Chicken Enchilada Stew

I was hit with inspiration yesterday to make some type of enchilada dish.  I love the flavor of enchilada sauce so I decided to create a stew.  I also wanted to create something healthy that was chock full of different veggies (eat the rainbow people!!).  I thought this recipe was going to take me many different tries to get right, but I got lucky and hit it on the first try!  I was super happy with how it turned out.  It was a bit more spicy than my family likes, but for me it was perfect and if you throw a half an avocado in with it, the coolness of the avocado gives it just the perfect flavor in your mouth.  My kids sprinkled their bowls with shredded cheese.  Either way, I really hope you enjoy this recipe!  It will definitely be made again in my house!!

This recipe is paleo, clean eating and Whole 30 compliant!




Chicken Enchilada Stew

Ingredients:
1 medium onion, chopped fine
1 tablespoon olive oil
2 teaspoons cumin
1 tablespoon oregano
5 to 6 tablespoons chili powder
3 cups chicken stock (find the most natural without extra ingredients)
1 6-ounce can no salt added tomato paste
1 28-ounce can crushed tomatoes
2 teaspoons sea salt
6 boneless skinless chicken breasts, cubed
1 medium green pepper, cut into chunks
1 medium orange pepper, cut into chunks
half a container of fresh mushrooms, sliced (more if you like mushrooms)
1 large sweet potato, peeled and cubed small

Instructions:
In a large pot (Dutch oven) heat up olive oil and sauté onion until translucent then add cumin, oregano and chili powder letting the spices toast for a minute or so.  Pour in 1 cup of the chicken stock and whisk or stir to scrape off all the bits from the bottom of the pan and combine well.  Then add the rest of the chicken stock and tomato paste.  Lower temp to a simmer and while it cooks put all the chicken pieces in another skillet with some olive oil and brown edges.  You don't have to cook the chicken through, it will continue to cook in the stew, just brown the edges to get all the extra juices out that chicken tends to produce when cooking.  Before you transfer the chicken to the large pot, add the crushed tomatoes and sea salt to the large pot and mix well, then add chicken, peppers, mushrooms and sweet potatoes.  Stir and leave on stove top to simmer for about 2-3 hours.
Topping options for each individual bowl: shredded cheese, half a avocado sliced with some cilantro, sour cream

Here is how my kids enjoyed theirs!