If you like the comforting fulfilment of a bowl of stew but are trying to cut back on red meat, a chicken stew could be the answer.

“I’m looking for the Punahou cafeteria chicken stew recipe,” wrote LaDonna Nagata. “I’ve gone through 12 to 15 island cookbooks and I find NO chicken stew recipe. The taste I remember is shredded chicken thighs in maybe a cornstarch-based gravy/sauce with peas and carrots. Ono with rice!”

She signed her note “Hugs and Mahalo.”

I’m passing on the hugs to Reney Ching, head cook at Punahou School, who said the stew has been on the menu at least since the ’80s, appearing every six weeks in the meal rotation.

“The kids love this,” Ching said. “I love it. Very comfort food.”

The dish is pretty much as Nagata remembers it, with peas, carrots and also potatoes in a gravy of ginger-flavored chicken broth thickened with a margarine-flour roux. It’s the ginger and the roux that elevate the dish from a pot of chicken to a very satisfying stew. (“Roux” may be intimidating, sounding so French and all, but in this case it just means beating margarine and flour until creamy.)

This recipe was broken down from an original that started with 200 pounds of chicken. Ching said they cook it in a 100-gallon pot.

The result might remind you of a good chicken pot pie — without the pie.

PUNAHOU CHICKEN STEW

3 pounds boneless, skinless chicken thighs
1 2-inch piece ginger, smashed
1/2 tablespoon sea salt or kosher salt
6 tablespoons margarine, melted
5 to 6 tablespoons flour
1 head garlic, minced (not a clove, a head)
1/4 teaspoon white pepper
1/2 teaspoon nutmeg
1 pound white potatoes, peeled and diced (about 3 cups)
1 pound frozen peas and carrots

Place chicken in pot and cover with water (2-3 cups). Add ginger and salt. Bring to boil, then lower heat and simmer until cooked through, about 30 minutes. Skim fat and oil while cooking. Remove chicken; discard ginger. Keep broth simmering.

Make roux by beating margarine and flour using an electric mixer. Add flour gradually, beating until roux is thick and creamy (you might not need all the flour). Slowly add roux to simmering broth, stirring until thickened (you might not need all the roux). Stir in garlic, pepper, nutmeg and potatoes.

Cut chicken into bite-size pieces and return to pot. Cover and simmer until potatoes are cooked, about 15 minutes.

Add peas and carrots and simmer until heated through. Serves 6.

Approximate nutritional analysis, per serving: 500 calories, 21 g fat, 5 g saturated fat, 190 mg cholesterol, 950 mg sodium, 28 g carbohydrate, 4 g fiber, no sugar, 50 g protein

Slow-cooker note: When I tested this recipe, I did the initial cooking of the chicken in a slow-cooker. I find you get the most flavorful broth this way. Combine chicken, water, salt and ginger in the crock and cook on low about 4 hours, until chicken is tender. When chicken is cooked, proceed with recipe on stovetop. It is best for slow-cooking to use bone-in chicken thighs. You’ll need about 3-1/2 pounds. Remove the skin before cooking.

SHORTBREAD CORRECTION

If you want to find out how popular a recipe is, make a mistake. You’ll find quickly by the calls and emails how imperfect you are. The Feb. 29 recipe for the Kailua High School Shortbread called for two sticks of butter, the equivalent of 1/2 pound or 1 cup. I managed to mash that together to say 1/2 cup. Sorry for the confusion.

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Nutritional analysis by Joannie Dobbs, Ph.D., C.N.S. Write “By Request,” Honolulu Star-Advertiser, 7 Waterfront Plaza, Suite 210, Honolulu 96813. Email bshimabukuro@staradvertiser.com.