Chicken & Sausage Stew with Greens & White Beans

The Husband pulled this recipe out of Men's Health quite awhile ago and asked me to make it for dinner one night.  Well, as mentioned before, prior to this week, I haven't been cooking.  I figured as I'm wading back into the cooking waters, I would give this recipe a try.  It worked out especially well, that it was cold and snowy - perfect weather for a stew!

Though a little time consuming (for a weeknight meal), this is a really easy stew to make.  I also like the relatively fewer ingredients, compared to many stew recipes I have found.  And the cooking time is definitely worth it, because it ends up leaving the chicken fall apart tender and the fennel seed really permeats everything in an unexpected, but delicious way.

The Husband raved about this - loved the flavor and loved what he called a "double meat dish". 

Quick notes:
1. I used boneless, skinless chicken breasts instead of thighs.  I cut them into large bite size pieces.
2. Instead of andouille sausage, which I'm not supposed to eat, I used an all natural chicken sausage.
3. I let the kale cook down for closer to 40 minutes instead of the 30 minutes the recipe suggests.  I think it is very important to make sure the greens are TENDER!
4. If you've never cooked with kale before make sure you watch this super short video how-to!

Chicken-and-Sausage Stew with Greens & White Beans

4 boneless, skinless chicken thighs, cut in half
Coarse salt to taste Red-pepper flakes to taste
1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
3/4 lb andouille sausage, sliced
1 yellow onion, chopped
2 carrots, sliced into 1/4" rounds
4 garlic cloves, smashed add to shopping list
1 tbsp fennel seed
8 cups low sodium chicken broth
1 can (15 oz) cannellini beans
1 bunch kale, trimmed and chopped
juice of 1 lemon

Season the chicken with salt and red-pepper flakes. Heat an 8-quart pot on medium high before adding half the olive oil.

Add the thighs and cook without turning until they're seared on one side, about 3 minutes. Turn them and add the sausage. Cook about 5 minutes more. Stir the sausage occasionally until it's browned.

Add the onion, carrots, garlic, and fennel seed, sauteing until the onion is translucent, about 8 minutes. Add the broth and bring it to a boil. Add the beans; reduce the heat to low. Cover and simmer until the chicken is cooked through, about 40 minutes.

Remove the lid and add the kale. Simmer, adding more broth if the stew looks too thick, until the ingredients are tender, about 30 minutes more. Stir in the remaining oil and the lemon juice, and season with red-pepper flakes and salt.