This Immune-Boosting Chicken Stew w/ Sourdough Biscuits and Herbs is the perfect comfort food. Not only is it delicious, it is packed with nutrient-rich immune boosting foods to help keep you and your family healthy and nourished in the cold days ahead.
The classic chicken and noodle soup has been known as cold-cure for ages. I always loved it when my mom made chicken soup growing up… it’s one of my favorite meals.
It wasn’t until later in life that I realized why chicken soup is so good for healing. My mom always used to boil a whole chicken to make her soup… enter bone broth! Bone broth has amazing healing properties!
Collagen & Gelatin: Support gut health and repair, strengthening immunity.
Amino Acids (e.g., glycine, proline, glutamine, arginine): Aid tissue repair, gut health, and reduce inflammation.
Minerals (calcium, magnesium, potassium, phosphorus): Boost bone, muscle, and electrolyte health, easily absorbed by the body.
Glucosamine & Chondroitin: Promote joint health and reduce pain/inflammation.
Hyaluronic Acid: Hydrates skin and lubricates joints.
Anti-Inflammatory Compounds: Help reduce inflammation, supporting faster recovery. Chicken contains an amino acid called cysteine, which is released when it’s cooked. This amino acid can thin mucus in the lungs, making it easier to expel and reducing congestion. Studies have shown that chicken soup may actually inhibit the movement of certain white blood cells, which can reduce inflammation in the respiratory tract and ease symptoms like coughing and stuffiness.
Not to mention chicken soup is fantastic for hydration, warmth, comfort and is is easy on the digestive system. Plus, so many nutrients and beneficial properties from all the veggies and the herbs in this recipe. For instance, I used fennel seeds that have shown in studies to protect against that dreaded “C” word!
In this recipe we’re taking a slight twist on the classic. My mom and loved watching Ina Garten together and as a special treat she would make her chicken stew and biscuits. It was so good, but so rich. I decided to make it a bit lighter add even more health benefits with adding herbs, replacing the heavy cream with canned coconut milk and making sourdough biscuits for the added probiotic benefits and easier on the digestion. One other health swap and trick if your a little sensitive to gluten is to use Organic Einkorn Flour. It is a non-hybridized ancient wheat that is low in gluten and a lot of gluten-intolerant individuals can enjoy this flour.
You can also always switch out the sourdough biscuits for regular biscuits! But highly recommend you give sourdough a try! It’s so much easier than you think! You can make it a lot easier by getting a starter from a friend or a local bakery (which is where I got mine for free!).
I love using Azure Standard’s bone-in chicken breasts for this recipe. I roast them in the oven with EVOO, herbs and good amounts of sea salt + pepper. They have a lot of meat on them and are more affordable than other cuts. Azure is where I purchase most of my ingredients… I absolutely love them! If you’ve never heard of them or used them before… you just click the link above (affiliate link), and then add your items to the cart, checkout and choose a pick-up location (they have pick-up locations all across the country), and then go pick it up at the specified time for your location! It’s so easy and the items are less expensive than the grocery store (especially when you buy in bulk) + the quality is so much better! Highly recommend you give them a try!
One my favorite things is to take a classic recipe and add a healthy spin to it. It’s amazing how just a few adjustments can make all the difference. This stew still has all amazing bone-broth properties, plus a little extra goodness.
I pray you enjoy this immune-boosting chicken stew & sourdough biscuits!
“For He satisfies the thirsty and fills the hungry with good things.” Psalm 107:9
Immune-Boosting Chicken Stew w/ Sourdough Biscuits & Herbs
Ingredients
- 3 Whole/Large Split Free-Range Skin-On Chicken Breasts
- Extra Virgin Olive Oil
- Fresh Herbs for Roasting Chicken Breasts
- Sea Salt + Freshly Ground Black Pepper
- 5 cups Chicken Bone Broth
- 1 Yellow Onion, Diced
- 6 cloves garlic, minced
- 3/4 cup All-Purpose Flour (Einkorn is best – especially if gluten-sensitive)
- 1/4 cup Whole Canned Coconut Milk
- 2 cups Medium-Diced Carrots
- 1/2 cup Minced Fresh Parsley
- Fresh/Dried Herbs of Choice (Thyme, Oregano, Fennel Frons/Seeds)
- 1-2 cups Chopped Kale
- 1 cup Frozen Peas (if desired)
Sourdough Discard Biscuits w/ Fresh Thyme
- 8 tablespoons Cold Butter, diced (113 grams – 1 stick)
- 2 cups All-Purpose Flour (280 grams) Can use Einkorn Flour here – however, will need to add more flour before baking as dough is stickier.
- 1 cup Sourdough Discard (285 grams)
- 1 tablespoon Organic Sugar (12 grams)
- 1/2 cup Milk (I used Whole Canned Coconut Milk)
- 1 teaspoon Baking Soda
- 2 teaspoons Baking Powder
- 3/4 teaspoons Fine Sea Salt (4 grams)
Instructions
Sourdough Discard Biscuits w/ Fresh Thyme
- Mix the flour and the diced butter with your hands until it resembles course meal. You can also use a pastry cutter or grate the butter instead of chopping.
- Add sourdough discard, sugar and milk.
- Stir until nicely incorporated. Place a beeswax wrapper or plastic wrap over your bowl and allow to sit at room temperature at least 8-24 hours if you are gluten-sensitive. However, you can mix everything together and roll out + cut dough, place in your pan and let the biscuits rise for 30 minutes if you are in a hurry.
- See below for finishing instructions for the biscuits.
Chicken Stew
- Preheat oven 425 degrees F. Line a sheet pan with parchment paper. Grease a 10 x 13 baking dish with EVOO & set aside.
- Place the chicken on the sheet pan, add fresh herbs under skin and on top of chicken (just the leaves and stems work great). Drizzle with EVOO & sprinkle with salt and pepper. Rub seasonings and EVOO under skin as well.
- Bake until skin is brown and crispy and until the internal temperature of the chicken reaches 165 degrees F. Set chicken aside to cool.
- In a large cast-iron pan or Dutch oven, drizzle a generous amount of EVOO, add the onions and cook over medium-low heat for about 10 minutes, until translucent. Meanwhile, heat up your chicken stock in a small saucepan. After the onions are translucent, add in the chopped carrots and garlic and cook for a few minutes more until carrots are slightly soft. Note: you could also cook your carrots first and then remove from the pan to make it easier to incorporate the flour for the sauce.
- Add the flour and cook over low heat, stirring constantly for 2 minutes, making sure the flour doesn't burn. Add the hot chicken stock to the sauce, whisking constantly. Simmer until the sauce thickens. Add salt and pepper and all your beautiful herbs. Mix well.
- Place the stew in the 10 x 13 baking dish (you could also do this all in a large cast-iron pan (just make sure there is plenty of room for the biscuits). Bake for 15 minutes.
- Meanwhile finish making sourdough biscuits. Place a peace of parchment paper with flour on the counter. Add the baking soda, baking powder, sea salt & fresh thyme to the sourdough biscuits. Knead until everything is incorporated well. Shape and cut the biscuits with a floured biscuit/large cookie cutter.
- Remove the stew from the oven and arrange the biscuits on top of the filling. How many biscuits you can fit on your pan will depend on the size of your biscuits. Brush the biscuits with melted butter. Bake for another 20-30 minutes until the biscuits are browned and the stew is bubbly. Cooking time will depend on the size of your biscuits.
- Enjoy!
Notes
Azure Standard
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