Chicken and Green Peas Stew

This is a very popular dish in Romania, especially during summer time. Since it’s such a simple, healthy and tasty meal, I cook this quite often regardless of the season. Traditionally, it’s a vegetarian stew but, I like adding chicken. One of the key ingredients for this stew is the fresh dill which adds a strong, aromatic and fresh flavour to the dish. I love fresh dill and use a lot for this recipe.

Time: 60 min, Prep: 15 min.  Cook: 45 min.
Servings: 6-8     

Ingredients:

• 300-400 g skinless, boneless chicken cut into bite-sized pieces
• 800 g peas
• 1 carrot
• 1 large onion
• 1 medium leek
• 300 g diced tomatoes (fresh or canned)
• 700 ml vegetable stock
• 3 Tbsp olive oil
• Freshly chopped dill (I added ~ 5 Tbsp but you can add as much as you prefer)

Directions:

In a pot or a large sauce pan, heat the oil on medium-high heat and add the finely chopped onion and leek. Cook for 3-4 minutes.

Finely chop or grate carrots, add to the pan and cook for 2 minutes. Add chicken and cook for 5 minutes. Pour vegetable stock over and let everything simmer for about 20 minutes on medium heat, stirring occasionally. Season with salt and pepper to taste.

Wash the peas and add them and the diced tomatoes to the pan.  Simmer over medium-low heat for 15 minutes. Add more stock if necessary.

Remove from the heat and stir in dill. If needed, adjust with salt and pepper to taste.

Serve with toasted bread slices.