Chicken Stew with Root Veggies

This stew is just the thing for a chilly fall evening. The parsnips, carrots and apple juice add a delectable sweetness to homey chicken stew. Double the recipe and have it on hand for a few nights. Steamed rice is the perfect accompaniment. The recipe, which is better the next day, is based on one posted on the Food and Wine website. I altered the cooking instructions slightly.

2 tbl. cooking oil

4 chicken thighs

4 chicken drumsticks

Salt and freshly ground pepper, to taste

1 cup apple juice or apple cider

1 1/2 cups low sodium chicken broth

1 onion, sliced thinly

1 pound parsnips, cut into 1 inch pieces

2 carrots, cut into 1 inch pieces

two sprigs fresh thyme (1/2 tsp. dried)

In a large pot or Dutch oven, heat the oil over moderately high heat. Dry the chicken pieces with a paper towel and trim off excess fat. Season the chicken pieces with salt and pepper to taste. Cook chicken until browned, turning on all sides. Remove chicken from pot and set aside. Pour off most of the fat from the pot.

Reduce the heat to moderate and add the juice (or cider) and the chicken broth. Bring to a simmer, scraping the brown bits from bottom of the pot. Add the onion, parsnips, carrots and thyme. Simmer, partially covered, for 10 minutes. Taste for seasoning and add salt and pepper as needed.

Return the chicken to the pot and bring the stew back to a simmer. Cook, covered, until the chicken and veggies are tender, about 20 minutes.

Serves 4

Notes: The original recipe called for 1 tbl. of flour to be added to the pot before the juice and broth. Also, once the stew comes back to a simmer, it can be placed in a 400 degree oven for about 20 minutes to complete the cooking.

Cubed winter squash and/or potatoes are great additions. If using potatoes there is no need for rice as an accompaniment.

Although the recipe uses dark meat, you may use a combination of dark and white or white meat only.