This recipe is a great variation of the Food Nirvana Braised Chicken recipe, designed to create a savory tomato and tarragon based stew with tender, moist, fall off the bone delicious chicken.

The stew is very savory due to the use of the tomatoes, fresh tarragon, thyme, rosemary and freshly sliced leek. It is best served with a carbohydrate side dish like rice or noodles. The bacon gives the stew just the right amount of smoky undertone to set it off.

You might want to serve warm crusty rolls or crusty bread and butter. Most any beverage will be okay but a chilled Pinot Grigio wine is very nice with this meal.

I know you will really enjoy this dish. Peggy and I both loved it.

Ingredients:

4 chicken drumsticks

2 chicken thighs

2 chicken breast halves, each cut into four pieces

½ stick of butter

1, 28 oz. can of peeled plum tomatoes and juice, chopped

4 cups of chicken broth, divided

1 large leek cut into slices 1/4" thick

2 cups of chopped kale or fresh spinach

2 cloves of garlic, minced

2 tsp. Sea salt

1 tsp. Black pepper

4 tbsp. of fresh tarragon

1 tsp. of dried rosemary

6 fresh sprigs of thyme

2 strips of dry cured hickory smoked bacon

1/4 cup of all purpose flour

Directions:

Put all the ingredients except the flour and one cup of the chicken broth into a large, high sided skillet with a glass cover. Heat on medium heat. When the contents are boiling reduce the heat to low, and simmer.

Continue to cook at a low simmer, covered, for one hour.

Remove and discard the thyme sprigs.

Mix the flour with the one cup of the reserved chicken broth, then add that mixture to the stew with stirring.

Bring the stew to a boil on medium heat and then simmer the stew for fifteen minutes on low heat.

Pour the completed stew into a large serving dish and keep it warm in a 180ºF oven.

Make the side dishes for your meal.

Enjoy! And I know you will!