Here’s an easy weeknight winner for you, Chicken Tomato Stew. My partner, Dave, came home sick yesterday with “the blahs” (a cold we think) and emailed me asking me to make a stew. Dave and I love tomatoes – and so it was obvious that the soup be tomato based. The addition of fresh pressed garlic and the intense flavors of Herbs de Provence made this a real satisfying – but easy-to-make fall soup.

INGREDIENTS

  • Herbs de Provence (a mixture of savory, fennel, basil, lavender and thyme flowers)
  • a chopped yellow bell pepper
  • a chopped red bell pepper
  • a chopped green bell pepper
  • a chopped orange bell pepper
  • 1/2 pound sliced crimini mushrooms
  • 1 cup of white wine
  • garlic! (two cloves through a garlic press)
  • olive oil
  • precooked chicken breast sliced into strips
  • 1 qt carton of Tomato Roasted Pepper soup (I use Pacific Organics)

DIRECTIONS

Put a soup pan on the stove on high heat – twice around the base of the pan with olive oil. when the olive oil starts to ‘shimmer’ – add garlic and a sprinkle around the base of the pan with herbs de provence – after a minute or two – add all the vegetables and cook them down – as they start to stick add 1/2 cup of the wine. as that evaporates off – repeat – stirring the vegetables on high heat – and as they start to stick – 1/2 a cup of wine. The vegetables should reduce by 2/3rds – then add the chicken and turn the heat down to medium. reheat the chicken in the vegetables thoroughly – then add the quart of tomato soup. (slowly – or you’ll create a jackson pollack on your kitchen backsplash; not that I did that or anything) stir every once in a while – and simmer for about 20 minutes.

Easy Schmeazy for a weeknight meal.