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Chicken Zharkovia (Russian Peasant Stew)



This was a dish that brings back memories from my mother’s kitchen growing up.

Chicken Jharkovia (Russian Stew)
  • 1 fryer or roasting chicken cut up into pieces
  • Vegetables cut into large chunks
  • 1 onion or 2 leeks
  • 2 potatoes
  • 2 stalks of celery
  • 2 carrots
  • 1 bell pepper
  • 2 zucchini
  • 2 parsnips, or turnips or both
  • flour to dredge chicken in
  • salt and pepper to taste
  • 1 tablespoon oil
  • 2 tablespoons butter
  • 4 cups chicken broth and 1 cup of water if more liquid is needed
Method:

  1. Have all your vegetables washed, peeled, cut and set aside. 
  2. Prepare the chicken by rolling in flour seasoned with salt and pepper (start with 1/2 cup flour, 1/2 tsp. salt and 1/4 tsp. pepper). 
  3. Shake off excess flour and add to heavy dutch oven with 2 Tbsp. butter and 1 Tbsp oil heated.  
  4. Brown all chicken pieces well. 
  5. Remove browned chicken from pan and add all the vegetables except zucchini and parsnips. 
  6. Brown well in the drippings.  
  7. Add chicken to the vegetables and add 4- cups of broth. 
  8. Cover and let simmer on top of stove or in preheated 350 degree oven for 45 minutes. 
  9. At this point taste and see if you need to add salt and pepper. 
  10. Add the zucchini, parsnips and extra cup of hot water if needed. 
  11. Cover again and cook for another half hour or until vegetables and chicken are cooked through.
  12. Serve with good bread.

9 comments:

  1. This looks really good, I have most of the ingredients in my root cellar and the rest running around outside!

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  2. That looks really good! Love those hearty old-fashioned meals. This is going to be dinner tonight! Thanks for the recipe.

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  3. Ellen - did you skin the chicken before browning it?

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  4. Rosella, I took off some of the more unsightly skin but not all of the skin...

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  5. I mother also made this often, Ellen. It was comfort food for her when she was growing up.

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  6. Ellen - I made this and it turned out delicious! I could use a tutorial on how to cut up a whole chicken though. It's been a long time since I've done one - so spoiled with cut up, deboned, skinless one can buy. This had great flavour and I made Cheddar Bay Biscuits to soak up the goodness of the juices - thanks so much!

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  7. Rosella, Cutting up your own chicken is tricky. I like to splurge and get a whole cut up chicken instead sometimes! Glad you enjoyed it...

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  8. This sounds wonderful! Can't wait to try it!!

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  9. Hi Ladies, was just wondering if maybe you have ever heard of a soup whose name translates to 'end of garden"? My aunt made this when we were kids and we really loved it, I think it had dill and maybe beet tops in addition to other vegetables.

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