Instructions

Place whole chicken in a large dutch oven or pot with water, chicken broth, one teaspoon salt and pepper each. Add one bay leaf and cover to a simmer over med. Low heat for an hour.

Remove chicken and let cool. Strain broth and add back to your pot.

Return broth to a boil and add rest of ingredients except the bird. Reduce the heat to a low simmer and cook uncovered for 45 minutes. The smell is going to intoxicate you. The addition of the beans here give it a nice stew-oup consistency and added protein.

While the stew is stewing, remove skin and bones from chicken. I like to chop in nice bite-size bits. Set aside until the 45 minutes is up. Then stir in the chicken and cover pot. Remove from heat and set aside for 30 minutes.

Serve this fantastic fall stew with some good old garlic focaccia bread. I promise this beats chicken noodle soup any day!