This easy and flavorful Chicken Stew is made in one pot with chicken thighs or breasts, potatoes, carrots, and onions with a rich and creamy sauce. It’s the perfect comfort food for any time of year! Includes step by step video down below.
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If there’s any meal that will warm you right through, it’s this easy and hearty Chicken Stew! (My kids would be so thrilled with my unintentional rhyme 😉 )
Sure, we love all one pot meals here — you can’t beat a delicious meal that comes together with minimal pots. Those beasts can take forever to scrub!
But this Chicken Stew is special enough for a Sunday dinner with family, and just as welcome after a busy day of school or work.
It’s just so cozy, and cozy is pretty much my favorite word these days.
Some of our other favorite cozy meals? This Instant Pot Pot Roast, this Crockpot Creamy Italian Chicken and Potatoes, and this Rigatoni Pasta Bake are always hits around here!
Stew is one of those recipes that gives you a lot of flexibility, so don’t be afraid to reach deep into the back of your vegetable drawer and throw in a few additions you just need to get out of the fridge.
Just be sure to include a bag of your favorite Little Potatoes — they make this stew even easier because they come washed and ready to cook! Simply halve and throw in the pot — they are the perfect vehicle for soaking up all of that deliciousness.
I’ve included lots of extra tips below for making it your own down below.
Need a crockpot version for a busy day? Try my Crockpot Chicken Stew!
Tips for making the BEST chicken stew you’ve ever had:
- Chicken Thighs over Chicken Breasts: It’s true that most of my chicken recipes here call for chicken breasts. They’re lean, easy to cook and often go on sale. But chicken thighs have a richer flavor, and for this chicken stew, that is exactly what we want.
- Brown the chicken first: browning the chicken adds a ton of flavor (and if you want to maximize that flavor and you’re not lazy like me, use skin on chicken). It’s actually okay if the chicken sticks a little when you’re browning — there should be some bits on the bottom that will be soaked up into the sauce to give it big flavor. However, we don’t want to cook it too much so that it becomes tough!
- Use a dutch oven if you have one: an enamel coated, cast iron dutch oven conducts heat incredibly well, and is my favorite vessel for cooking something like soup or stew.
- Simmer it slow: We want a low bubble in the dutch oven, not a rolling boil. You will bring your broth up to a simmer over medium-high heat, then reduce to low and cover, cooking until everything is tender. Cooking stew too quickly can result in tough chicken.
Variations on this easy Chicken Stew recipe:
- Swap the chicken: you can easily swap the thighs for breasts and all will be well. You can even get a little more creative and swap the chicken for really any protein, or none at all, and leave it vegetarian.
- Swap the vegetables: carrots, onions and celery (called a mirepoix), along with the chicken, make up the flavor base for this stew and many other soups, stews, and other recipes. You can always swap them for others, or add in additional vegetables if you need to get them out of the fridge.
- Adjust the seasoning: the herbs and spices used here are traditionally used in chicken stew, but that doesn’t mean you can’t improvise 😉 Dive into your spice cupboard and see what inspires you!
- Swap the last ½ cup of broth for cream for a luxuriously creamy chicken stew.
How to prep this Chicken Stew ahead:
Another thing we love about this chicken stew is how easy it is to prep ahead.
It refrigerates perfectly (I don’t generally recommend freezing potatoes, so I would keep this stew out of the freezer) for up to 3-4 days, provided your ingredients are fresh when you start.
Cook the stew completely, then let cool briefly at room temperature (not more than 1 hour), then cover and refrigerate.
To reheat, simply place the pot on the stove top over medium-low heat, and stir often until warmed through.
How to make it in the Crockpot:
To make this stew in the crockpot, you can brown the chicken and vegetables and deglaze, then add to the crockpot with the remaining ingredients, or you can simply skip the browning and throw everything in.
I prefer to cook chicken in the slow cooker in wholes rather than pieces, so I recommend cooking the stew with whole thighs for 4-5 hours on low until everything is cooked through, then remove the thighs to shred or chop.
How to make it in the Instant Pot:
Making this chicken stew in the Instant Pot is just as easy!
You can follow the original steps to brown the chicken and deglaze right in the Instant Pot on saute, then add in the remaining ingredients.
Pressure cook on high for 4 minutes if your chicken is chopped, or 8 minutes if your chicken thighs are whole.
*This post is generously sponsored by The Little Potato Company and I was compensated for my time in creating this recipe. Thank you for supporting the brands that make The Recipe Rebel possible!
One Pot Chicken Stew
Ingredients
- 2 tablespoons canola oil
- 6 boneless skinless chicken thighs
- 3/4 lb Little Potatoes (quartered)
- 2 large carrots (peeled and sliced)
- 2 ribs celery (sliced)
- 1/2 medium onion (finely diced)
- 1 teaspoon minced garlic
- 3/4 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 teaspoon dried parsley
- 1/4 teaspoon dried thyme
- 1/4 teaspoon black pepper
- 1 bay leaf
- 3 cups low sodium chicken broth, divided
- 2 tablespoons corn starch
- fresh parsley for garnish
Instructions
- Heat oil in 4 quart dutch oven or soup pot over medium-high heat.
