Lemony Greek Chicken, Spinach and Potato Stew

This Greek stew is an easy to prepare, delicious weeknight meal. A simple mix of lemon, garlic and lots of herbs enliven the potatoes and spinach and using ground meat ensures a lot of flavor in very little time. Ground turkey or pork would be just as good if you prefer. Russets can be substituted for Yukon golds, but their texture will be more grainy and less creamy. Mature spinach or frozen spinach works best here because of its mellow flavor, as opposed to baby spinach, which is more tannic. Add the amount of dill that sounds best to you, or if you don’t like it, swap in a few tablespoons of fresh parsley or mint. Ground chicken or turkey provide loads of lean protein and potatoes are surprisingly nutritious as they are rich in vitamin C and potassium. Spinach is one of the most nutrient dense foods you can find. They are a great source of carotenoids (antioxidants), vitamin C, vitamin K, folic acid, iron, and calcium.

Makes: 4-5 servings
Time to Cook: 35 minutes

Ingredients

· ¼ cup extra-virgin olive oil

· 1 red or yellow onion, finely chopped

· 8 large garlic cloves, smashed and finely chopped

· 1½ teaspoons coarse kosher salt, plus more to taste

· 1 pound ground chicken (or turkey or pork)

· 1 heaping tablespoon roughly chopped fresh rosemary (leaves of about 1 large sprig) or 1½ teaspoons dried rosemary

· 1½ teaspoons dried oregano

· 1 teaspoon red-pepper flakes

· Black pepper

· 1½ pounds Yukon gold potatoes (about 3 medium), scrubbed and chopped into ½-inch chunks

· 6 cups low sodium chicken broth

· Juice of 1 large lemon (about ¼ cup juice)

· 1 (8-ounce) bunch mature spinach, stems included, chopped, or 1½ cups frozen leaf spinach

· ¼ to ⅓ cup lightly packed roughly chopped dill

· Crumbled feta and crushed pita chips, for topping (optional)

Cooking Instructions

1. In a large pot or Dutch oven, warm the oil over high heat. Add the onion, garlic and salt and cook, stirring, until the onion and garlic are softened and just starting to brown, 5 minutes. (Decrease the heat to medium-high if necessary to prevent scorching)

2. Decrease the heat to medium-high and add the chicken, rosemary, oregano, red-pepper flakes and several generous grinds of black pepper. Cook, breaking up the chicken into crumbles, until the meat starts to lose its translucent pinkness and is turning white, about 2 minutes. Add the potatoes and stir well to combine. Add the chicken broth and half the lemon juice, scraping up any browned bits on the bottom. Bring to a rolling boil and then lower the heat to maintain a very brisk simmer. Simmer until the potatoes are nearly tender, 15 minutes.

3. Add the spinach and dill, to taste. Continue to simmer briskly until the potatoes are tender, about 5 minutes more. Taste and add some or all of the remaining lemon juice, as well as more salt and pepper, if desired. Serve in bowls topped with feta and crushed pita chips.

Nutrition per serving
491 calories; 28 grams protein; 22 grams fat; 5 grams saturated fat; 13 grams monounsaturated fat; 3 grams polyunsaturated fat; 44 grams carbohydrates; 6 grams dietary fiber; 8 grams sugar; 876 milligrams sodium

Recipe from Sarah DiGregorio, NY Times Cooking

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