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Pieday Friday – Mediterranean chicken & bean stew

I wasn’t sure what to call this recipe when I rusted it up for the family earlier this week. As we tucked into our Mediterranean dish – and mopped up the tomato sauce with our homemade garlic bread – some recipe name suggestions were thrown about. We couldn’t decide if it was Spanish, Italian or something else, whether the beans made it a cassoulet, or whether the slow-cooked chicken created a casserole. Can we just call it a surprise stew? In the end, I decided to name it ‘Mediterranean chicken and bean stew’ as that seemed to sum up most of the flavours and ingredients well.mediterranean italian chicken and bean stew recipe cooking slow cooker casserole-2mediterranean italian chicken and bean stew recipe cooking ingredients-2The plan was to create a Mediterranean-inspired recipe and I think the lovely fresh ingredients in this dish create a rather ‘eat-al-fresco-under-the-olive-trees’ result. I’ve use chicken, tomatoes, peppers, olive oil, basil, olives, garlic and beans in this recipe so I was hoping that this combination of flavours would result in something that tasted rather Mediterranean, even if I didn’t quite know what that was when I started to cook! Thankfully, it turned out really well and after a second-helping (some of us even had thirds) we were all really rather stuffed, and very happy. A siesta seemed to be calling us…mediterranean italian chicken and bean stew recipe cooking slow cooker casserole-5italian chicken and bean stew recipe cooking ingredientsIngredients (serves 4): 1 cup of beans (about 300 g – I used red kidney beans, borlotti beans, black-eyed beans, green beans, leftover baked-beans and sweetcorn but you could throw in any other kinds of beans you have in the store-cupboard and even chickpeas or a handful of lentils), 8 chicken thighs, 1 red onion, 300g fresh tomatoes or one tin of chopped tomatoes, 200g button mushrooms, 2 peppers, 1 tablespoon of tomato paste, 2 cloves of garlic or 1 teaspoon of garlic paste, handful of basil or a tablespoon of mixed dried herbs, olive oil, 1 litre chicken stock, salt and pepper.mediterranean italian chicken and bean stew recipe cooking casserolemediterranean italian chicken and bean stew recipe cooking flavours-21. In an oven-proof saucepan gently heat the olive oil and brown off the chicken thighs. Throw in the chopped red onion and diced peppers and sauté for a few minutes until they begin to soften.

2. Stir in the whole button mushrooms and all the beans, then cook for a minute or two before adding the garlic, tomato paste and herbs.mediterranean italian chicken and bean stew recipe cooking casserole-2mediterranean italian chicken and bean stew recipe cooking flavours3.  Allow to sizzle a little before adding the tomatoes and 1 litre chicken stock. You may need less stock if you’re using a saucy tin of tomatoes – just make sure all the ingredients are covered with sauce.

4. Pop a lid on the pan and put it in the oven to slow-cook at 150 degrees for around 1 and a half – two hours. Keep checking the chicken and the dish is ready when the chicken meat is falling off the bone.

Serve with a side dish of olives and a homemade mini-garlic bread to soak up all those tasty tomato juices.mediterranean italian chicken and bean stew recipe cooking slow cooker casserole-2mediterranean italian chicken and bean stew recipe cooking slow cooker casserole-5 mediterranean italian chicken and bean stew recipe cooking slow cooker casserole-6What do you think of my Mediterranean recipe? I’m entering it into the #MeddySteadyCook competition to win a cruise with Bolsover so I certainly hope that it’s well received by the judges. And I hope you that you enjoy making it at home too. It’s a great dish for Spring days when you want a fresh and healthy meal but still need something warm in your tummy when there’s a chill in the air. mediterranean italian chicken and bean stew recipe cooking slow cooker casserole-4mediterranean italian chicken and bean stew recipe cooking slow cooker casseroleLet me know if you make this tasty Mediterranean treat yourself and please tell me what other ingredients you can think of to add to it. One member of the family suggested adding chilli and making it into a Mexican dish, so you can always consider that as an option if you have a go at making it yourself. Leave me a comment below or tweet me @Cassiefairy to share your recipe ideas.

3 responses

  1. This looks so delicious, I’m a big fan of chicken and I love to eat it in different ways, this actually sounds so good. Also that bread looks really good haha
    Love
    Pili

    Records of my Troubles

  2. Hi Ruth, the pot of dried mixed herbs that I have at home as got thyme, marjoram, oregano, parsley, sage and basil in it. I usually use this in Bolognese sauces when I don’t have any fresh herbs and it always tastes good! If you have separate pots of individual dried herbs rather than mixed herbs, I’d use a combination of basil and oregano 🙂 hope this helps!

  3. What herbs are you talking about when you say a mixture of dried herbs? Look like a great recipe but the spices and herbs make it.

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Cassie is a freelance writer with a Masters degree in Lifestyle Promotion Studies and is trained in Personal Money Management. She loves to ‘get the look for less’ so regularly shares thrifty-living advice, DIY interior design ideas and low-cost recipes on her blog.

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