- Add chicken thighs and cook for 2-3 minutes per side, just until lightly browned. Remove from the pot and set aside.
- Add the potatoes, carrots, celery and onion and cook for 5-6 minutes until beginning to soften.
- Add garlic, salt, parsley, thyme, pepper, and bay leaf. Stir and cook 1 minute.
- Add 2.5 cups of chicken broth to the pot and scrape the bottom well to remove any browned bits. Bring to a simmer over medium-high heat.
- Add the chicken thighs back to the pot, pressing them down into the liquid.
- Cover and reduce heat to low. Simmer for 15-20 minutes, until potatoes and carrots are tender.
- Remove chicken and shred.
- Whisk together remaining half cup broth and corn starch and add back into the pot with the chicken.
- Cook for 2-3 minutes until slightly thickened. Serve with fresh parsley if desired.
Nutrition Information
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Brenda says
I made this and it tasted amazing! The flavours blend so beautifully. I’ll be making this again for sure!
Sandy says
Made this on a cool day a couple weeks ago. My husband came in from outside and was loving the smell. This has a burst of great flavor. Going to make it for my mother and aunt tomorrow for an early evening meal. I feel sure they will enjoy it as much as we do. This recipe is definitely a keeper.
The Recipe Rebel says
Hi Sandy! So glad you enjoyed the recipe! Thank you for this kind review!
Andrea Billings says
Made it tonight with leftover rotisserie chicken. I was very good. I added 1/2 cream at the end and sprinkled some cheese on top. It was delicious! Definitely a keeper.
Thanks for the recipe
Marchelle says
Made this stew today for first time. It is soooo good! Will definitely be a staple at my house. ❤️
The Recipe Rebel says
Hi Marchelle! So glad you enjoyed the recipe! Thank you for tis review!
Sheila says
I made this tonight for the first time…delicious! Will definitely make again! I made dumplings and simmered with them on top. Do you have a recipe for dumplings? Mine were just okay! I left out the thyme and Bay Leaf as we don’t like the flavor of either. Even without, the seasoning was perfect! Thankyou!
Ashley Fehr says
I’m so glad! We love the dumplings in this recipe: https://www.thereciperebel.com/instant-pot-chicken-and-dumplings/
Laura-Lee L says
I love love love this recipe! Thank you! It’s kid friendly even for my extremely picky eater! It was a perfect amount for my family of 4. I’m going to have to double it next time so we have leftovers! I also used my leftover roast chicken for it and it was perfect!
Ashley Fehr says
Thanks Laura-Lee! I’m so glad it was a hit!
Lou says
So bone-in, skin on chicken thighs will work for this?
Ashley Fehr says
Yep! They will work great. You’ll just remove the skin and bones when you shred it
Heather says
Made this tonight. It was easy, cozy and delicious!! Perfect for my “Sunday soup days”.
Ashley Fehr says
Thanks Heather!
alicia says
Ashley, thank you for the recipe. I used boneless chicken breast and I added nutritional yeast at the end. Sprinkled fresh cilantro for serving. Amazing recipe!
Ashley Fehr says
Thanks Alicia!
Olivia says
Great simple recipe. Definitely one to keep on hand and easy to memorize. I added a cup of white cooking wine to do the deglazing and then added the broth. It came out hardy and tasty. Thank you!
Ashley Fehr says
That’s a great idea!
hrmarci@yahoo.com says
I made this last night and it was delicious. My husband loved it. This recipe is a keeper and its not hard to make😊
Ashley Fehr says
I’m so happy to hear that!
Dawn says
Hi there! Great flavor, and very simple…but, do you realize that in the ingredient list, you have thighs, and at #6 in instructions, it changes to breasts?! Not a problem, just thought I’d let you know. Thanks for the recipe.
Ashley Fehr says
Haha, thanks for letting me know! Too much experimenting over here 😉 It’s all fixed!
Patricia Waters says
Please, when stating cooking times for slow cookers, can you put whether the cooker timing is on high or low. On your chicken stew method, you only said it took 4-5 hours, but no mention if it was high or low. Thank you.
Ashley Fehr says
You’re right! Since this is not a slow cooker recipe, my instructions were not as clear. I will add it in the notes.
Janet Bradley says
Could I use Stock vs Broth in this recipe? Would it enhance the flavor. I always thought stock added more flavor.
Thanks, Janet
Ashley Fehr says
Yes, either will work great!
Judy Pitolay says
I made this today – a DOUBLE recipe of it so we could have left overs. Really tasty – delicious. I have the recipe and will definitely make it again.
thanks !
Ashley Fehr says
Thanks Judy! I’m so glad you liked it!