Creamy Dijon Chicken Stew
Like many, when I think of the word ‘stew’, my brain automatically thinks of slow cooking for most of the day. However, this dish can be on the table in under an hour. It is perfect for those who want a rich, creamy stew with great flavours and fast!
With the ongoing cost of living crisis, this stew is also a great choice for those on a budget. At an estimate, it costs about AUD$12(USD$8) to make (without using specials or the cheapest wine). Still, it can be made for roughly AUD$10(USD$6.60) without alcohol. Using cannellini / white beans and in-season vegetables helps pad out the meal, reducing the amount of meat and the cost.
Another benefit of this recipe is that it is loaded with protein and dietary fibre, which will help you feel full and satisfied for longer. So you won’t be tempted to raid the fridge shortly after eating.
Creamy Dijon Chicken Stew
This recipe uses staple ingredients of French cuisine, such as mustard (2 types!), leek, thyme and wine, which helps to create a greater depth of flavour. Trust me, you’ll want some bread to mop up the leftover sauce! Uou can adapt the meat and vegetables to your liking or season, as this sauce is quite versatile.
After trying this stew, I’m happy to say it will be a regular in my dinner rotation during the cooler months!
Nutrition
This recipe is just a winner all round! It is high fibre, at 8g per serve, which makes it fantastic for gut health. With almost 26g of protein per serve, this Creamy Dijon Chicken Stew is a high protein recipe. However, it is also low in fat (including saturated fat), cholesterol and sodium, which means this recipe is heart friendly. Additionally, this recipe can be gluten free, vegetarian and vegan with simple swaps!
What you'll need for Creamy Dijon Chicken Stew
KEY INGREDIENTS
- Chicken breast – A great, lean source of protein for maintaining our muscles. Chicken breast (without the skin) is also naturally lower in fat than thighs or drumsticks.
- Cannellini / white beans – Adds additional plant-based protein. If using canned, choose reduced / no added salt. Cannellini beans are loaded with dietary fibre, which helps maintain our digestive health, prevents constipation and is beneficial for our gut bacteria. They also contain iron, which is used to make part of our blood cells, and potassium, which may help regulate our blood pressure. Cannellini beans also contain folate, which our bodies use to produce new cells.
- Leek – Gives a mild onion flavour. Leeks are a great source of vitamin K, which our bodies use for clotting during the healing process and maintaining bone health. They also contain vitamin C, which is beneficial for healthy skin and tissue and helps our bodies absorb iron better.
- Carrot – Carrots are naturally high in beta-carotene, which our bodies can convert into vitamin A and use to maintain our eye health and vision.
- Barley – Another fantastic source of dietary fibre! Barley is loaded with magnesium, which assists with muscle and nerve function. It also contains vitamin B1 (thiamine), which helps our bodies to convert food into energy (the fuel that keeps our bodies going).
- Dijon and wholegrain mustard – Tend to be quite high in sodium. Choose mustards with the lowest amount of sodium per 100g where possible. I used ‘Your Condiment Co Dijon Mustard’ from Woolworths and the Coles home brand wholegrain mustard.
OTHER INGREDIENTS
- Garlic – I think this goes without saying
. - Extra virgin olive oil – A great heathful fat.
- Mushrooms – I used button mushrooms.
- White wine – Preferably a dry white wine. Highly recommended, but can be left out.
- Chicken stock – Preferably salt reduced / low sodium stock. I used 1x Massel 7’s Chicken stock cube with 1 cup of water.
- Milk – Preferably low fat, or unsweetned plant-based milk (calcium fortified).
- Thyme – Fresh is best for this recipe, however dried will also work.
.How to make Creamy Dijon Chicken Stew
- Place a small saucepan of water over high heat and bring to a boil. Add the dried barley to the saucepan, reduce the temperature to low and simmer for 35 minutes. Once cooked, drain the barley and set aside.
- Heat 2 teaspoons of extra virgin olive oil in a large pot over high heat. Add the chicken breast and cook until lightly browned (this is key to making great flavours!). Remove the chicken from the pot and set aside for later. If you’re using a ceramic-coated pot like I did, don’t worry about bits of chicken getting stuck on the bottom. This adds flavour and will lift once the wine is added.
- Heat the remaining 2 teaspoons of extra virgin olive oil in the large pot. Add the garlic, and cook for 1 minute or until it becomes lightly golden and fragrant.
- Add the leek, carrot, mushroom, and and fresh thyme to the pot and cook while stirring occasionally for 5 minutes or until the leek and mushrooms have wilted.
- Pour the white wine into the large pot and cook, stirring occasionally until the liquid almost completely evaporates.
- In a small bowl/jug, add the chicken stock, milk, Dijon and wholegrain mustards, and cornflour. Stir to mix the sauce ingredients. Pour the sauce mix into the large pot and stir it through the vegetables. Once the liquid starts to thicken and bubble, place the lid on the pot, reduce the heat to medium and simmer for 15-20 minutes or until the carrots have softened.
