Lemon Chicken Stew

On those rare occasions when my husband isn’t home for dinner, I tend to lack the motivation to cook much of anything. Unfortunately this doesn’t tend to lead to a healthy meal. I had just enough motivation to try something new the other day, however, and it worked out particularly well, so I thought I’d share.

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• 1 can of beans (I used kidney beans, but pinto, black, or cannelini–among others–should work fine)
• 1 can petite-cut diced tomatoes
• broth (I used approximately 2 cups of fat-free chicken broth, but you can adjust to your liking)
• a couple handsful of washed, sliced mushrooms
• a drizzle of olive oil
• one pre-cooked chicken breast, sliced (I used a lemon-pepper grilled chicken breast from Trader Joe’s–if you don’t have lemon pepper chicken, try adding a little lemon juice to the stew)
• vegetable juice (such as V8)
• seasoning mix of your choice (I used some that our favorite local fried chicken establishment sends home with their chicken)

Prep: Drain and rinse the beans; drain the tomatoes. Set aside in a bowl. Heat the oil in a saucepan and saute the mushrooms until brown.

Cooking: Add the broth, beans, tomatoes, and chicken to the mushrooms and stir. Add enough vegetable juice to thicken slightly. Bring to a simmer; add seasoning mix to taste and serve.

Actually, I found this made enough for about three bowls, so you don’t have to wait for a day when you’re home alone to make it. Use more broth if you prefer this to be a soup; less for a stew. Like most soups & stews it does taste best if you either simmer it for a while after adding the seasoning or make a day ahead and re-heat, but it also tastes good right away.

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