Chicken and Kielbasa Winter Stew

By Cookie67

You can make this stew in just an hour. The secret? Start with precooked chicken and sausage. The added root vegetables make this a satisfying winter meal.

Ingredients

• 1/2 cup onion, chopped
• 1/2 cup carrot, sliced
• 1/2 cup celery, sliced
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 tablespoon canola or olive oil
• 2 (14.5-ounce) cans chicken broth or 3 1/2 cups chicken stock
• 2 cups potatoes, parsnips, butternut squash and/or sweet potatoes, cubed
• 1 (14.5-ounce) can diced tomatoes
• 1 (8-ounce can) tomato sauce
• 2 teaspoons dried Italian seasoning, crushed
• 1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper or 1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
• 1 1/2 cups cooked chicken, cut into bite-size pieces
• 8 ounces fully-cooked turkey kielbasa, cut into 1/2-inch slices
• 1/4 cup fresh Italian (flat-leaf) parsley, snipped

Preparation

Step 1

In a Dutch oven, cook onion, carrot, celery and garlic in hot oil over medium heat until onion is tender.

Add chicken broth, potatoes (and/or other root vegetables), undrained tomatoes, tomato sauce, Italian seasoning and pepper. Bring to boiling; reduce heat.

Simmer, covered, 25 to 30 minutes or until vegetables are tender, stirring occasionally.

Stir in chicken, turkey kielbasa and parsley. Simmer, covered, about 5 minutes or until heated through.

To serve, ladle stew into shallow soup bowls. Serve with breadsticks or crusty French bread.