This chicken stew is a hearty blend of tender chicken pieces, potatoes and vegetables, all in a thick and hearty broth. The perfect comfort food classic to warm up with on a cold day!
My family loves soup, and I love that it’s an easy, one pot dinner. Some of our favorite soup recipes include crock pot chicken noodle soup, tortellini soup, and this chicken stew loaded with plenty of veggies.
You can never go wrong with a bowl of stew, it’s an easy to make comfort food classic that is sure to impress your family and friends. This chicken stew is a lighter version of the traditional beef variety, but it’s equally as delicious and cooks in less than half the time!
How do you make chicken stew?
To make chicken stew, first bring out the flavor of the chicken by browning it in a pot. Remove the chicken and add in veggies to cook them until they are softened. Remove the veggies and add in garlic, butter and flour to make a base for the stew. Pour chicken broth into the pot and whisk it into the flour and butter. Add the chicken and cooked vegetables back to the pot with the potatoes and seasonings. Simmer everything together and let the flavors develop for a half an hour. For the final step, add in the peas and green beans; once they are heated the stew is ready to serve.
Tips for chicken stew
- If you prefer chicken breasts, you can use them instead of chicken thighs. I prefer chicken thighs are they are more tender and flavorful in a stew.
- I like to brown the chicken to infuse the stew with extra flavor. Browning the chicken is optional but it adds a lot of flavor so I highly recommend it.
- Cut your vegetables into large pieces so that they don’t get overly soft as the stew simmers.
- This stew is a great candidate for a freezer meal. I often make a double batch, freeze half in a resealable bag, then thaw and re-heat on the stove top.
Stew variations
This chicken stew is hearty and delicious, and there are a lot of ways that you can customize it to your tastes.
- Feel free to use other vegetables such as mushrooms, red bell peppers, butternut squash or broccoli.
- You can try different types of potatoes like red potatoes, russet potatoes or sweet potatoes.
- You can flavor your stew with other ingredients such as bacon, hot sauce, canned tomatoes or white beans.
- For a hearty stew add grains such as barley, small pasta shells or cooked white rice.
Slow cooker chicken stew
If you want to make the stew in a slow cooker, first brown the chicken. Remove the chicken and cook the veggies. Take out the veggies and cook the butter and flour together. Pour chicken broth into the pot and whisk it into the flour and butter. Add the chicken and cooked vegetables back to the pot with the potatoes and seasonings. Pour everything into a slow cooker and cook it on low for 6 hours or high for 3-4 hours. Stir in the peas and green beans during the last 10 minutes of the cooking time. Sprinkle with parsley, then serve.
This hearty and delicious stew is a favorite of mine. Some people like warm stews in the winter, but this stew is good enough to serve year round!
More delicious soups and stews to enjoy
Chicken Stew
Ingredients
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 2 pounds boneless skinless chicken thighs cut into 1 1/2 inch pieces
- salt and pepper to taste
- 1 onion diced
- 3 carrots halved and sliced into 3/4 inch chunks
- 1/2 cup celery sliced
- 2 teaspoons minced garlic
- 1/4 cup butter
- 1/4 cup flour
- 5 cups chicken broth
- 3/4 pound small yellow potatoes halved or quartered
- 1 teaspoon dried Italian seasoning
- 3 sprigs fresh thyme
- 1 bay leaf
- 1/2 cup frozen peas
- 1/2 cup frozen cut green beans
- 2 tablespoons chopped parsley
Instructions
- Heat the olive oil in a large pot over medium high heat. Season the chicken generously with salt and pepper.
- Cook the chicken in a single layer for 4-5 minutes on each side or until golden brown. You may need to cook in batches.
- Remove the chicken from the pot; cover to keep warm.
- Add the onions, carrots and celery to the pot. Cook for 4-5 minutes or until vegetables are softened.
- Add the garlic to the pot; cook for 30 seconds. Remove the vegetables from the pot.
- Melt the butter in the pot. Add the flour and whisk until combined. Cook for 1 minute.
- Slowly pour the broth into the pot, whisking constantly.
- Add the chicken and vegetables to the pot of broth along with the potatoes, Italian seasoning, thyme sprigs and bay leaf. Season the stew with salt and pepper to taste.
- Bring the stew to a simmer. Cook for 30 minutes or until potatoes are tender.
- Stir in the frozen peas and green beans. Cook for another 5 minutes. Remove the bay leaf and thyme sprigs.
- Sprinkle with parsley, then serve.
Sue says
My husband and I love this recipe. We did add a little extra flour to make the broth thicker. Great flavor!