chicken enchilada stew

So...it's been almost a year since I updated this blog. A lot has changed in that year, and I like to think that most of those changes have been for the better. One major difference between then and now is my eating habits. For the last several months, I've been following (sometimes very loosely) a Paleolithic meal plan. I don't use the word "diet", because it's more of a lifestyle change than it is a temporary solution. In the month of October, I did a strict 30-day challenge (much like The Whole30) and dropped almost 20 pounds. IN ONE MONTH. Along with the weight loss came increased energy and dramatically improved digestive health, the latter of which I've struggled with for more years than I can count. So needless to say, I am very motivated to stick with this lifestyle change, for all of those reasons and more. 

Anyway, after following one of the 30-day meal plans in Practical Paleo (a book I think everyone on the face of the earth should have), I've started to seek out more and more Paleo food blogs and recipe sources. Yesterday I stumbled across PaleOMG and instantly wanted to make pretty much everything I saw. I was interested in making this one particular stew for dinner, but I ended up changing so much of it that it became my own little chicken stew baby. So here's the modified version. Hope you enjoy!

Serves 6-8

Ingredients:

• 2 tablespoons coconut oil (or bacon grease)
• 1 yellow onion, chopped
• 2 bell peppers, chopped (I used one red and one orange, but any combination will do)
• 2 fresh serrano chile peppers, finely chopped
• 1 fresh jalapeno pepper, finely chopped
• 2 medium carrots, chopped
• 2 stalks celery, chopped
• 3 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 rotisserie chicken, de-boned, pulled/shredded (about 4 cups of chicken)
• 1 (28 oz) can of crushed tomatoes
• 1 (32 oz) box chicken broth
• 1.5 tablespoon cumin
• 0.5 tablespoon chili powder
• salt and pepper, to taste
• bundle of cilantro, chopped (to garnish)
• 1 bunch green onions, chopped (to garnish)
• 1 avocado (to garnish)

Instructions:

1. Heat coconut oil (or bacon grease) over medium-high heat in a dutch oven (or your favorite big stew pot).
2. Add the onion, peppers, carrots and celery. Cook until translucent, then add in the garlic. (Note: for a spicier stew, reserve half of the serrano and jalapenos, and add them in after the stew has been simmering for 10-15 minutes.)
3. Once the veggies start to get sweaty, add the pulled chicken, tomatoes and chicken broth. Give it a big stir.
4. Add the cumin, chili powder and salt and pepper. (I get a little heavier-handed with the cumin--it's a genetic thing.) Cover halfway. Once it's bubbly, reduce heat and let simmer for 15-20 minutes, stirring occasionally.
5. Spoon some in a bowl. Top with cilantro, green onions, and avocado. 
6. Go back for another bowl. This time, top it with super spicy Green Sauce from your neighborhood Pollo Regio (or, say, a random taco/convenience shop that sells their own version by the liter. BY THE LITER.) Or plop some of your homemade Green Sauce on top (Hilah Cooking has an excellent and easy-to-make version). You know what? Just promise me you'll get or make the Green Sauce. I can't live in a world where Green Sauce is ignored.
7. Dream about how good it's going to taste again for lunch tomorrow with Green Sauce all over it.