Chicken Stew Recipe
This hearty one-pot chicken stew recipe practically cooks itself! It’s made all in one-pot with tender chunks of chicken and savory veggies.
Love comforting recipes? Try our Creamy Chicken Stew or Crustless Chicken Pot Pie.
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Deliciously Simple Chicken Stew!
This chicken stew is a readers’ favorite around here. It gets five-star reviews for its rustic, hearty, and delicious taste.
It’s a delicious meal made in one pot, with simple ingredients such as tender chicken and veggies –all simmered in the best-seasoned broth.
All you need is some crusty sourdough garlic bread or pillowy soft cheesy popovers and you have yourself a perfect comfort meal.
Video: How to Make Chicken Stew
Chicken Stew Ingredients
The reason why this chicken stew is a favorite around here is that it’s made with simple, pantry ingredients. Here’s what you’ll need for the stew:
- Chicken thighs: For best flavor use boneless, skinless thighs. I do not recommend chicken breast or rotisserie chicken.
- Avocado oil: You’ll need high-smoke oil, such as avocado oil or something similar for searing chicken thighs and vegetables.
- Vegetables: Carrots, sweet onion, and baby potatoes. Cut your vegetables into larger chunks so they do not overcook. Carrots should be sliced 1/2-inch thick. Slice the onion into 12 wedges. Baby white potatoes or Yukon golds are the best potatoes for the stew. Baby potatoes should be quartered and Yukon golds cut into about 1 3/4-inch chunks.
- Garlic: Use fresh garlic. Avoid jarred or anything pre-chopped.
- Chicken broth or stock: Either one is fine to use. Use good-quality stock, whether homemade chicken stock or store-bought. Bone broth is even better if you don’t mind spending a little more.
- All-purpose flour: This will thicken the stew.
- Bay leaf: Feel free to use dried or fresh bay leaves. Dried bay leaves are easier to find at most supermarkets in the spice aisle. A lot of times you can find fresh bay leaves in the produce section near fresh herbs.
- Fresh parsley: Not a fan of parsley? Try fresh dill instead.
See the recipe card for full information on ingredients and quantities.
How to Make Chicken Stew
- Over high heat, cook chicken until brown on all sides. Transfer to a plate.
- Add carrots and onions. Cook until the onions begin to soften. Add garlic and cook until fragrant. Deglaze the dutch oven with some of the chicken stock.
- Make a slurry by whisking flour with 1/2 cup broth in a small bowl. Add to the dutch oven.
- Stir in chicken, remaining broth, and bay leaf. Season with salt and pepper. Simmer for 25 minutes over medium-low heat. Add potatoes and cook until potatoes are tender.
- Stir in parsley and discard bay leaf before serving.
Chicken Stew Recipe Tips
- Use chicken thighs. For best results use boneless, skinless, chicken thighs. They have extra flavor after searing and also simmer into tender little morsels. Make sure to cut the thighs into 2-inch chunks so they do not overcook.
- Avoid using chicken breast. I do not recommend chicken breast in this recipe. It won’t be as tender and flavorful as the thighs. Plus chicken breast is easy to overcook.
- Crockpot feedback. Many of you have asked if this recipe can be made in a crockpot. Recently I tested this recipe in a crockpot and the result was just not the same. Chicken stew is all about building flavor and texture by searing the meat, then the vegetables and aromatics, which is impossible to do in a crockpot. Therefore, I do not recommend making this stew in a crockpot.
How to Make Stew Thicker?
This chicken stew recipe is not overly thick as some stew recipes out there but you can easily change that. Here are a few ways to make the stew thicker:
- Create a thicker slurry. A slurry is a combination of flour and broth which is mixed together and used to thicken the stew. Feel free to add an extra tablespoon of flour to the broth to create a thicker slurry. For a gluten-free option, use arrowroot powder.
- Simmer with the lid off. Make sure to simmer the stew with the lid off for the last 18-20 minutes of cooking. That way the liquid is reduced as more water evaporates, resulting in a thicker stew.
Chicken Stew Recipe FAQs
Basil, oregano, rosemary, thyme, and tarragon are some of the most common herbs to pair with chicken.
