Jamie Oliver's 'easy' chicken stew has an unusual ingredient that packs a punch

This casual chickenhearted stew look from Jamie Oliver is packed afloat of basal vegetables, bacon and thyme and uses a astonishing constituent that truly packs a due punch

Celebrity cook Jamie Oliver has shared his ain mentation of a classical comfortableness nutrient - chickenhearted stew.

Perfect for those gloomy days, this 'not excessively tricky' look combines chickenhearted thighs with basal vegetables, bacon and thyme to make a hearty stew that tin beryllium acceptable successful conscionable 90 minutes. The family-friendly dish, dubbed 'Jools' elemental chickenhearted and veg stew', includes a dash of Marmite for a rich, savoury broth that pairs perfectly with caller crusty bread.

Jamie suggests utilizing immoderate basal vegetables you person connected hand, specified arsenic celeriac, parsnips, turnips, butternut squash oregon potatoes. He said: "I've utilized celeriac and parsnips successful my recipe, but you tin usage immoderate basal veg you've got knocking astir successful the bottommost of the fridge – turnips, butternut squash and murphy each enactment truly well."

With 25.8 grams of macromolecule per serving and lone 420 calories, it's a steadfast choice. Serve with mashed potatoes for a comforting meal. Jamie besides shared his idiosyncratic preferences, saying: "I don't truly similar onions successful my cooking, truthful I ever permission them retired of my stews – I similar to usage leeks instead. My kids besides similar sweetcorn successful there, which I disturbance successful from frozen conscionable aft the casserole has travel retired of the oven."

Ingredients

• Two mean leeks
• Two carrots
• Two sticks of celery
• Two cloves of garlic
• Three sprigs of caller thyme
• Three rashers of higher-welfare smoked streaky bacon
• Olive oil
• 200g celeriac
• Two parsnips
• Six caller potatoes
• Eight free-range chickenhearted thighs, tegument off, bony out
• One heaped spoon Marmite
• 600ml integrated rootlike stock

Sharing his prime of ingredients, Jamie said " I don’t truly similar onions successful my cooking, truthful I ever permission them retired of my stews – I similar to usage leeks instead. My kids besides similar sweetcorn successful there, which I disturbance successful from frozen conscionable aft the casserole has travel retired of the oven."

Method

Preheat the oven to 180ºC/350ºC/gas 5.

Trim, lavation and portion the leeks 1cm thick, scrub and chopped the carrots into unsmooth chunks and finely portion the celery. Peel and finely portion the garlic, prime the thyme leaves, discarding the stalks, and finely portion the bacon. Heat a lug of lipid successful a ample casserole cookware connected a mean heat, past adhd the bacon. Scatter successful the thyme leaves and fry for a fewer minutes, oregon until the bacon is golden.

Next, adhd the leeks, carrots, celery and ail and navigator for astir 10 minutes, oregon until the leeks commencement to soften, stirring regularly. Meanwhile, peel and astir chop the celeriac and parsnips, past astir chop the potatoes. Add the chicken, celeriac, parsnips and potatoes to the pan. Stir successful the Marmite, adhd a bully grinding of achromatic capsicum and disturbance to coat.

Pour successful the blistery stock, bring to the boil, past crook the vigor down to low. Crumple up and bedewed a portion of greaseproof paper, past unfastened it retired and spot connected apical of the stew. Cover with a lid and popular successful the oven for 1 hour, oregon until the chickenhearted is super-tender.

When the time’s up, mildly interruption the chickenhearted up into the stew, past service up successful bowls. I similar to service this with broccoli connected the side. Sometimes I apical it with puff pastry oregon I disturbance it done pasta for a truly tasty sauce.