely chopped red onion.