Working Mom's Stew

From Food Writers Favorites: Soups, Stews and Casseroles

Ingredients:
2 Tbsp vegetable oil
1 frying chicken (3 pounds), cut up
1 clove garlic, peeled and minced
1 onion, peeled and chopped
1 green bell pepper, seeded and chopped
1 can (2 1/2 oz) sliced mushrooms, drained
3/4 tsp dried oregano
1 can (16 oz) tomatoes, undrained
1/3 cup chicken broth or water
1/2 cup pitted ripe olives
4 anchovies, chopped

Heat oil in a large pot over medium-high heat. Add chicken, a portion at a time, without crowding. Cook, turning occasionally, until chicken is lightly browned on all sides. Set chicken aside.
Discard all but a tiny bit of pan drippings. Add garlic, onion and bell pepper to pot; saute briefly. Add mushrooms, oregano, tomatoes with their liquid, chicken broth, olives and reserved chicken. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer for 30 minutes, turning chicken pieces once. Add anchovies. Cook 10 minutes longer or until chicken is tender.

What I did differently from the recipe:
Instead of a frying chicken, I used chicken breasts and I only needed about 1 1/2 pounds. I used fresh mushrooms because I had some frozen already. I didn't know what kind of tomatoes to use so I ended up using a 14 oz can of diced tomatoes with sweet onion flavor. I left out the olives and anchovies because I don't like either!

What I'll do differently next time:
Nothing.

Verdict:
Neutral. It wasn't awful, but it wasn't my favorite (as dad would say!) I would describe this as a Mexican stew. For some reason it reminded me of Mexican food because it was a bit spicy and... I don't know - the tomato flavor too, I guess.

Printable version:

Ingredients:
2 Tbsp vegetable oil
1 frying chicken (3 pounds), cut up
1 clove garlic, peeled and minced
1 onion, peeled and chopped
1 green bell pepper, seeded and chopped
1 can (2 1/2 oz) sliced mushrooms, drained
3/4 tsp dried oregano
1 can (16 oz) tomatoes, undrained
1/3 cup chicken broth or water
1/2 cup pitted ripe olives
4 anchovies, chopped

Heat oil in a large pot over medium-high heat. Add chicken, a portion at a time, without crowding. Cook, turning occasionally, until chicken is lightly browned on all sides. Set chicken aside. Discard all but a tiny bit of pan drippings. Add garlic, onion and bell pepper to pot; saute briefly. Add mushrooms, oregano, tomatoes with their liquid, chicken broth, olives and reserved chicken. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer for 30 minutes, turning chicken pieces once. Add anchovies. Cook 10 minutes longer or until chicken is tender.