I have been making versions of this sort-of-stew for - I think - over 20 years now.
The first time I had it was in my early twenties when I started working on magazines and we had a team dinner at a colleague’s house.
When I say ‘dinner’, I mean obviously it pretty soon descended into drunken debauchery as was entirely normal at that point (at that time of life, in London, in our first media jobs, in the 90’s!).
Our colleague hosting was our fabulously fun and inspiring manager, Emily, just a little older than us but seemed so much more grown up.
She had just been promoted to Associate Publisher, which I thought the most glamorous job title ever and she lived in a flat in Clapham with her boyfriend. They even had a dining room!
I felt I was playing at being grown up. I think we all did, including Emily.
I helped her prepare the main course and it was something so simple and yet so delicious and elegant that I remembered it to cook again.
And over the years … again and again and again.
I still think this a lovely dish for a dinner party and stand by its easy elegance.
‘Stew’ can sound stodgy - although I am a huge fan of stew (see HERE) - but this is really light and good.
Served with a green salad and something gorgeous for pudding, this means any host gets to spend time with their guests rather than in the kitchen (especially perhaps if their guests have moved on from necking shots of tequila as a starter hehe).
I can’t remember the exact quantities but it doesn’t really matter - it’s just a really easy idea that you can play with and use as much or as little as you like.
You’ll need:
chicken breasts, cut into bite-sized chunks
white potatoes, peeled and cut into chunks
dry white wine (I’m sure we used a whole bottle that first time but I’ve since used a mixture of white wine and chicken stock, so up to you)
lots (and lots and lots - this is a key ingredient, not a seasoning) of freshly grated Parmesan cheese
I also added some mushrooms this time but again, up to you
1/2 chicken stock cube, crumbled
salt and pepper
fresh parsley, to garnish
This couldn’t be easier. I use my trusty remoska, but you can make it on the stove-top or put it all into a casserole in the oven.
Just put all the ingredients into your remoska/pan/casserole and cook with a medium heat for an hour or so until done.
Check and stir regularly and add a little water if needed.
You could add a handful of spinach right at the end which would be delicious too.
Oh, and don’t forget to season with salt and pepper towards the end of cooking, so you can really taste what the ideal seasoning is.
It’s up to you really when it’s finished cooking and is perfectly done as it’s such a personal decision - I like my potatoes in this done until they are almost falling apart, for instance, and you might like yours less well cooked.
I really hope you love this as much as I do - and cook variants of it for as long.
I think me and this dish still have many delicious years together yet to come.
