Chicken Stew with Balsamic Roasted Vegetables

Here is a recipe that was originally published in the Taste of Home October/November 2009 issue, but I made a few alterations to it. For one serving there is 31g of protein and 3.8g of fiber for this stew and it smells incredible while it's cooking. This was my first time cooking with wine and it took me a good ten minutes to figure out what kind of wine I needed. I did need to ask Google for help. It does follow the typical stew definition where there is more solid than liquid.

 And I must add, it tastes really good.

Geek note - one thing you'll notice in this recipe is that you mix the cornstarch with a half cup of chicken broth separately before adding it to the soup. The reasoning for this is that cornstarch mixed with water creates a Newtonian liquid. Cornstarch and water is more commonly known as ooblek. A Newtonian liquid will turn into a solid when force is applied to it and will remain a liquid when no force is applied. If it is not stirred slowly in a separate bowl, it might not properly mix in the stew and will remain in lumps.

Taste of Home does not have a link to this recipe on their website.

Chicken Stew with Balsamic Roasted Vegetables: 
It took me roughly 1 hour and 10 minutes from start to finish for this recipe. It takes about 55 minutes to cook and you can do some of the prep work after the initial step.
It does yield roughly six servings, or four large servings for my household.

• 4 c. unpeeled, cubed red potatoes (3/4" cubes)
• 2 c. sliced carrots
• 1 c. coarsely chopped red onion (I used yellow)
• 2 T. balsamic vinegar
• 1 T. olive oil
• 1 t. minced garlic
• 1-1/2 t. dried thyme (separated)
• 1-1/2 t. dried rosemary (separated)
• 1 t. dried tarragon
• 1/2 t. each salt pepper
• 1 cup sliced fresh green beans (I did not slice mine)
• 1/2 c. dry white wine (I used a pinot grigio)
• 2 lbs of boneless, skinless chicken breast, cut into 1" cubes
• 3 c. reduced-sodium chicken broth
• 2 T. cornstarch

1) Spray a large roasting pan with cooking spray. Add potatoes, carrots, onion, vinegar, oil, garlic, 1 t. thyme, 1 t. rosemary, tarragon, salt and pepper. Mix well. Roast, uncovered, at 425° for 30 minutes. Stir once, halfway through cooking time. Add green beans and roast for 10 more minutes.

2) At about the same time you add the green beans, pour wine into a large soup pot. Add remaining 1/2 t. thyme and 1/2 t. rosemary. Bring to a boil. Add chicken pieces and reduce heat to medium-high. Cook uncovered, until chicken is cooked through, 10-12 minutes.

3)Add roasted vegetables to chicken and wine. Stir in 2-1/2 c. broth. In a small bowl, combine cornstarch with remaining 1/2 cup broth and stir until lump-free. Add cornstarch mixture to chicken and vegetables. Cook until stew is bubbly and has thickened, about 3 minutes. Serve hot.

Taste of Home estimated the nutritional values as follows per serving: 298 calories, 4.6g total fat (0.5g saturated fat), 31g protein, 30g carbohydrate, 3.8g fiber, 66 mg cholesterol, 362mg sodium.

The following is a scan of the original page for reference: