This Sardinian chicken stew is a hearty blend of tender chicken, rustic vegetables, and bold Mediterranean flavors. Slow-simmered with herbs, spices, and a hint of capers, this chicken stew is rich, comforting, and budget-friendly. Perfect for weeknight dinners or cozy weekends, it’s a Mediterranean-inspired chicken stew that’s simple to prepare yet full of flavor.
A few years ago, my late husband Steve introduced me to a recipe called Sardinian Hare Stew and asked me to make something like it if I could. Since I didn’t have any meat rabbits on hand, I modified it to use chicken. Part of my ancestry is Sardinian so I jumped at the chance to make a Mediterranean chicken stew for dinner.
Fun fact: Rabbit and chicken taste incredibly similar to each other and can usually be used interchangeably in recipes.
What came out was this altered recipe that I put together and love! It’s so good this way!
What are the Ingredients for Sardinian Chicken Stew?
What I really love about this recipe is the ingredients. It’s not often you find a few things that just really go together. Bone-in chicken chicken breasts are used since the bones give you a chicken broth while potatoes, and other veggies add the real flavor. If you don’t have chicken breast, you can use bone in chicken thighs. Just be sure to use enough that they are tightly packed in the pot. Onion and garlic with parsley and capers help it all come together for real flavor.
But the real star of this show is the saffron. Saffron threads like THESE can be expensive The touch of saffron threads ties it together. But, if you can’t afford saffron, a simple substitute is to use turmeric instead. It doesn’t change the flavor much and you still get that gorgeous golden color.
How do you thicken chicken stew?
For this chicken stew, there is not really a need to thicken it. It doesn’t have a lot of brothy goodness. It’s just the right balance between broth and thickness. But, if yours does end up more watery than you’d like, a simple cornstarch slurry like THIS will thicken it right up.
Sardinian Chicken Stew
Equipment
- Dutch Oven, with lid
Ingredients
- 2 Large Chicken Breasts Bone-In.
- 1 Large white onion chopped
- 2 Large potatoes Diced
- 2 Large Celery Ribs Chopped
- 2 Large Carrots Diced
- ½ C Capers
- 5 Tbsp minced garlic
- 2 Tbsp turmeric or saffron
- Course Sea Salt
- garlic powder
- Onion Powder
- ½ Tbsp poultry seasoning
- ¼ C parsley fresh
- 2.5 C Water
- olive oil extra virgin
Instructions
- Rub chicken with course salt and allow to sit at room temperature 30 minutes.2 Large Chicken Breasts, Course Sea Salt
- Heat oil in a pot until hot.olive oil
- Season chicken breast with powdered seasonings except turmeric.garlic powder, Onion Powder, 1/2 Tbsp poultry seasoning
- Brown chicken over medium-high heat on all sides. Remove and set aside.
- Scrape brown bits from bottom of the pot. Don't skip this step. It adds flavor.
- Add onion, celery and minced garlic. Sauté until garlic is fragrant and onions are translucent.5 Tbsp minced garlic, 1 Large white onion
- Add to pot making sure your chicken is packed tightly in the pot without much space between them.
- Add the rest of the ingredients except carrots.2 Large potatoes, 2 Large Celery Ribs, 1/2 C Capers, 2 Tbsp turmeric, 1/4 C parsley, 2.5 C Water
- Bring to a boil and reduce heat to a simmer. Cover with tight fitting lid.
- Simmer 45 minutes.
- Remove chicken from pot. Debone chicken and chunk or pull in strips based on what you want.
- Add carrots and simmer another 15 minutes.2 Large Carrots
- Turn burner off and allow to sit 15 minutes.
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