Chicken & Sage Sausage Curried Stew

This is a great winter dish and really makes a one pot meal since it is veggie rich, packs a huge amount of flavor in each spoonful. (You can use turkey instead of the chicken). I love to serve this at parties as you can make in advance and just heat up in the oven and serve. An added bonus is the longer you let it sit before baking the more intense the flavors will become.

Ingredients 

• 3 whole skinless chicken breasts, that have been seasoned with kosher salt for at least three hours in advance (refrigerate on a baking sheet)
• 2 cups yellow onion, rough chopped
• 2 cups carrots, peeled and chopped
• 2 cups celery ribs, chopped
• 8 garlic cloves, finely chopped
• 2 tablespoons rosemary, finely chopped
• 1/4 cup thyme leaves, finely chopped
• 2 teaspoon red pepper flakes
• 3 tablespoons curry powder (more to taste)
• 1 cup flour
• 6 cups of homemade chicken stock
• 4 chicken bouillon cubes
• 1/3 cup heavy cream
• 1 28 oz whole tomatoes, drained and chopped
• 8 ounces of pasta, I prefer short and thick pasta, cooked al dente
• 2 cups frozen peas
• 2 cups frozen pearl onions
• 8 ounces of baby spinach
• 1 pound of sage sausage
• 1 cup, separated, freshly grated parmesan cheese
• Extra virgin olive oil
• Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
• 1/4 cup chives, finely chopped

Making It

• Heat the chicken stock and add the bouillon cubes until dissolved
• Mix the sausage meat with 1 teaspoon of red pepper flakes and 1/2 cup of parmesan cheese, gently roll into one inch balls and place on a parchment paper lined baking sheet and pop in a 425 degree oven for 15-18 minutes, remove and set aside
• Place the chicken breasts on a 1/2 baking sheet, rub a little olive oil and salt and pepper them.  Roast at 375 degrees for 35-45 minutes. Let them cool and chop into 1-inch chunks
• Take a large dutch oven and drizzle with 1/4 cup of olive oil and 12 tablespoons of butter and put over a medium flame, when bubbling add onion, carrots, celery, rosemary, thyme, red pepper flakes, curry and cook for 6 minutes, then add the garlic and cook for another two minutes
• Add the heated chicken stock mix, tomatoes, peas, pearl onions, and bring to a boil on a high flame for 3 minutes, remove and mix in cream, spinach and pasta. Stir everything together as you season to taste, don’t be shy with the salt and pepper, place the sausages so that the tip of the sausage balls are above the stew, sprinkle with the parmesan cheese and chives, bake at 375 for 40 minutes, drizzle a little more olive oil on top and serve