Stew Seasoning Question

[lisagail5]

Please tell me what seasoning to use for the following recipe. I do not like a lot of salt. I do not use fresh herbs because they spoil faster than I can use them.

1 tsp olive oil
1 medium chopped
1 pound boneless skinless chicken breasts
1 1/2 cups frozen lima beans
2 cups frozen corn
3 cups fat free low sodium chicken broth
1 1/2 cups chopped tomatoes
6 ounce can tomato paste
3 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
1 tablespoon low sodium worcestershire sauce

 

[Wyogal]

a bay leaf does wonders, maybe some oregano, thyme, rosemary
I used dried herbs, too. and... I get the $1 ones, too.

 

[lisagail5]

Stew Seasoning

Thank you. How much should I put in?

 

[Wyogal]

1 bay leaf, and I don't measure the rest, just shake some in, let it cook for awhile, and taste it.

 

[jennyema]

I'd suggest garlic, thyme and maybe sage.

Boneless breasts don't stew well, though. They dry out when overcooked, even when they are cooked in liquid. Dark meat does better in a braise or stew. Unless you "stew" the white meat for only a few minutes, till done.

 

[GrillingFool]

You could also go "Southwest".. cumin, chili powder, cayenne, oregano, bay....

 

[lisagail5]

Thank you. I forgot to mention that the boneless breasts are cut in 1 inch cubes. Will this make them stew better?

 

[Wyogal]

Actually, jennyema has it right, chicken breasts are not great for "stewing" and are better poached.

 

[jennyema]

If you are talking about the technique of "stewing," which is essentially braising -- cooking at a relatively low temperature for a long time, white meat chicken is a bad choice and the smaller you cut it the worse it will be.

If you are talking about a "stew" -- in other words a thick type of soup, then it might be fine.

It all depends on how long the recipe says to cook the chicken for.

Can you tell us?

 

[bigdaddy3k]

Thank you. I forgot to mention that the boneless breasts are cut in 1 inch cubes. Will this make them stew better?

If I'm stewing breasts, I usually leave them whole and then fish them out and cut at the end. Cubing does make them dry out faster. Boneless skinless thighs are a better choice to stew but we all don't have an Aldi right down the block.

I would also explore adding a little curry to the mix as it gives a nice savory undertone to any spice blend. (Mexican, Italian...)

I didn't see any onion in the initial ingredients. Did I miss them? Maybe the "Medium chopped xxx". If not then onion/dried onion/onion powder...

How about garlic? Add any form of garlic and you should add parsley (dried or fresh) as it will eliminate the breath problems associated with garlic.

 

[ChefJune]

Please tell me what seasoning to use for the following recipe. I do not like a lot of salt. I do not use fresh herbs because they spoil faster than I can use them.

1 tsp olive oil
1 medium chopped
1 pound boneless skinless chicken breasts
1 1/2 cups frozen lima beans
2 cups frozen corn
3 cups fat free low sodium chicken broth
1 1/2 cups chopped tomatoes
6 ounce can tomato paste
3 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
1 tablespoon low sodium worcestershire sauce

I would add a dried bay leaf (be sure to remember to remove it before serving) and a teaspoon of dried herbes de Provence (rubbed between the heels of your palms). Also 1/2 teaspoon sea salt and a couple of grinds of fresh peppercorns.

 

[TheMetalChef]

My personal take:

Sear the breasts quickly in a frypan until they brown on both sides. Get SOME kind of caramelization going there. Take a good stiff shot of Marsala and deglaze that frypan with it, and put that in your stew. Cut up the breasts and put them in there about an hour before service, to cook them the rest of the way.

 

[lisagail5]

The recipe calls for stiring the chicken and the remaining ingredients. Reduce the heat and simmer covered for one hour.

 

[lisagail5]

What is herbes de Provence?

 

[Wyogal]

There is a thread that addresses the ingredients, they vary from cook to cook. It is a combination of herbs, "typical" in the south of France. You can buy it already mixed, like curry powder or chili powder or poultry seasoning.
http://www.discusscooking.com/forums/f17/herbes-de-provence-59867.html

 

[BreezyCooking]

What is herbes de Provence?

It's a mixture of Mediterranean herbs, including the addition of lavender. Some consider it an acquired taste, & in my opinion I wouldn't waste it in a dish that contains tomatoes. But that's just my opinion.

With the ingredients you listed, I'd probably use a little salt, some freshly ground pepper (white or black), & perhaps a teaspoon of dried thyme. Then cook & taste.

Rosemary &/or oregano with lima beans & corn wouldn't be my thing, but you know, cooking is all about personal taste, so it's kind of difficult to advise you.

 

[jennyema]

The recipe calls for stiring the chicken and the remaining ingredients. Reduce the heat and simmer covered for one hour.

Chuncks of chicken breast cook in less than 15 minutes. A whole split breast half in about 30.

Not much good comes from cooking them past done, except that you force the juice out of the chicken and into the cooking liquid. You pick up a hint of flavor but the chicken dries out. This is why dark meat is better for this kind of recipe and recipes like coq au vin.

I totally agree with Breezy about the seasoning.

 

[lisagail5]

Thank you. This recipe comes from American Heart Association Low Fat Low Cholesterol Cookbook. I wil get dark meat chicken.

 

[BreezyCooking]

Ahhh - then that's why they want you to use white-meat chicken. It has less fat than dark meat. That said, there is absolutely no reason why you can't use the cubed boneless skinless chicken breasts. In fact, I use that myself when I make my chicken goulash (which I'll be making next Tuesday in celebration of Bela Lugosi's birthday - lol!). All you need to do is cook it for about 30 minutes instead of the hour (which is what I pretty much do with my goulash). It'll come out just fine. An hour for a boneless chicken stew/braise is pretty long regardless of what cut you use. I would think that after an hour, even your vegetables would be obliterated.

 

[Alix]

Dang it Breezy you are too fast for me. I said nearly what you did and then saw you posted before me. So I'll just say...ditto what Breezy said. And her seasoning ideas are what I would do too. Good luck, let us know how it turns out.