Recipe Background
Classic German Chicken Stew combines Riesling, capers, and herbs for busy days.
The first time I made Classic German Chicken Stew was during the chaos of my first day back at the office after parental leave. As I waved goodbye to my tiny newborn, I knew I’d need something comforting and familiar to look forward to that evening. This dish, with its rich combination of Riesling and capers, had always felt like a warm embrace at the end of a long day. I adore using fresh herbs like parsley and sage, which bring both color and vibrancy, melding seamlessly into the broth as it bubbles gently.
In those early days, I quickly learned the magic of a pressure cooker. It’s a lifesaver when managing a work-life balance that's slightly off-kilter. Cooking a whole chicken to tender perfection in a fraction of the time felt like a small victory. I would let it rest just a bit before pulling the meat off the bones, savoring the ritual of transforming it into bite-sized treasures. One trick I always use is whisking the flour into melted butter until it sings before slowly adding the stock; it ensures the thickest, silkiest sauce.
To this day, I rely on the comfort of this stew when life demands more than I feel poised to deliver. Its ability to come together with the aromas of lemon and bay leaves is a testament to its genius simplicity. This dish doesn’t just fill a hunger—it stitches together the worn edges of a frayed day, melding my love for cooking with the practical necessities of life.
Ingredients
For the chicken:
- 1 (4-pound) whole chicken frozen or fresh
- 8 cups water
- 1 lemon peeled and white pith cut away
- 1 yellow onion peeled and cut in half
- 2 tomatoes diced
- fresh herbs such as parsley and sage, to taste, chopped
- 2 bay leaves
- 2 teaspoons sea salt
- 1 teaspoon freshly ground pepper
For the stew:
- 2 pounds seasonal vegetables such as asparagus, carrots, snap peas, or mushrooms, cut into bite-size pieces
- 2 tablespoons butter plus more, to taste
- salt to taste
- pepper to taste
- 2 tablespoons flour
- 1/2 cup dry riesling
- 1 (4-ounce) jar capers
- 2 egg yolks
- 1/2 cup cream
- fresh lemon juice to taste
- fresh parsley to taste, chopped, for garnish
Directions
- Add the chicken, the water, the lemon, the onion, the tomatoes, the fresh herbs, the bay leaves, 2 teaspoons of the salt, and 1 teaspoon of the pepper in the bowl of a pressure cooker and stir to combine.
- Place the lid over the pressure cooker and seal. Cook the chicken over high pressure until the meat reaches an internal temperature of 165 degrees F. A frozen chicken should take about 1 hour and a fresh chicken should take about 25 minutes.
- Strain the stock from the pressure cooker, reserving 4 cups for the stew.
- Let the chicken rest until slightly cooled, about 10 minutes.
- Pull the meat off the bones and cut or shred it into bite-size pieces.
- Add the vegetables, the extra butter, the salt, and the pepper to a deep skillet and sauté until they are tender. Transfer to a plate.
- Add the remaining 2 tablespoons of the butter to the same skillet and melt over medium-high heat.
- Whisk the flour into the melted butter.
- Bring to a boil, whisking constantly, until the sauce has thickened.
- Gradually add the reserved chicken stock, 1 cup at a time, to the stew mixture, whisking constantly to prevent lumps from forming.
- Add the riesling and the capers to the stew mixture.
- In a small bowl, add the egg yolks and the cream and whisk to combine. Stir it into the stew mixture.
- Stir the cooked vegetables and the cooked chicken into the stew mixture and cook until they are heated through.
- Season the stew with the salt, the pepper, and the lemon juice.
- Serve the stew garnished with the fresh parsley.
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