Roy’s Light Southern-Style Chicken Stew

6 servings       1 Better Balance Bite/Blue Point

Calories 267     Fat 7.2g   Sat. Fat 1.6g   Protein 19.4g   Carbs 32.6g   Fiber 2.8g   Sugars 1.3g

Ingredients

· 1 1/2 lbs chicken breast (see notes)

· 3/4 cup chicken broth

· 3/4 cup almond milk

· 1 can 98% fat-free cream of chicken or cream of mushroom soup

· 1 tsp Dijon mustard

· 2 cups frozen mixed veggies, thawed (see notes)

· 1 tsp dried thyme

· 1 tsp salt

· 1/2 tsp pepper

Directions

1. Add chicken breasts to a stockpot with enough cold water to cover. Set over medium-high heat until it begins to boil. Boil 5 minutes, then use a large spoon to remove any foam on the surface. Turn the heat to low, cover, and cook an additional 10-20 minutes—depending on the thickness of the meat—until it reaches an internal temperature of 165°F. Remove from the pot and set aside to cool slightly.

2. Drain the water from the stockpot, rinse it of any foam residue, and return it to the stovetop over medium heat. Whisk in chicken broth, almond milk, cream soup, Dijon, thyme, salt, and pepper. Stir in the thawed veggies. Cook, stirring often, until the sauce thickens to your liking. (see notes)

3. While the “gravy” cooks, shred the slightly cooled chicken breasts. Stir it into the broth mixture once it’s at the thickness you want and cook another 2-3 minutes to warm the chicken. Taste for seasoning, and add more salt and pepper, if needed.

4. Serve hot over rice, pasta, cauliflower rice, or with low-cal bread.

Notes

· If pressed for time, you can cut the chicken into bite-sized pieces, cook for about 3 minutes per side, then set aside until the sauce is ready.

· If you forget or don’t have time to thaw the veggies, you can reduce either the broth or almond milk to 2/3 cup to adjust for the liquid the veggies will release while cooking.

· If you’d like to thicken the stew further, combine 1 Tbsp cornstarch and 1 Tbsp COLD water. Stir into the “gravy” to thicken.

· Allow leftover stew to cool, then transfer to an airtight container. Refrigerate up to 4 days or freeze up to 3 months.

· Reheat in the microwave, stirring halfway through, or reheat on the stovetop over medium heat (adding 1/4-1/2 cup of water or broth if frozen to prevent scorching) and stir occasionally until heated through. Add a little broth or water if it is too thick.