By Terry Boyd, Blue Kitchen
6 generous servings
3 tablespoons olive oil
1 medium yellow onion, sliced
3 carrots, sliced
2 ribs celery, including leaves, sliced
salt and freshly ground pepper
2 cloves garlic, chopped
1 generous teaspoon dried herbes de Provence
1 pound boneless, skinless chicken thighs, cut into bite-sized chunks
4 cups chicken stock or store-bought reduced-sodium broth
4 cups water (plus more, if needed)
1 pound dried lentils
2 bay leaves
1. In a large stock pot or Dutch oven, heat oil over a medium flame. Add onion and cook for 1 to 2 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add carrots and celery, season with salt and pepper, and cook for 3 to 4 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add garlic and herbes de Provence and cook, stirring constantly, until fragrant, about 45 seconds.
2. Add chicken. Now you want to stir it until everything is all mixed together. Then let it cook, stirring occasionally. You don’t want to brown the chicken, but you want all of the pinkness to turn to white – 5 to 8 minutes should do it. As a bonus, the chicken will pick up the flavors of the herbs and the aromatics.
3. Add the water, broth, lentils and bay leaves. Stir and bring to a boil over medium-high heat, then reduce heat and simmer, covered, stirring occasionally, until lentils are tender, about 30 minutes. (Wow, what a lot of commas.) Add water, if needed – I didn't need to. Adjust seasonings and serve.
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