Hearty Chicken Stew

I make this hearty, warming stew at least once or twice a winter. As I mentioned in the stock post, this dish starts by roasting a chicken the previous night, and then making stock from it. It's a great exercise in frugality! My method for the stock is described here. The ingredients can be varied to suit your tastes and what is on hand, below is what I used in the most recent iteration of the stew.

1 medium onion, chopped
3 carrots, chopped
3 cloves garlic
2 large or 3 to 4 medium potatoes, chopped
2 handfuls green beans, trimmed, cut in 1/2
two handfuls of greens, finely chopped (I used 2 chard leaves),
appx 3 cups cooked chicken, cut or shred into bit sized pieces (see stock recipe for process)
15 ozs cooked kidney beans (I like to cook the dried beans in advance, keeping in the frugal spirit)
optional: a bit of bacon or pancetta
7 cups stock
1 to 2 tbsp olive oil
salt & pepper to taste

Heat the olive oil on medium in large pot. Add the onion, saute until it begins to soften, about 5 minutes. Add the carrots and garlic, saute another 5 minutes. Stir in the potatoes, heat for a few minutes, then add the stock. Bring to a boil, then reduce to a steady simmer, around medium heat. Let it simmer until the potatoes start to soften a bit, about 15 minutes. Add the chicken, green beans, and kidney beans simmer gently for another 20 minutes or so. Stir in the greens, cook until they have wilted. Length of time will depend on the kind of green you use; about 5 to 10 minutes. Add salt & pepper to taste, I tend to be generous with the pepper on this one.

If you want to add the optional bacon or pancetta, start the stew by browning the meat in the pot until crispy. Remove the bacon and set it aside, wipe the excess grease (but leave a bit for flavor!). Add the bacon back in at the end.

Wine: This recipe has been sitting in my queue for a bit, so I don't recall what I served with this most recently. But generally a rustic dish like this calls for a wine with similar characteristics. A red from France's Languedoc region comes to mind.