Feel free to experiment with different mix-ins to make chicken stew richer. For example, you can add soy sauce or Worcestershire sauce for an umami taste. Or, include honey or brown sugar for sweetness, lemon zest or vinegar for a bright taste, or chili powder, smoked paprika, or red pepper flakes for a touch of heat.
Yes, overcooking chicken stew will cause the chicken to become tough and dry. Allow it to simmer just long enough for the ingredients to soften and cook through. Then, remove the stew from the heat.
Avoid raw meat, and sear it for flavor before adding it to stew. Also, choose fattier cuts of meat and not lean protein for better texture and more flavor. Skip delicate veggies like zucchini and greens as they’re prone to overcooking. Finally, avoid using cornstarch to thicken stew. This will turn it into more of a gravy. Instead, coat the meat in flour or cornstarch before adding it to the pot.
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If you try Chicken Stew Recipe, please leave a star rating and let me know how you like the recipe in the comments below.
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Stewed Chicken Recipe
- Prep Time: 15 mins
- Cook Time: 1 hour
- Total Time: 1 hour 15 mins
- Yield: 4-6 1x
- Category: Dinner
- Method: Stovetop
- Cuisine: American
Description
This hearty one-pot chicken stew practically cooks itself! It’s made all in one-pot with tender chunks of chicken and savory veggies. Enjoy it with crusty bread for an ultimate cold weather meal!
Ingredients
- 1 1/2 lbs. chicken thighs, boneless, skinless, cut into 2-inch chunks
- 2 Tbsp. avocado oil, divided
- 3 medium carrots, peeled and sliced diagonally into 1/2-inch pieces
- 1 medium sweet onion, cut into 12 wedges
- 6 garlic cloves, chopped
- 5 cups chicken broth or stock, divided
- 2 Tbsp. all-purpose flour
- 1 dried bay leaf
- 12 oz. baby white potatoes, scrubbed and quartered
- 1/4 cup fresh chopped parsley
- Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
Instructions
- Pat dry the chicken with a few sheets of paper towel and season thoroughly with salt and pepper, to taste.
- Heat 1 tablespoon of oil in a heavy-bottom dutch oven or a soup pot over high heat. When oil is hot, add chicken and cook, stirring occasionally, until brown on all sides, about 5-6 minutes total. The goal here is to simply brown the chicken on the outside and extract some of its flavor. Make sure to use high heat, otherwise, the chicken will steam out and not brown. Transfer to a plate.
- Reduce heat to a medium and add the remaining 1 tablespoon of oil. Add carrots and onions. Cook, stirring often until onions begin to soften and tips turn golden, about 4-5 minutes. Add garlic and cook for about 30 seconds or until fragrant, while stirring nonstop. Add 1/2 cup chicken broth while stirring and scraping to loosen browned bits from the bottom of the dutch oven.
- In a small bowl, whisk together flour and 1/2 cup broth; add to the dutch oven. Stir in chicken and remaining 4 cups of chicken broth. Add bay leaf and season with salt and pepper, to taste. Bring back to a boil, reduce heat to medium-low and simmer for 25 minutes, partially covered.
- Add potatoes and cook uncovered until potatoes are tender, about 18-20 minutes. If needed, increase the heat so the stew is at a gentle simmer. Also taste the broth for salt and pepper and add more if needed. Stir in parsley and discard bay leaf before serving.
Notes
- Leftovers: Leftover chicken stew will last in the refrigerator for about 3 days. I do not recommend freezing as it will change the texture of the potatoes and the consistency of the broth.
- Using the crockpot: Many of you have asked if this recipe can be made in a crockpot. Recently I tested this recipe in a crockpot and the result was just not the same. Chicken stew is all about building flavor and texture by searing the meat, then the vegetables and aromatics, which is impossible to do in a crockpot. Therefore, I do not recommend making this stew in a crockpot.
- A few of my favorites for making this recipe are these cutting boards and a heavy-duty dutch oven .
Nutrition
- Serving Size:
- Calories: 486
- Sugar: 12.1 g
- Sodium: 679.7 mg
- Fat: 14.6 g
- Carbohydrates: 42.6 g
- Protein: 44.9 g
- Cholesterol: 168.8 mg
Recipe originally published on 10/11/2016.
This stew has a lot of flavor and is easy to make. My family loved it and I will definitely make it again!