- Return the chicken to the pan and simmer for a further 2 minutes.
- Add the cannellini beans and cooked barley to the pot. Mix well and remove from the heat.
- Serve topped with cracked black pepper and crusty bread. Enjoy!
Storage
This stew should last up to 3 days if stored in an airtight container in the fridge. Otherwise you can freeze it for up to 3 months.
Tips & Substitutes
Fresh thyme is ideal for this recipe. However, if you cannot find fresh, you can easily substitute it with 1/2 teaspoon of dried.
If you cannot find canned cannellini beans, this recipe would work with canned lentils (first choice!) or chickpeas. Dried beans can also be used, but they will greatly increase cooking time (by roughly 1 hour).
To make this recipe gluten free, switch the barley for some brown rice, sorghum, quinoa, or other gluten free grains. Also, be sure to double check that the mustards are gluten free!
Switch out the chicken for an extra can of cannellini beans or more vegetables to make this stew vegetarian. Additionally, to make this recipe vegan, swap the milk for an unsweetned plant-based milk (preferably calcium fortified).
If the sauce is too thin, cook with the lid off until the sauce thickens before adding the chicken. Want more sauce? Add more milk, chicken stock and cornflour. You can also add more flavour (without adding a lot of sodium) by using a little bit of nutritional yeast.
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Ingredients
- 1/3 cup pearl barley, rinsed
- 1 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
- 250 g chicken breast, cut into bite sized pieces (fat trimmed)
- 4 cloves garlic
- 1 cup leek bulb, cut in half & sliced thinly
- 1 cup carrot, diced
- 6 sprigs fresh thyme (Note 1)
- 1 cup mushrooms, sliced
- 1/2 cup white wine (Note 2)
- 1 cup chicken stock, salt reduced/low sodium
- 1 cup milk, low fat
- 2 tsp dijon mustard (Note 3)
- 1 tsp wholegrain mustard (Note 3)
- 1 tbsp corn flour
- 400 g can cannellini / white beans, drained & rinsed, preferably reduced/no added salt (Note 4)
Instructions
- Place a small saucepan of water over high heat and bring to a boil. Add the dried barley to the saucepan, reduce the temperature to low and simmer for 35 minutes. Once cooked, drain the barley and set aside.
- Heat 2 teaspoons of extra virgin olive oil in a large pot over high heat. Add the chicken breast and cook until lightly browned. Remove the chicken from the pot and set aside for later.
- Heat the remaining 2 teaspoons of extra virgin olive oil in the large pot. Add the garlic, and cook for 1 minute or until it becomes lightly golden and fragrant.
- Add the leek, carrot, mushroom, and and fresh thyme to the pot. Cook while stirring occasionally for 5 minutes or until the mushroom and leek has wilted.
- Pour the white wine into the large pot and cook, stirring occasionally until the liquid almost completely evaporates.
- In a small bowl/jug, add the chicken stock, milk, Dijon and wholegrain mustards, and cornflour. Stir to mix the sauce ingredients. Pour the sauce mix into the large pot and stir it through the vegetables. Once the liquid starts to thicken and bubble, place the lid on the pot, reduce the heat to medium and simmer for 15-20 minutes or until the carrots have softened.
- Return the chicken to the pan and simmer for a further 2 minutes.
- Add the cannellini beans and cooked barley to the pot. Mix and remove from the heat.
- Serve topped with cracked black pepper and crusty bread. Enjoy!
Notes
- Thyme – Fresh suits this recipe well, as the flavour is not overwhelming. However, if you can’t find fresh thyme, you can just use 1/2 a teaspoon of dried.
- White wine - Preferably a dry white wine. Highly recommended, but can be left out.
- Dijon & wholegrain mustard - Are very high in sodium. I do not recommend adding anymore mustard, otherwise this recipe will no longer be low in sodium. I used the Coles brand Dijon and wholegrain mustards, as these were the lowest in sodium, and are also the cheapest.
- Cannellini / whitebeans - I used the ‘no added salt’ canned cannellini beans from Woolworths, especially since the mustard and stock cube already add a fair bit of sodium. You can used dried, however, they will need to be cooked prior to adding to the stew, and will increase cooking time by roughly an hour.
- Gluten free - Switch the barley for some brown rice, sorghum, quinoa, or other gluten free grains. Also be sure to double check if the mustards are gluten free.
- Vegetarian - Switch the chicken breast for an extra can of cannellini beans or extra vegetables.
- Storage - This stew should last up to 3 days if stored in an airtight container in the fridge. Otherwise you can freeze it for up to 3 months.
- Nutrition - Calculated per serve, assuming 4 serves (not including bread).
2 comments
Hi Lauren, can you substitute pearl couscous for the pearl barley.
Hi Betty! Yes, I think pearl couscous would work well with this recipe.