Tex-Mex Stew

One of my favorite kitchen short-cuts is rotisserie chicken. For only five bucks I get a perfectly cooked whole chicken to put in tacos, sandwiches and more. When I saw the recipe for this hearty Tex-Mex stew, which uses 3 cups of chopped rotisserie chicken, I had to try it. This stew is like an upgraded chicken noodle soup filled with veggies and spice.

The recipe is tweaked from Everyday with Rachael Ray. She recommends topping the stew with puff pastry rounds to make the meal feel like pot pie. Sounds like a good idea, but I served mine with cornbread. Either way, this is a great dish for heating up a chilly night!

Ingredients
1 T olive oil
3 T butter
1 small onion
1 red pepper
2 ribs celery
2-3 cloves of garlic, chopped
1 jalapeno chile pepper, seeded and chopped
1 t cumin
salt and pepper
3 T flour
2 cups chicken stock
3 cups chopped or shredded rotisserie chicken
hot sauce

Steps

1. Chop onion, red pepper, jalapeno, celery and chicken.

2. In a large pot heat the olive oil and butter over medium heat until the butter melts.

3. Stir in onion, red pepper, jalapeno and celery. Season with cumin, salt and pepper.

4. Cover the pot and cook 5-6 minutes, stirring occasionally.

5. Stir in the flour for 1 minute, then stir in the chicken stock. Add the chopped chicken and heat through.

6. Season with hot sauce and serve.