Solar Southern Chicken Irish Stew

Solar Southern Chicken Irish Stew

Well, there it was, leftover Bojangles chicken just daring me to come up with something and the old thinking cap was doing overtime. Even though it was pretty hot, today, I really didn't want to do the salad thing, but I thought I'd keep it light. (Get it? Light? All the colors are varying shades of beige...) Had to do something to offset the serious spice infusions, too.  I know Irish Stew is traditionally made with lamb or mutton, so I was already outside the box, so to speak, using chicken but it seemed to me that having the other basic ingredients, potatoes and onions, were to my credit, with a touch of okra making it Southern.

All the vegetables were coarsely chopped and, after removing skin and bones, so was the chicken. Finely chop the inside lighter celery stalks that have lots of leaves and thinly slice the okra. So, let's get cooking.

Ingredients: 2 large sweet onions, 3 medium red potatoes, 3 center stalks of celery with leaves, 8 small okra pods, 2 cups chicken, 2 tablespoons tallow/olive oil, 2-1/2 cups chicken stock, 1/4 teaspoon each of mace, marjoram, sumac, and 1/2 teaspoon each of tarragon and stevia/sugar, and 1/8 teaspoon mint. Preheat solar oven.

Using stew pot, heat tallow/oil over medium heat, add onions and saute until soft but not browned.

Add potatoes, celery, okra, herbs and spices, and stir to blend and coat thoroughly. Add chicken stock and bring liquid to a strong simmer. Add chicken, stir, and allow ingredients to reach strong simmer, again. Remove from heat, cover, and, using SolarWear(tm),  place in solar oven for approximately 45 - 70 minutes. Conventional oven - 5,000 BTUs; solar oven - FREE!  This turned out delicious! Hope you agree.