Dijon Chicken Stew with Potatoes and Kale

Ingredients

• 4 tsp olive oil, divided
• 2 cups sliced leek
• 4 garlic cloves
• 1/3 cup all-purpose flour
• 1 pound chicken breasts, cut up
• 1/2 tsp salt, divided
• 1/2 tsp pepper, divided
• 3 cups low-sodium chicken broth, divided
• 1 Tbsp all-purpose flour
• 2 cups water
• 2 Tbsp dijon mustard
• 2 cups cubed, white potatoes
• 1 rutabaga, peeled and cubed
• 8 cups loosely packed, torn kale/collards/bok choy
• cayenne pepper (optional)

Directions

1. Heat 1 tsp oil in dutch oven over med-high heat. Add leek; saute 6 minutes or until tender and brown. Add garlic & saute 1 minute. Spoon leek mixture into a large bowl.
2. Place 1/3 cup flour in a shallow bowl. Dredge chicken in flour, shake off excess. Heat remaining 1 Tbsp oil in pan over med-high heat. Add chicken, sprinkle with 1/4 tsp salt & 1/4 tsp pepper. Cook 6 minutes, browning on all sides. Add browned chicken to leek mixture.
3. Combine 1 cup broth & 1 Tbsp flour, stirring with whisk until smooth. Add broth mixture, water, remaining broth, and mustard to pan, bring to a boil. Stir in chicken mixture, remaining salt and pepper. Cover, reduce heat and simmer 30 minutes.
4. Stir in potato and rutabaga. Cover & simmer 30 minutes or until tender.
5. Stir in kale and simmer 10 minutes. Garnish with crushed red pepper if desired.

This soup takes a fair amount of time to prepare, so ensure you have adequate time. But it’s worth the effort–it’s delicious!!! You can substitute any greens you have for the kale (collards, bok choy, etc); 8 cups sounds like a lot but it cooks down. Sometimes I add more potatoes and broth to stretch the soup a little more.