Hunter Chicken Stew & A Giveaway

It's that time of year again, when packages of canned tomatoes start showing up at my door. I love my job as a blogger! This year I actually got packages from 2 companies, Muir Glen and Red Gold. I am excited to try the Red Gold, a regional canned tomato company, but I started with the Muir Glen because this year they sent me a fire roasted version of one of their limited edition single variety tomatoes.Muir Glen's Fire Roasted Diced Tomatoes are the most used canned tomatoes in my pantry. It is true I have switched over to using a lot of frozen tomatoes, but there is still use for canned tomatoes, and there is especially use for their fire roasted canned tomatoes as a shortcut to bringing that smoky, deep, intense tomatoes flavor to something.


Obviously I usually use their regular fire roasted tomatoes, and since I was using 2 cans, I taste tested the regular with the Meridian Ruby limited edition 2010 tomatoes. They are both excellent but the Meridian Ruby was indeed more intense. But the only way you can try it is to join their Connoisseur's Club or to leave me a comment describing what you use canned fire roasted tomatoes for--and maybe I'll draw your name out of a hat so you can receive the same kit I did, including samples of their grocery store line and samples of their Meridian Ruby tomatoes. (**Note: be sure to leave an email address with your comment so I can track you down if you win! I will draw a name Thursday, December 23 so be sure to leave a comment by midnight December 22.)


The winner will also receive the Muir Glen 2010 Reserve Tomato Vine Dining Tour recipe booklet, which, as it happens, is where this recipe originated. I emphasize originated, because I accidentally used tasso instead of pancetta (I forgot to label in my freezer--bad Laura!--and could not tell until it thawed), which led to a few more changes as well. Everyone in my family loved the recipe, and I loved finding a non-Mexican use for the fire roasted tomatoes.

Note that this is a simple dish but it takes longer than it looks because of all of the browning stages. It's worth it, though.


Hunter Chicken Stew with Mushrooms & Tomatoes
Adapted from Chef Jason Stratton, Muir Glen 2010 Reserve Tomato Vine Dining Tour

2 T olive oil, plus more as needed
4 lbs bone-in, skin-on chicken pieces, preferably mix of dark and white meats
1/2 cup potato starch
salt and pepper to taste
3/4 lb mix of wild mushrooms, sliced (I used crimini and shitake as that is what I have locally)
4 oz tasso ham, diced
2 medium onions, diced
1 sweet bell pepper, diced
1 large carrot, diced
6 cloves of garlic, minced
4 bay leaves
1 T minced fresh rosemary needles
1 t smoked Spanish paprika
1 can (14.5 oz) Muir Glen fire roasted tomatoes
1 1/2 cups white wine
32 oz chicken stock, preferably low sodium
1-4 T apple cider vinegar, to taste

Pat the chicken pieces dry and dredge them in the potato starch. Shake excess starch loose. Salt and pepper the chicken and set aside.


Heat 2 tablespoons of olive oil over medium high heat in a medium-large Dutch oven (5-7 qt). Brown the chicken in batches, slowly, making the the skin getting nicely browned. Remove and set aside. Add a little more oil if necessary, reduce the heat to medium and brown the mushrooms with a pinch of salt. This will take 15 minutes or so. Remove the mushrooms as well to the bowl with the chicken.

Add the tasso to the pot with a glug of wine if needed to deglaze. Also add a little more oil if necessary. Brown over medium high heat for 3 minutes, then add the onions with a pinch of salt and brown them for 8 minutes. Add the pepper and carrot and brown another 5 minutes. Add the garlic, rosemary, bay leaves and paprika and brown for another 5 minutes. Add the tomatoes and cook for 15 minutes, over medium heat, until the tomatoes deepen in color.

Preheat the oven 375 F.


Add the white wine to the vegetables and let it boil, on medium high heat, until the liquid is reduced by half, about 15 minutes. Add the chicken stock, chicken pieces, mushrooms, and all accumulated juices to the pot. Bring to a boil. Place a heavy lid on the pot and put it in the oven. Bake for 45 minutes.

Remove the Dutch oven from the oven. Add a tablespoon of vinegar to the pot and stir. Taste for salt and additional vinegar. Serve with white rice.

The best part of cooking with wine? The glass for the cook!