Chicken with Vegetable Gravy

Winter time is the perfect time to reach into your lexicon of comfort food dishes. The cold weather is perfect for comfort food dishes like meatloaf, roast chicken, and pot roast for example. Anything with gravy on it sounds pretty delicious when the temperature starts to drop. Chicken with vegetable gravy is one of those comfort food dishes perfect for the winter months. Your soul will definitely feel the love when you make this dish. I make my own vegetable stock for making the gravy. If you do not have the time to make your own, that is okay. You may use store bought vegetable or chicken stock if you need to.

Vegetable Stock

Ingredients:
Water
1 medium onion chopped
3 stalks of celery chopped
2 carrots peeled and chopped
1 tablespoon of minced garlic
1 tablespoon of minced ginger
salt
pepper
sesame oil

Method:
In a medium stock pot, saute the onions, celery, and carrots in about a tablespoon of sesame oil. Saute for about 4 minutes or until the onions start to brown. Next, add the garlic and ginger. Cook for an additional 2 minutes. Season the vegetables with salt and pepper. Add enough water to reach about 3/4 of the way up the pot. Bring to a boil and then reduce the heat to a simmer. Simmer the vegetable stock for 30 minutes. After thirty minutes, strain the stock to remove the vegetables. Add the strained stock back to the pot. Reserve the cooked carrots as we will be using them in the dish.

Chicken with Vegetable Gravy

Ingredients:
2 boneless chicken breasts cut into chunks
2 potatoes peeled and cubed
1 small onion diced
2 bell peppers diced
2 stalks of celery diced
1 tablespoon of minced garlic
canola oil
1 teaspoon sesame oil
1 teaspoon dried basil
1 teaspoon fresh thyme
salt
fresh ground black pepper
1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
two tablespoons flour
reserved cooked carrots from the stock

Method:
In a large skillet, heat enough canola oil to pan fry the cubed potatoes. When the oil is hot enough, fry the cubed potatoes on each side until golden brown. This should take about 6 minutes. After frying the potatoes, reserve them in a bowl for adding to the finished dish. Now it is time to cook the chicken. Season the chicken breasts with salt and pepper. Cook in batches so as not to overcrowd the pan. Cook the pieces of chicken for about 3 1/2 minutes per side. After the chicken has been cooked, reserve in a bowl for later. Now add the sesame oil, onions, bell peppers, and celery to the pan. Cook the vegetables until they begin to soften which should be about 3 minutes. Next add the garlic and cook for 1 minutes. Once the garlic becomes fragrant, add the two tablespoons of flour. At this stage you will be making a roux. Cook the flour with the vegetables while stirring until the flour becomes light brown. At this point you should add the reserved vegetable stock. Bring the stock to a boil and stir to prevent burning. The stock needs to come to a boil for the gravy to thicken. When the gravy comes to thickness of your liking, add the cooked chicken, reserved carrots, and the fried potatoes. Cook until the chicken and potatoes have been heated through. I suggest serving with steamed vegetables. I also suggest adding mushrooms to the dish to give it some added flavor. Enjoy!