Ingredients
This easy crockpot chicken stew recipe is chock-full of colorful, nutrient-rich vegetables, flavorful herbs, and healthy protein. The best part about a slow cooker meal is that you can throw in all the ingredients and let the appliance do the work for you. To make this recipe, you’ll need 2 pounds of boneless skinless chicken thighs, kosher salt, black pepper, olive oil, onions, celery, carrots, frozen peas (I like to use frozen blanched peas), fresh garlic, Yukon Gold potatoes, fresh thyme, fresh rosemary, fresh parsley, paprika, chicken stock, and cornstarch.
How to Make Chicken Stew in Crock Pot?
This chicken crockpot stew is the perfect cure for those cold evenings that call for snuggling up on the couch rather than laboring in the kitchen. Simply throw all the ingredients in the crock pot in the morning and come home to a warm, cozy meal. Here’s how to slow cook chicken stew:
Chicken: I love to use chicken thighs in this healthy chicken stew with vegetables because they are more juicy and flavorful than other cuts of chicken. If you can’t find chicken thighs at your local grocery store, you can easily substitute boneless skinless chicken breasts for a low-calorie chicken breast stew. You can also make a bone in a chicken stew, but make sure to remove the bones when shredding the chicken. Potatoes: I personally like Yukon Gold potatoes for their rich, buttery flavor, but fingerling potatoes or baby potatoes (also called new potatoes) are an excellent choice for a similar flavor profile. Feel free to use russet potatoes or red potatoes if these aren’t available. Seasoning: We kept it pretty simple with the chicken stew seasoning by using a few fresh herbs. Don’t sweat if you don’t have fresh herbs, as you can use their dried versions instead. If you’re swapping dried for fresh, use only about half of what the recipe calls for. To give the chicken a bit more flavor, you can season it with spices for chicken stew, such as poultry seasoning or ground cumin and coriander, or add in some Italian seasoning or bay leaves with the vegetables. Milk: The “creaminess” in this chicken vegetable stew actually comes from cornstarch, a thickening agent, but you can also add some milk for a creamy chicken stew. To add milk to this chicken stew recipe, substitute one cup of the chicken stock with milk (you’ll still need the other two cups of chicken stock). Also, if you are using milk, be sure to cook the creamy chicken soup extra “low and slow,” or else the milk may curdle. Vegetables: For an extra veggie-packed chicken crock pot stew recipe, you can add a half cup to a cup of frozen green beans or frozen corn.Make it Irish: If you are a fan of Irish Chicken Stew, also add 4 slices of bacon (cut into strips) and 1 cup of sliced cabbage into the slow cooker.
How to Make Ahead, Store, Freeze, & Thaw?
Not only is this slow-cooked chicken stew super make-ahead friendly and easy to store, but it actually becomes more flavorful as it sits and allows the ingredients to continue to mingle together and break down. It literally gets better by the minute! See below for a few make-ahead and storage tips.
Make-ahead: This healthy crockpot chicken and vegetable stew is the perfect go-to recipe for hectic schedules. To make it ahead of a busy week, simply saute the chicken the day before and store it in an airtight container in the fridge. Prep your veggies to have them ready to go in the crock pot. Either at the end of the day or the morning of, place all ingredients in the crock pot and follow the instructions above for cooking. Store: Bring leftover chicken stew with vegetables to room temperature and store in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 5 days. Freeze: To make this recipe a freezer meal, bring the leftover stew to room temperature and store it in airtight, freezer-safe containers in the freezer for up to 2-3 months. Thaw: Thaw frozen chicken potato stew overnight in the fridge. Reheat in the microwave or on the stove.
Other Cooking Methods
Cooking chicken stew in the crock pot is easy and convenient, but what if you don’t have one? Don’t sweat it! Here are two more methods you can follow to have this hearty stew on the table in no time.
Serve it with crusty bread: Everyone knows that bread is the perfect partner for stew. Not only is it a satisfying carb, but it’s also perfect for dipping in your creamy crockpot chicken stew. Serve this delicious slow-cooked chicken thigh stew recipe with any of my bread recipes, such as No Knead Bread, Almond Bread, or Buttery Brioche Buns. This recipe is also delicious when paired with cornbread. My favorites are Jalapeno Cornbread, Keto Cornbread, and Savory Cornbread Muffins. Pair it with a salad: To get your greens in for the day, serve this chicken thigh stew with a healthy kale salad. Your whole family will love this Kale Brussel Sprout Salad or this nutrient-dense Kale Avocado Salad.
How to Make It on the Stove Top?
If you don’t have a countertop cooking appliance, you can easily go back to basics and cook this chicken stew on the stove top. Just follow these easy instructions:
How to Make It in an Instant Pot?
Use your Instant Pot for an ultra-quick way to make this stew. The instructions are similar to the method above but with a few tweaks. Here’s how to do it:
Expert Tips
To get the best results on your first try, follow these simple tips that make all the difference when it comes to flavor and texture:
Cook on low heat: There’s a reason why they say stews should be cooked “low and slow.” This allows the meat and the veggies to break down slowly, allowing them to release all those yummy flavors. Cooking on a high heat setting also results in dry, rubbery chicken (and no one wants that). Take advantage of searing the chicken: While you don’t have to sear the chicken before adding it to your slow cooker, the searing really pays off in terms of flavor. I find that taking the time to do so also removes the gamey flavors of the chicken.Sear the veggies: If you have the time, I also recommend searing your veggies before letting your chicken thigh soup cook. Again, this helps immensely in terms of flavor. Rotisserie chicken option: If you’d rather not handle raw chicken, you can use rotisserie chicken in this recipe. Simply shred the chicken and add it in 30 minutes before the stew is done (right before adding in the cornstarch slurry). Skip the cornstarch for a thinner consistency: If you prefer more of a thin, soup-like consistency rather than a thick chicken stew, you can omit the cornstarch slurry.
Other Healthy Winter Soups You Might Also Like
If you love the ease and comfort of cooking up a warm meal on a cold winter’s night, then you definitely need lots of soup recipes in your recipe book. Thankfully, I have lots for you to try here on the blog that are perfect for a healthy dinner. Browse the links below for inspiration:
Instant Pot White Chicken ChiliCabbage Kale SoupLeftover Chicken Chili
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