Chicken Jardinière ~ Easy Chicken Stew

I love an easy chicken stew recipe. When you read the words Chicken Jardinière, you might get the impression that this dish is complicated. It's not, which is why I decided to add easy chicken stew to the title. So easy!

Having easy chicken recipes like this baked Hawaiian chicken and these bacon wrapped chicken bites just makes life easier. Chicken is one thing we always have in the freezer.

The author of this recipe, Jacques Pépin, is a world-renowned chef and author of Heart and Soul in the Kitchen as well as the star of the PBS show of the same name. Master Chef Pépin has also been Oceania Cruises' Executive Culinary Director since 2003. 

I was finally able to travel with them on their Northern Islands and Gems cruise and it was magical traveling around Scotland, England, and Belgium.

If you've dreamed about a vacation like this, see my Oceania Cruise review for all the details of what we did!

Though Pépin is one of the most famous French chefs in the world, the recipes in this cookbook are not at all pretentious but are perfect for family meals. 

As I was browsing the cookbook, I saw this recipe for Chicken Jardinière and knew I had to make it for my family. My husband was on the golf course and came home to the incredible aroma of this dish, and we were thrilled to find it tasted as wonderful as it smelled. 

Bonus- this recipe uses one pot for easy cleanup. You're going to love this one!

If you love one-pan meals, you've got to try this cast iron chicken thighs recipe, this Bratwurst skillet recipe, and this one pan chicken and rice.

What You Need to Make Chicken Jardinière

Yes, there are a lot of ingredients to this recipe. In fact, gathering the ingredients took me the most time as this is such an easy chicken stew to prepare.

You will also probably notice that I decided to double this recipe so we would have leftovers. I almost always do this with a stew-like recipe as it is always better the next day. It was!

If you want to double or even triple the recipe, you can easily do that on the recipe card below.

You will need pancetta lardons, strips about 1 inch long and a ½ inch thick. I cheated and bought a package of chopped pancetta at my grocery store.

You'll also need peanut oil, chicken legs, all-purpose flour, salt, freshly ground black pepper, a fruity dry white wine (I used Sauvignon Blanc), water, small red potatoes, baby bella or cremini mushrooms, pearl onions, carrots, garlic, fresh thyme, frozen or fresh baby peas, and fresh parsley.

How to Make Easy Chicken Stew

Heat oil in a Dutch oven. Saute the pancetta for about 2 minutes in the hot oil. It should be a little crispy. This will give the stew incredible flavor.

Add the chicken legs and saute for 8 minutes. Turn once after 4 minutes so they get a good browning on each side.

Add the flour, salt, and pepper together. Sprinkle the mixture over chicken and stir well, cooking for about 1 minute.

Add wine and water and stir well. By now your house should smell pretty incredible and your stomach is probably rumbling.

Add the potatoes, mushrooms, pearl onions, carrots, and garlic. Make a small bundle of a few pieces of fresh thyme, wrapping one piece around the bundle. Add it to the stew and gently stir so thyme is submerged. 

Bring stew to a full boil. Reduce heat to low and cover, cooking for 45 minutes. 

When you are ready to serve the stew, add the peas and cook for 2 minutes if using frozen peas or a couple of minutes longer if they are fresh. I used fresh this time, but Pépin does recommend frozen as they are just so easily available and always delicious.

You can place the stew on a large platter or serve it in individual bowls as I did. Sprinkle with parsley just before serving.

Serve this easy chicken stew with a loaf of crusty bread for sopping up the juices. We also paired it with a lovely glass of Pinot Noir. This meal was so incredible.

As I mentioned above, this wonderful chicken jardiniere recipe is found in the Heart & Soul in the Kitchen cookbook by Jacques Pépin, Executive Culinary Director at Oceania Cruises.

Oceania sent me a basket of goodies including a picnic basket filled with edible treats like pasta, sauce, and dips, an apron, and a blanket for a picnic!

For more amazing chicken dishes, try this recipe for one pan chicken and rice, this cast iron chicken thighs, Roasted Chicken and Vegetables (it makes a pretty presentation for guests!), or this Baked Hawaiian Chicken.

If you love comfort food (I mean, who doesn't?) you've got to try this braised beef roast recipe. It's one of my favorites.

And if you love trying recipes from around the world, you must try a couple of these Indonesian desserts, this Sacher Torte, or Key Lime Pie Recipe from my neck of the woods!

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