June. Summer. The world is opening and closing simultaneously — reopening from the pandemic, closing again when cases spike, a stuttering dance between normal and not-normal that makes planning anything impossible.
Ryan came home Tuesday with the face. The tight-jaw, I-know-something face. Military wife radar: activated.
'PCS orders,' he said.
'Where?'
'Twentynine Palms.'
I stared at him. Twentynine Palms. The Marine Corps Air Ground Combat Center. In the middle of the Mojave Desert. Two and a half hours east of Camp Pendleton, in a place where the nearest Target is forty-five minutes away and the average summer temperature is 108 degrees.
Twentynine Palms. The place that military wives discuss the way civilians discuss jury duty: with dread, resignation, and the hope that maybe the summons was meant for someone else.
'When?' I asked.
'August.'
Two months. We're PCSing in two months. To a desert. During a pandemic. With a toddler.
'The nearest grocery store?' I asked, because priorities.
'The commissary on base. And a Walmart. Forty-five minutes to the nearest real store.'
Forty-five minutes. To a store. In the desert. In August. With a toddler.
I called Mom. She answered on the first ring.
'Twentynine Palms.'
'Oh, Rachel.'
That's all she said. 'Oh, Rachel.' Because Donna Abernathy knows military geography. She knows that Twentynine Palms is the hardest duty station in the Marines. She knows what it means to be sent there.
'It's temporary,' I said. 'Probably two years.'
'Two years is temporary?'
'In military time, yes.'
I made Mom's chicken and dumplings tonight. The comfort food. The transition food. The food she makes when something is ending and something else is beginning.
The dumplings were perfect. They're always perfect now.
Twentynine Palms. The desert. One hundred and eight degrees. Forty-five minutes to Target.
I'm going to need a bigger pantry.
Mom’s chicken and dumplings were what I made that night, but this tomato basil chicken stew is the version I’ve made my own — the one I’ll be making in a Twentynine Palms kitchen I haven’t seen yet, with pantry staples I’ll be hauling forty-five minutes from a Walmart. It has that same quality the dumplings have: warmth that settles into your chest and tells you that wherever you are, you can feed your people well. When Ryan comes home with the face and the orders and the impossible news, this is the pot I put on the stove.
Tomato Basil Chicken Stew
Prep Time: 15 minutes | Cook Time: 40 minutes | Total Time: 55 minutes | Servings: 6
Ingredients
- 2 lbs boneless, skinless chicken thighs, cut into 1-inch pieces
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1 medium yellow onion, diced
- 4 cloves garlic, minced
- 2 medium carrots, sliced into rounds
- 2 stalks celery, sliced
- 1 can (28 oz) crushed tomatoes
- 1 can (14.5 oz) diced tomatoes, undrained
- 2 cups low-sodium chicken broth
- 1 teaspoon dried basil (or 2 tablespoons fresh, chopped)
- 1/2 teaspoon dried oregano
- 1/2 teaspoon smoked paprika
- 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt, plus more to taste
- 1/4 teaspoon black pepper
- 1 cup frozen peas
- 1/4 cup fresh basil leaves, torn, for serving
Instructions
- Brown the chicken. Heat olive oil in a large Dutch oven or heavy pot over medium-high heat. Add the chicken pieces in a single layer and cook without stirring for 3–4 minutes until golden on one side. Stir and cook another 2 minutes. Transfer to a plate — it doesn’t need to be cooked through yet.
- Soften the aromatics. In the same pot, reduce heat to medium. Add the onion, carrots, and celery. Cook, stirring occasionally, for 5–6 minutes until the onion is translucent and the vegetables begin to soften. Add the garlic and cook 1 minute more.
- Build the stew base. Add the crushed tomatoes, diced tomatoes with their juices, and chicken broth. Stir in the dried basil, oregano, smoked paprika, salt, and pepper.
- Return the chicken. Nestle the browned chicken and any resting juices back into the pot. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat to low. Cover and simmer for 25 minutes, until the chicken is fully cooked through and the vegetables are tender.
- Finish and serve. Stir in the frozen peas and cook uncovered for 3–4 minutes until heated through. Taste and adjust salt as needed. Ladle into bowls and top with torn fresh basil.
Nutrition (per serving)
Calories: 280 | Protein: 32g | Fat: 9g | Carbs: 18g | Fiber: 4g | Sodium: 520mg
About the cook who shared this
Rachel Abernathy
Week 219 of Rachel’s 30-year story
· San Diego, California
Rachel is a twenty-eight-year-old Marine wife and mom of two who has moved five times in six years and learned to cook a Thanksgiving dinner with half her cookware still in boxes. She married young, survived postpartum depression, and feeds her family of four on a junior Marine's salary with a freezer full of pre-made meals and a crockpot that has never let her down. She writes for the military spouses who are cooking dinner alone in base housing and wondering if they're enough. You are.
