Chicken Stew, of a sort

After a day of lazing about and just doing laundry, I realized it might benefit my website to like, actually cook something, duh.  (I admit here that I was also trying to concoct something I could make a lot of and would translate well to bento-world, haha.)  Of course, dopey girl that I can be, I chose to cook on a night when it was so sweltering hot I just wanted to cry and slink off to watch the Mets game with an icy beer in one hand.  And I don’t like beer. 

But I soldiered on and tweaked a recipe that I loved in its original form but found too heavy, too hearty for the weather. 

Chop 4 bacon strips into lardons or whatever, small strips.  Over low low flame, let fat render; drain much of fat once crispy.  (This may take a while; I tend to start this when I’m really not hungry, and let it go until nearly all the fat is out, so that it’s super crispy and slightly healthier than otherwise.)  Add chopped carrots; add diced tomatoes to deglaze pan.  Add Italian seasoning; stir around a bit, then add sliced chicken (I used a mix of boneless/skinless thigh and boneless/skinless breast).  Add frozen veggies and let the whole thing cook through; add washed spinach (I only added a little bit).  Stir, let heat up, then take off heat.  Serve with rice or bread or pasta or over couscous (my choice) or eat plain.  Optional: add gratd cheese over the top; I used Pecorino Romano. 

Easy, but it was super uncomfortable standing over the stove that night.  Thank goodness this dish allows for a lot of walking away from the pan, s’long as the heat is turned down low.

(Good note: I made enough extra to suit me for a few days’ lunch but not get sick of it, since you can mix it with cheese or any carb and it tastes completely different.  Yummy!) 

Happy Eating!!!