Chicken Stout Stoup (Stew or Soup)

I had recently seen a recipe (which bombed for me) for whole chicken breasts cooked in beer… my chicken ended up dry inside, but the flavor was good… so I decided to turn it into a stoup (stew or soup) that would allow the chicken to be in bite-sized chunks to avoid getting dry, but allowing the flavor of the beer to come through…. but of course I had to add spices & veggies - I just can't leave anything alone!!

Done more like a Stew - more of a gravy-type base

This is what I did, feel free to change out veggies or spices or… you know, make it your own!!

1 pound Boneless Skinless Chicken Breast, diced

1 can Guinness Draught (14.9 oz)

2 cup(s) Water

4 tsp Better Than Bouillon Chicken (or 4 bouillon cubes)

1/2 cup diced Carrot

1/2 Orange Bell Pepper, diced

2 cloves Garlic, diced

1 cup sliced Mushrooms

1 small Onion, diced

3/4 cups Asparagus tips, only the very ends

2 stalks celery, sliced thin

2 Tbl Fresh Parsley, chopped

6 oz diced Parsnips

10 oz diced Butternut Squash

1 Tbl Sea Salt

1/2 tsp Whole Peppercorns

1 Bay Leaf

1 tsp dried Rosemary, whole

1 tsp dried Sage, leaf

1 tsp dried Thyme

1/4-1/2 cup uncooked White Rice

Grind the spices together with a Mortar & Pestle, throw all ingredients into a crock pot on low* and cook all day…  For a thick stew (as shown above) use 1/2 cup rice, for thinner more soup-like consistency use 1/4 cup (or none at all).  

Everything just stewing away….

*Note: you may need to turn the temp to High on the crock pot if the rice is being stubborn about cooking, only make certain you stir from time to time so that the rice doesn't stick to the bottom of the crock.