It was a cold rainy day so I made this today. I used 2 chicken thighs because I don’t like dark meat. I also added 1tsp Italian seasoning and a can of stewed tomatoes to mine. I cooked according to the directions but when I added the potatoes, I also added 2 cooked chicken breasts I had left over from yesterday as well as the left over store bought gray and a half a package of mixed frozen vegetables. It was delicious
Made this with a crockpot, just had to cook my chicken in separate batches. Made x2 of portions. Added celery and put the potatoes in earlier as suggested. My partner said ooo looks just like those packaged soups but nicer! Flavours were amazing, glad I stuck to this recipe 🙂
I made this on a rainy day. I added 8oz of baby Bella mushrooms. Because I love mushrooms. Otherwise I thought this was delicious. Those who commented that the recipe lacked seasoning lack reading comprehension. It’s clearly stated to season the broth to taste.
As someone who lives alone, I freeze everything. We’ll see how it goes. I used baking potatoes (what I had) as well as a bone broth granule product. Basically I was using up a bunch of stuff that was getting near its sell date. But it all tasted good. I suspect I’d cut the pieces smaller next time and use golden potatoes rather than russet. Anyway, I think it’s a good recipe.
This is a great recipe. My husband and I love stews and soups. This recipe is easy. This is my second time making it. I added creole seasoning to the recipe for taste.
I love this stew and make it frequently. I don’t eat beef, and love having a hearty, meaty stew to make with chicken. I deglaze the veggies with some white wine, add chopped thyme and rosemary to the veggies, and sometimes use some chopped mushrooms with the rest of the sautéed veggies. Bet it’s great without those changes, too. The addition of the flour gives the gravy a nice body. I may make this again this week!
Thank you so much for this recipe. Perfect for a chilly day. Easy to make and incredibly delicious. Make sure to have some nice bread on hand to sop up the broth!
Thank you Joe!
This was SO good. Simple ingredients with super complex and rich flavour. Loved every bite and will definitely be making this again soon.
I’m glad to hear that! Thank you Stephanie.
LOVE this stew!! Sometimes the best dishes have the most simple ingredients. I have no clue what some of these negative reviews are about. This is full of flavor! I used 1:1 gluten free flour as a sub and it worked great.
This stew was excellent. I used chicken thighs since I could not find a fat enough squirrel. Since several reviewers said it was bland, I added a pinch of red pepper fakes. This added just enough zip. I cooked it longer than the recipe said and the chicken stayed moist without being chewy. I would definitely make again.
Excellent!!!
I LOVE the simplicity of this recipe. It’s a classic. Some of the reviews that mention lack of flavor I would encourage to use the proper cooking ware for this type of dish-which is a heavy bottomed pot meant for stews, as much if the flavor comes from the fond. If something else is used in its place it will not taste remotely the same. I have made this many times as is but my favorite additions are celery, extra carrot, and I season the chicken with my favorite chicken seasoning that had dried lemon peel and a few other spices in it. That’s it, SO GOOD 😊
I doubled it and it turned out great. I added some spinach and green beans to use up stuff in the fridge. Thickened it as suggested with extra slurry and letting it simmer longer. My wife and I loved it. Thanks Katya.
I love this recipe…I have made it for several years!!!! I usually use a combination of chicken thighs and breasts!
Honestly wasted time and ingredients in this recipe. Doubling instructions are all wrong. Stew had no flavour other than the 20 cloves of garlic it calls for when doubling. Extremely disappointed 🙁
Sorry, typo. 12 cloves of garlic. Kids didn’t eat it, I barely managed a bowl.
I’m sorry but this was unseasoned flavorless and just not good at all
I’m sorry you didn’t enjoy it.
I don’t usually leave reviews but this recipe deserves one! Hubby loved it. So tasty and satisfying. I added green beans, celery, and a squeeze of lemon. Didn’t have parsley so I substituted cilantro. Great on a chilly, rainy night. Leftovers for lunch tomorrow!!!
Oh wow! Thanks so much.
This recipe was amazing! I added some cayenne pepper and chili powder since I’m a sucker for spicy foods. Super hearty and will definitely be making it again!
That sounds delish!
This stew is amazing. It’s simple yet delicious. You can’t say that about many recipes. This is the ultimate fall weather comfort dish. My family can’t get enough. Thank you!
Thank you Joe!