Chicken Vegetable Stew - One Pot

Serving Size: 2½ cups

Serves: 4

Prep Time:  4 mins

Cook Time:  33 mins

By Manuel Villacorta, MS, RD

Almost every kitchen in Peru has a special seasoning called Ajinomoto in their pantry, which is a brand of MSG (monosodium glutamate). Unfortunately, this ingredient has gotten a bad reputation from flawed and inaccurate studies. Nowadays, there’s no conclusive research available that shows an association between MSG consumption and adverse reactions. The International Headache Society removed MSG from there list of headache triggers because of the lack of proof. To learn more about the myth of MSG, visit Manuel’s blog here and view the article titled “Debunking the Myth Behind MSG”.

Purchase the cookbook here.

Ingredients

  • 1 tablespoon olive oil
  • ½ cup diced red onion
  • 1 whole chicken, cut into 10 pieces
  • 1 (14½-ounce) can no salt added tomato sauce
  • 1 (14½-ounce) can no salt added diced tomatoes
  • ½ teaspoon sea salt
  • 1 teaspoon MSG
  • 1 teaspoon ground cumin
  • 2 cups mixed frozen vegetables (corn, green beans, carrots)

Instructions

  1. Heat the oil in a large stockpot over medium heat. Add the onion and sauté for about 3 minutes, until the onion is translucent.
  2. Add all the ingredients to the pot except the frozen vegetables and bring to a boil.
  3. Reduce the heat to medium-low, cover and simmer for 10 minutes.
  4. Stir in the frozen vegetables and continue simmering for 35 minutes, stirring occasionally.
  5. Uncover and cook for 10 more minutes over low heat, or until chicken is fully cooked.
  6. Serve

Nutrition Tip

MSG has ⅔ less sodium than table salt and can enhance the flavors of food while decreasing the need for salt. It works really well in a savory recipe because MSG is umami.