Tuscan Chicken Stew

This stew cooked up super fast, and was very tasty and very healthy. I only used 3 oz. of spinach even though the recipe calls for 6, because 6 oz. would be way too much spinach to get past Joel. Even with just three oz., he picked out all the green from his plate. Oh well, there was more for me, and I love spinach.  This whole recipe–from start to finish–took under an hour. It should serve 4 nicely.  A nice loaf of crusty bread would be perfect alongside. The beans give this recipe enough that you don’t really need pasta but if you want to stretch this recipe you can add pasta or rice. Oh and the spinach adds a little green for St. Patricks Day!

Ingredients:

1/2 tsp. fennel seed

1 tsp. dried basil

1 tsp. fresh minced garlic

1 tsp crushed rosemary (dried)

1/2 tsp. oregano

1/2 tsp. black pepper

3 tbsp. olive oil

1 1/2 lbs. boneless, skinless chicken breasts, cut into 1 inch cubes-this is where the thicker breasts work best

1 medium onion, chopped

1 can (15 oz.) cannellini beans, drained and rinsed

1 28 oz. can diced tomatoes (I used Chef’s cut)

1/4 cup red wine

1 tsp. kosher salt

3 oz. (about 1/2 box) baby spinach leaves (If you love spinach, add the whole 6 oz. that the recipe calls for. It will wilt down anyway. I just had to serve it to Joel, and he won’t touch it with all that spinach.) (fresh spinach in a box /bag)

Directions:

Heat olive oil in a large skillet on medium heat. I pat the chicken breasts dry, cut into 1 inch cubes, and salt and pepper the chicken before adding it to the skillet. I then add the chicken to the skillet and brown for about 10 minutes. Remove chicken from skillet and place in a separate bowl. Add onion and fennel seed to the pan, cook and stir on medium heat or until translucent and tender. (If the mixture is very dry, add a bit more olive oil.)

Stir in beans, tomatoes, red wine, remaining spices and salt. Bring to a low boil, stirring frequently. Reduce heat to low, cover and simmer for about 5 minutes. Return chicken to skillet, stir in as much spinach as you’d like, cover and cook for about 5 – 10  minutes or until spinach has sufficiently wilted. This chicken doesn’t need any accompaniment but a nice crusty bread would be nice.