Main dish

Chicken, Black Kale and Smoked Paprika Stew recipe

Name: Chicken, Black Kale and Smoked Paprika Stew
Prep time: 10 min
Cook time: 30 min
Total time: 40 min
Yield: 4
Ingredients: 1 tbsp olive oil; 250g frozen soffritto (or 1 onion, 2 carrots, 2 sticks of celery, all diced); 4 banana shallots, halved; 3 cloves of garlic, chopped; 200ml white wine (plus a splash); 1 chicken stock cube (I use Kallo); 2-3 tsp sweet smoked paprika; 1-2 tbsp harissa (I use smoked); 500g skinless, boneless chicken thighs; 1 tin of plum tomatoes (400g); 400ml water (swilled out from the tomato tin); 200g cavolo nero (or kale); 1 tin of chickpeas (400g); salt and black pepper

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A smoky stew made with chicken thighs, chickpeas and plenty of veg.

Prep10m
Cook30m
Total40m

chicken

The first time I made this stew I included two small chorizo sausages. To me, chorizo always elevates food but I suspected it could be left out as the stew includes paprika and harissa.

I’m trying to see processed meat as a treat rather than an everyday ingredient. Depending on the amount of veg and chicken, I often get six portions out of this stew. Chorizo for days. Anyway, long story short, it’s not needed but include it if you like and reduce the paprika.

The lack of chorizo needs to be accounted for, though. That’s where the soffritto, shallots, wine and harissa come in. I use Belazu sweet smoked paprika and Belazu smoked chilli harissa (this isn’t a sponsored post; I picked them up with a voucher but would happily pay full price). I’m generous with them as they’re not super spicy and this dish benefits from some heat.

I buy bags of frozen soffritto for £2 and use half a bag here. It’s the lazy option for sure, but the vegetables come perfectly cubed and it’s a massive time saver. All the big supermarkets stock soffritto (also under “vegetable base mix”). It can make labour-intensive recipes doable on a weeknight, which to me, is absolutely worth a couple of pounds.

Notes

Store leftovers for up to 48 hours.

Chicken drum fillets are a great stand-in for thighs and my new favourite cut of chicken. Like thighs, they can withstand a longer cook time without drying out (unlike breasts).

Recipe credit

Loosely based on Paprika, Chickpea and Kale Pot by Sainsburys and Smoky Chicken, Bean & Kale Stew by Good Food.

Recipe

Chicken, Black Kale and Smoked Paprika Stew

Prep10m
Cook30m
Total40m

Serves: 4-6

Ingredients

1 tbsp olive oil
250g frozen soffritto (or 1 onion, 2 carrots, 2 sticks of celery, all diced)
4 banana shallots, halved
3 cloves of garlic, chopped
200ml white wine (plus a splash)
1 chicken stock cube (I use Kallo)
2-3 tsp sweet smoked paprika
1-2 tbsp harissa (I use smoked)
500g skinless, boneless chicken thighs
1 tin of plum tomatoes (400g)
400ml water (swilled out from the tomato tin)
200g cavolo nero (or kale)
1 tin of chickpeas (400g)
salt and black pepper

Method

Place a large saucepan over a medium heat (mine is 3.8 litres). Add 1 tablespoon of olive oil and 250g of frozen soffritto (or an onion, 2 carrots and 2 celery sticks, all diced). Fry for a few minutes until defrosted.
Add 4 halved banana shallots and 3 chopped cloves of garlic. Fry for 5-10 minutes until the veg looks dry and starts to stick to the pan.
Add 200ml of white wine. Once it bubbles, add 1 chicken stock cube, 2 teaspoons of smoked paprika and 1 tablespoon of harissa. Crush the stock cube until dissolved.
Add 500g of chicken thighs and stir. Once the thighs have some colour (they don’t need to be cooked through) add 1 tin of plum tomatoes (400g). Fill the empty tin with water (around 400ml) and add to the pan.
While the stew simmers, remove the stems from 200g of cavolo nero and chop the leaves. Add to the saucepan and cook for 10 minutes or so.
Add 1 tin of drained chickpeas (240g drained weight). Once the stew heats back up and the chicken has cooked all the way through, taste and season with salt and black pepper. You may not need much salt depending on your stock cube.
At this stage I add another teaspoon of smoked paprika, another tablespoon of smoked harissa and a big splash of white wine. Cook for around 10 minutes then taste to check the spiciness and seasoning. Either serve immediately or leave overnight for the flavours to develop even more.