Paleo Chicken Stew
I made this recipe up when I started eating paleo. I have now found it to be a staple in our home!
I made this recipe up when I started eating paleo. I have now found it to be a staple in our home!
- sea salt to taste
- 2 cloves garlic minced
- 2 teaspoons olive oil
- 1 small red onion chopped
- 2 skinless, boneless chicken breast halves cut into cubes
- 2 sweet potatoes peeled and chopped
- 1 cup fresh spinach or to taste
- 1 pinch crushed red pepper or more to taste
- 1 pinch paprika or more to taste
- 1/2 cup chicken broth or more to taste
- Carbohydrate 4.91881958333333 g
- Cholesterol 99.48 mg
- Fat 16.3358429160667 g
- Fiber 0.651699987928073 g
- Protein 28.7902370833333 g
- Saturated Fat 4.59321361102826 g
- Serving Size 1 1 serving (204g)
- Sodium 131.626305555544 mg
- Sugar 4.26711959540526 g
- Trans Fat 1.50373319442819 g
- Calories 288 calories
Step-by-step
- Heat olive oil in a saucepan over medium-high heat. Saute onion and garlic in hot oil until softened, about 5 minutes.
- Stir chicken, sweet potatoes, spinach, crushed red pepper, paprika, and sea salt with the onion and garlic in the saucepan. Pour as much chicken broth into the saucepan to make the mixture as soup-like or stew-like as you'd like it.
- Bring the broth to a boil, reduce heat to medium-low, and simmer until the chicken is no longer pink in the middle and the sweet potatoes are tender, about 30 minutes.
Judging Doneness Without Equipment
Are the sweet potatoes actually tender, or merely resisting the point of a paring knife? Piercing the largest cube with a thin skewer reveals doneness instantly; zero resistance means starch gelatinization is complete. Cubed chicken breast meat reaches safe doneness at 165 degrees Fahrenheit internally, but visually tracking opacity changes prevents overcooking. Simmering diced poultry for 30 minutes in a covered saucepan maintains adequate moisture retention. Overheating causes muscle fibers to tighten aggressively, expelling internal liquids and turning the meat stringy.
The Science of Compound Interaction
Aromatic compounds in garlic and red onion dissolve efficiently in olive oil because lipid-soluble flavor molecules bond with the fat. Capsaicin from crushed red pepper disperses uniformly throughout the liquid medium, distributing heat evenly across the palate. Sweet potato starches slowly break down into maltose during the simmer, contributing natural sweetness that balances the sharp sulfur compounds released by the alliums. Maintaining a gentle medium-low heat prevents the broth from evaporating too quickly, ensuring proper starch hydration.
