Chicken, white bean stew with fennel easy to make, low in fat

Dear Readers: Dawnelle of Spokane recently called searching for a recipe she clipped a few years ago but misplaced when she was carrying it between her cabin and home. She said her family loves this hearty, wintertime recipe for Chicken, White Bean and Fennel Stew, and they’ve made it several times since it first appeared in The Spokesman-Review in January 2000.

This soup is simple (just remember to soak the beans the night before), and there’s another bonus: It’s also low in fat, with about 18 percent of the calories in each serving coming from fat.

Chicken, White Bean and Fennel Stew

1 cup dry small white beans

8 cups water

1 large onion, chopped (about 11/2 cups)

2 large cloves garlic, peeled and crushed through a press (about 1 teaspoon)

1 cup chopped celery (about 2 trimmed stalks)

3 teaspoons low-sodium chicken bouillon granules or 1 (14.5-ounce) can low-sodium chicken broth

2 to 21/2 sweet turkey Italian sausages (8 ounces total)

1 large boneless, skinless chicken breast (about 8 ounces)

2 cups peeled, diced russet potatoes

1 teaspoon salt

1/2 teaspoon fennel seeds

1/2 teaspoon dried thyme leaves

1 cup green beans, trimmed and cut into ½-inch pieces

The day before you are ready to cook, rinse the beans, pick through them and soak overnight in a large bowl of cold water.

The next day, drain beans, rinse and drain again and place in a large kettle. Cover with the 8 cups water and bring to a boil. Add the onion, garlic, celery and bouillon or broth. Reduce heat to medium-low and simmer, covered, for 11/2 hours.

While the beans are cooking, make a slit in each Italian sausage and remove the casings. Discard the casings and brown the meat in a nonstick skillet, crumbling with a spoon.

Cut the chicken breast into 1/2-inch cubes and add to the skillet; cook until brown around the edges. Add the sausage and chicken to the beans. Add the potatoes, salt, fennel seeds, thyme leaves and green beans. Return to a simmer and cook, covered, for 45 minutes longer.

Stew can be eaten immediately or cooled to room temperature and stored in the refrigerator for up to 3 days or in the freezer for up to 3 months.

Yield: 6 (11/4-cup) servings

Nutrition information per serving: 354 calories, 7.2 grams fat (18 percent fat calories), 25 grams protein, 49 grams carbohydrate, 3 grams dietary fiber, 52 milligrams cholesterol, 940 milligrams sodium.