Hearty Roasted Vegetable and Chicken Stew

1. Stage

Preheat the oven to 425°F

2. Stage

Roast the veggies: Spread chopped mushrooms, carrots, and potatoes on a baking sheet in three separate rows, keeping each vegetable separate from the others—this will come in handy later when you have to add them to the soup in separate steps. Drizzle 3 tablespoons of olive oil over the vegetables, then sprinkle with 3/4 teaspoon of salt, 3/4 teaspoon freshly ground pepper, and 1/2 teaspoon harissa. Toss each individual row to coat. Roast veggies in oven for 20 to 25 minutes. When they are fork tender, set them aside while you finish the soup base. (Note: You don't actually want the veggies to brown too much for this recipe; you want the colors to stay vibrant.) While the vegetables roast, cook the chicken and begin assembling the stew.

3. Stage

Cook the chicken: Heat 2 tablespoons oil in Dutch oven or large heavy-bottomed soup pot set over medium heat. Trim the chicken of excess fat and skin. Sprinkle the four chicken thighs with 3/4 teaspoon salt and 3/4 teaspoon freshly ground pepper. Once the oil begins to shimmer, add the thighs skin side down. Cook the thighs for 7 minutes, until the skin has a nice golden brown color. Flip the chicken and cook for another 5 minutes. A few bits of skin may stick to the pan when you flip. That’s ok. After cooking, the skin should be crisp and golden, and you should have about a 1/4 cup of fat in the pan. (Just eyeball it; you’ll be fine!) The chicken will not be completely cooked, which is ok; transfer it to a plate.

4. Stage

Make the roux: Sprinkle 1/4 cup all-purpose flour over the chicken fat. Use a sturdy wooden spoon to stir continuously and scrape the brown bits (the fond) off the bottom of the pan. Continue cooking until the color deepens and it looks like golden paste, about 6 minutes. This is the roux that will thicken your soup.

5. Stage

Cook the onion and garlic: Add the chopped onion, minced garlic, turmeric, and cumin to the pan with the roux. Continue to stir and scrape the bottom of the pan. The roux will get crumbly, and the color will continue to deepen. That’s ok. Keep stirring and scraping the bottom of the pan for about 5 minutes until the onions are cooked through.

6. Stage

Stir in the wine and stock: Slowly add 1/3 cup of white wine, scraping the bottom of the pan to release any brown bits, and stir for another minute. Slowly pour in the stock, you guessed it, while stirring! Add the bay leaves and bring it to a gentle simmer.

7. Stage

Add the chicken and simmer: Remove the skin from the chicken thighs and discard. Add the thighs to the pot of simmering stock. Cover with a lid, but leave it slightly ajar. Continue to simmer over medium low heat for 25 minutes, stirring occasionally. Don’t let it boil.

8. Stage

Add half the roasted potatoes and carrots and puree: Use tongs to remove bay leaves and chicken from the pot and transfer to a plate. Add half of the roasted potatoes and half of the carrots to the pot (reserve the mushrooms). Use an immersion blender to puree the vegetables into the soup.

9. Stage

Finish the stew: After pureeing, add the remaining vegetables, including all of the mushrooms, and let them warm through. When the chicken has cooled enough to handle, use two forks to shred it into bite-sized pieces. Discard the bones. Add the chicken back to the pot. Stir in the kale. Let everything warm through over low heat for a couple of minutes and make sure the kale is wilted.

10. Stage

Serve: Ladle into bowls and serve with fresh crusty bread. Leftovers will keep in the refrigerator for about a week, or up to 1 month frozen.