Toasted Farro and Chicken Stew with Meyer Lemon and Mint

My Sunday beans are soaking, are yours? This week I chose Midnight Black Beans. I plan on eating bowls of them in their broth for lunch topped with finely chopped red onion, sour cream, pickled jalapeños and cilantro. If you have go-to recipes for black beans, please drop them in the comments. 

The day is bright, the air is crisp and the trees are a mix of deep crimson and gold. After a trip to Austin last week where the weather was nearly 100 degrees, I’m ever so happy to be back in my flannel pajamas and woolen socks sipping hot coffee and writing from my office. I love fall.

I’m honored to be this week’s guest author on my friend Caroline’s very popular Substack What to Cook When You Don’t Feel Like Cooking. Over there we are sharing Pasta e Ceci, one of my most popular recipes to date. It’s also included in my newest book where I lovingly refer to it as “My Cec.” The original recipe ran in The New York Times, but I tweaked it for my book to reflect how I’d actually make it at home. Please go on over there and check it out and let me know if you make it. It’s perfect for this time of year and only requires one pot! Photo below.

Photo by Tara Donne from Colu Cooks: Easy Fancy Food

I haven’t been cooking very much this past week as I was in Austin for book events, but now that I’m home I’m excited to dig back into soups, stews and braises. 

On that note, here is another simple one-pot recipe that I’ve adapted from Colu Cooks: Easy Fancy Food and will warm you right up.

Toasted Farro and Chicken Stew with Meyer Lemon and Mint

Photo by Tara Donne from Colu Cooks: Easy Fancy Food

Like many soups and stews, this recipe is forgiving and can change with the seasons. It’s a perfect vehicle to use whatever vegetables are lurking about in your fridge. Here, nutty farro is slightly toasted and simmered in chicken broth along with chicken thighs. Feel free to swap an onion for a leek; chard, arugula, or kale for spinach; and use whatever other vegetables you have around that need using up. It will all be more than fine, I promise. Serve in deep bowls with bread and wine.

INGREDIENTS

1⁄2 Meyer lemon (or regular lemon), seeded and finely chopped rind and all

3 tablespoons roughly chopped or torn fresh mint

2 tablespoons olive oil, plus more for drizzling

1 large leek, white and tender green parts, thinly sliced

1 medium fennel bulb, tough outer leaves and stems discarded, thinly sliced crosswise

2 stalks celery, thinly sliced

4 cloves garlic, thinly sliced

Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper

1 cup (200 g) farro, rinsed

6 cups (240 ml) chicken broth, preferably homemade

12 ounces (240 g) boneless, skinless chicken thighs

5 cups (100 g) loosely packed baby spinach or other tender greens

Flaky salt, for serving (optional)

METHOD

In a small bowl, stir together the lemon and mint and set aside.

In a large stockpot or Dutch oven, heat the olive oil over medium heat. Add the leeks, fennel, and celery and cook, stirring frequently, until the vegetables are softened but not browned, 4 to 5 minutes. Add the garlic and cook until fragrant, 1 to 2 minutes more. Season with salt and black pepper. 

Stir in the farro and cook until it begins to toast and smell nutty, 2 to 3 minutes. Pour in the stock, add the chicken, and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat to a simmer and cook until the chicken has cooked through and is no longer pink, 10 to 12 minutes, skimming off any bits of foam that float to the surface. Using tongs, transfer the chicken to a cutting board. When cool enough to touch, shred the chicken into bite-size pieces and set aside.

Continue simmering the soup until the farro is toothsome, about 20 minutes more. Add the chicken, spinach, and the snap peas to the pot and cook until the spinach is just wilted and the peas still have some snap, 1 to 2 minutes. Taste and adjust the seasoning with salt as needed.

Ladle into bowls and top with the Meyer lemon and mint mixture. Drizzle with more olive oil and season with flaky salt if you like. Enjoy!

Have a beautiful week and let me know if you make the stew!

With love,

Colu