Hi all

I've always prided myself on getting at least three meals out of a whole chicken. Pre-Atkins that used to mean a roast chicken (which I can still do) with all the trimmings (which I have to modify to take out the spuds) on Sunday, picking off all the remaining meat (see later) and then stewing the carcass for stock.

I would then use the stock and some of the remaining meat to make a huge pot of chicken stew, which would last a couple of days easy; and finally use the rest of the meat in either a stir-fry (OK) or a pie (sob . . . My beloved pies . . . gorn!)

Getting to the point, I used to thicken my stew with a packet of Knorrr Crofters Chicken soup - but I don't think I can anymore.

The nutrition values say:

Carbs - per 100g AS SOLD (which is a 75g pack of dried soup mix) = 56.3g
Of which sugars = 10.5g
Fibre = 5.6g

Can someone clue me in as to what the other 40g of carbs are? And confirm that this is a carb no-no?

And, most importantly, suggest what I can use as a substitute to thicken my stew?

Thanks!

I've been using ground almonds to thicken stews - seems to work and you can't taste the ground almonds.

Lee

If you look at the ingredients list of the soup mix it should tell you which starches they use so you can decide if it is OK for your Atkins phase.

The 40 grams of carbs will be starches. And yes, that's pretty much a carb no no.

There are serveral things you can use to thicken stews. Personally I just add some cream which thickens a little. Cream is great for gravy by the way - just let it boil until it's the right consistency.

But back to stews...
Some people like adding puréed cauliflower, while others like to use thickeners such as xanthan gum. I haven't tried almond meal, so that's a good idea too.

If you click here, to the Frequently Asked Questions thread in our Kitchen Talk forum, and scroll down to "Thickeners", you'll find links to several threads that discuss this very thing.

HTH!

Thanks all - Rosebud, Xantham gum does seem to present itself as a good alternative. I just need to find out if I can get hold of it.

Ground almonds may be worth a look.

Cream is great for thickening a sauce - I did that with a chicken curry last night and it worked perfectly. But for a thick base to a stew/casserole, there's just too much liquid in the first place.

I'll report back if/when I find the best solution.