Chicken and mushroom stew with celery root and marjoram

Some evenings your body wants warmth and nothing heavy on top of it, and that is a real distinction, not a fussy one. This stew asks about 45 minutes, most of it hands-off simmering, and it gives you something warm and gentle to sit down to on a night when a big meal is more than you can manage.

Celery root, the knobby, unglamorous cousin of celery, has a genuinely useful amount of vitamin C and fiber in it, and it turns soft and almost buttery once it has spent enough time in the broth. The bone broth underneath is full of collagen, the connective-tissue protein a healing gut wall depends on, and marjoram folded in right before serving is what makes the whole pot smell like someone actually cared.

Mushrooms added last keep some bite instead of going to mush, while the leek and celery root do their long, soft work underneath. This dish asks about 45 minutes of your evening and gives back something warm, plain, and enough.

Ingredients

• 1 tablespoon olive oil (AIP-compliant, kept as written)
• 1 pound boneless skinless chicken thighs, cut into bite-sized chunks
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1 medium leek (about 2 cups), cleaned and sliced into 1/2-inch pieces
• 1 small-medium celery root (about 2 cups), peeled and cut into 1-inch cubes
• 2 tablespoons fresh marjoram, chopped (or 1 teaspoon dried marjoram)
• 1 cup bone broth
• 4 ounces mushrooms (any variety), cut into bite-sized pieces

Method

Warm the olive oil in a heavy pot over medium-high heat. Season the chicken chunks with the salt, then add them to the pot in a single layer and let them brown on the outside, turning so they color on more than one side. They do not need to be cooked through yet. Lift the chicken out and set it aside.

Lower the heat to medium. Add the sliced leek and the cubed celery root to the pot and cook, stirring now and then, until the leek softens and the celery root begins to take on a little color around the edges. Stir in the marjoram so it warms and releases its scent.

Return the chicken and any collected juices to the pot, pour in the bone broth, and bring everything to a gentle simmer. Cover and let it cook until the celery root is tender when pierced and the chicken is cooked through, around 20 to 25 minutes. Stir in the mushrooms and continue simmering, uncovered, until they soften and the chicken reaches 165 F throughout, another 5 to 10 minutes. Taste, adjust the salt, and serve warm.

Instant Pot variation

Use the Saute setting to warm the olive oil and brown the salted chicken, then set it aside. Saute the leek and celery root for a few minutes and stir in the marjoram. Return the chicken, pour in the bone broth, and scrape the bottom clean so nothing sticks. Lock the lid and cook on high pressure for about 8 minutes, then do a quick release. Switch back to Saute, stir in the mushrooms, and simmer a few minutes until they soften and the chicken is cooked through to 165 F. (This appliance time is estimated and untested, so confirm doneness before relying on it.)

*Adapted from gutsybynature.com*