It’s spring time! I love this time of year. The days are longer, flowers start to appear everywhere, and everything is just greener. This dish is a celebration of spring. It’s fresh, healthy, packed with green vegetables and a great one-pot dish that doesn’t require hours to cook.

It’s adapted from a vegetable stew with spring vegetables, peas, broad beans artichokes & pancetta I used to cook all the time but this recipe with chicken & potato means you don’t need to cook anything else to go with it and I’ve created something that ‘s altogether more baby & toddler friendly.

It doesn’t really matter which vegetables you include, feel free to add or substitute as you wish but I do like the fact all the vegetables are green! If you don’t have many fresh vegetables at hand you can just use frozen peas, broad beans & spinach.

Spring Vegetable & Chicken Stew

Serves 4

Preparation 8-10min I Cooking 30-40min

 

Ingredients:

1 onion

1 leek

350 g of baby new potatoes, scrubbed and chopped in half ( Or you could just use white potatoes, quartered)

500 g chicken thigh fillets

½ courgette, diced into medium chunks

1 handful of green beans, trimmed

8-10 small florets of brocolli

small handful of spring greens, thinly chopped or frozen spinach

150g of frozen peas

A little vegetable oil

A handful of chopped parsley ( You can also add mint, but this is optional)

500ml of reduced salt chicken stock

 

Method:

In a large pan cook the onion for a few of minutes in a little vegetable oil. Once softened add the chicken pieces and fry until lightly coloured.. Add the leeks & potatoes and give it a stir. Add the chicken stock and cook for 20-30 minutes , covered, until the potatoes are tender and the chicken is cooked through.

Add the green beans, courgette, brocolli, spring greens and cook for 5-10 minutes until the vegetables are cooked but still firm. Add the peas and cook for a further couple of minutes.

Take out a portion for your baby or toddler at this point ( See note below)before seasoning with salt & pepper.

It’s ready to serve & enjoy.

 

For toddlers & babies

For a toddler I would just pick out a little chicken, a few potatoes and vegetables and offer chopped into smaller bits. My daughter might pick out a few of the veg but I find it’s worth offering all as her taste sometimes change from one day to the next!

For a baby you could do the same but then blitz up with a hand blender into a puree adding a little stock to adjust consistency.

 

Vignole:

http://www.jamieoliver.com/recipes/vegetables-recipes/spring-vegetable-stew-vignole

http://www.italianfoodforever.com/2010/05/vignole-spring-vegetable-stew/