I make mine just thin enough to recognize it as soup, rather than stew. In fact, I just made some on Thursday.
Sicilian Lentil Soup with Chicken
Ingredients:
4 Tbs olive oil
I cup chopped onion
½ cup chopped celery
½ cup chopped carrot
1 tsp minced garlic
8 cups water
2 skin on, bone in chicken legs
2 skin on, bone in chicken thighs
1 lb brown lentils
¼ cup Italian seasoning
3 Tbs tomato paste
1 15oz can spinach
1 tsp crush red pepper flakes, or to taste
2 bay leaves
4 cups chicken stock
salt & fresh ground black pepper to taste
Instructions:
Rinse and drain lentils. Heat 2 Tbs olive oil over medium heat in thebottom of a Dutch oven. Addonion, carrot and celery and sautéuntil soft, 7 to 10 minutes. Add the mincedgarlic and sautéan additional1 minute. Remove from Dutch oven and set aside.
Add water and chicken legs and thighsto Dutch oven and heat over medium heat until chicken is falling offthe bones. Remove legs and thighs from poaching liquid, removechicken from bones and set aside. Discard skin, bones, ligaments,tendons and cartitage. Pour poaching liquid into a containerand set aside.
Add the sautéed onions, carrots, celery and garlic back to the Dutch oven, add the lentils and remaining olive oil and sauté until the lentils are toasted.
Add the poaching liquid, chicken, Italian seasoning, spinach and tomato paste to the Dutch oven, stir, and simmer over medium low heat for at least 2 hours, until lentils are cooked. Remove and discard bay leaf and add additional chicken stock until desired thickness is reached.