Slow Cooker Chicken Stew
Slow cooker chicken stew is a hearty, comforting dish, with tender pieces of chicken and vegetables slowly cooked in a rich, flavorful broth.
This easy dinner recipe combines chicken, carrots, potatoes, green beans, peas, and onions with fresh herbs for a delicious and cozy meal.
Why You’ll Love This Recipe
There are so many reasons to love this slow cooker chicken stew recipe. For one, anything that cooks all day in the Crock-Pot is a win for me! I love using my slow cooker to get dinner made on busy weeknights. I just love the hands-off aspect dinner in the crock pot. If you’re home all day, you get to enjoy the delicious aroma of dinner cooking. If you’re away for the day, there’s nothing better than coming home to dinner already prepared!
Like my slow cooker ham and beans recipe, this recipe is so convenient for busy cooks!
In this recipe, the slow-cooked chicken and vegetables are seasoned with fresh herbs (you can also use dried herbs if you don’t have fresh herbs on hand). As the stew cooks slowly all day, it develops a deep, savory taste. This is a nourishing meal that’s perfect for warming up on a chilly day.
Bone broth is such a nourishing addition to a healthy diet, and this easy stew recipe is a great way to get in more bone broth! Learn how to make your own bone broth on the stovetop, or you can also make it in the Instant Pot or the slow cooker. I like to make a whole roast chicken and then make broth with it once a week. if I don’t have time to do it weekly, I save the carcass in the freezer and make it when I have time.
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Supplies You May Need
- 6-7 quart slow cooker
- Large sauté pan or skillet
- Cutting board
- Glass measuring cup
- Measuring spoons
Slow Cooker Chicken Stew Ingredients
Here’s what you’ll need to make this crock pot chicken stew:
- Chicken: Boneless skinless chicken thighs are used in this recipe, but you can also use chicken breasts if that’s what you have on hand.
- Olive Oil: Extra-virgin olive oil is used to sear the chicken pieces.
- Onions and Garlic: Garlic and onions add delicious flavor to the chicken stew.
- Potatoes: These are cut into cubes.
- Carrots: The carrots are chopped (sliced on the diagonal) in bite-sized pieces.
- Green Beans: Use fresh or frozen green beans.
- Fresh or Dried Herbs: Fresh herbs add so much depth to the seasoning, but if you don’t have them available, dried herbs will also work.
- Chicken Broth: You can use store-bought or make your own. I always opt for homemade bone broth whenever possible.
- Flour: All-purpose flour is used to thicken the stew. If you need gluten free, you could try a gluten-free flour, cornstarch, or arrowroot powder.
- Green Peas: These are an optional ingredient in the stew. If you’re not a fan of peas, feel free to leave them out.
- Heavy Cream: Cream adds extra creaminess to this stew!
- Milk: A bit of milk helps blend in the flour.
- Salt and Pepper: Feel free to adjust the amount of salt and pepper to taste.
How to Make Slow Cooker Chicken Stew
The first step to making this crockpot chicken stew is to prepare the chicken. You’re going to cut the chicken into bite-sized pieces, and then season the chicken with salt and pepper. Then then sear both sides of the chicken pieces in olive oil in a skillet. You don’t need to cook the chicken all the way through, you’re just quickly browning both sides. This step just adds extra flavor to the chicken.
Next, dump the chicken and juices from the pan into the crockpot. Add the onion, garlic, potatoes, carrots, and fresh green beans, along with the thyme, oregano, and rosemary. Stir together until the chicken and veggies are mixed together.
Then, slowly pour in the chicken broth and the Worcestershire sauce and mix together.
Cook on low for 7-8 hours till everything is tender.
After the cooking time is up, remove about 3/4 cup chicken broth from the crockpot and mix it together with the milk, cream and flour. Whisk this mixture until there are no clumps of flour left. Pour the flour mixture along with the frozen peas into the crockpot and mix together well.
Turn the crockpot to high and heat for an additional 20-30 minutes until the soup has thickened. After the soup has thickened sufficiently, ladle into bowls and serve.
Serve this delicious slow cooker chicken stew with some fresh sourdough bread, overnight sourdough biscuits, or Irish soda bread.
How to Store Slow Cooker Chicken Stew:
Store any leftover chicken stew in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 4 days. Reheat on the stovetop or in a microwave.
Tips
- Whatever your favorite vegetables are in a stew you can use in this recipe to customize.
- Don’t add the flour directly into the crockpot or you will not be able to get all the clumps out.
- If your stew isn’t as thick as you’d like, remove another 1/2-2/3 cup more broth from the crockpot and whisk in another tablespoon of flour. Pour back into the crockpot and let it heat up another 5-10 minutes.
- You can also use chicken breasts in place of the thighs if that is what you have on hand.
- Use the best quality broth you can find. This will affect the flavor of the soup because there’s so much broth in it. I love using homemade bone broth for this because it adds so many vitamins and nutrients.
- You can also garnish your finished chicken stew with parsley if you happen to have some in the fridge.
Frequently Asked Questions
What if I can’t find fresh green beans?
You can substitute frozen or canned green beans or omit altogether and add a bit more of another vegetable. If you use canned green beans add them in when you add the frozen peas.
What if I don’t have fresh herbs on hand?
This slow cooker chicken stew recipe calls for fresh oregano, thyme, and rosemary. If you don’t have these on hand, you can use dried herbs. The amounts of dried herb to use are in the recipe card below.
More Dinner Recipes
- One-Pot Chili Mac and Cheese
- Easy Meatless Baked Ziti
- Instant Pot Pot Roast
- Slow Cooker Ham and Beans
If you make this recipe and enjoy it, please leave a comment with a 5-star recipe rating and let me know! Thank you!
Slow Cooker Chicken Stew
Equipment
- Crock Pot 6-7 quart
Ingredients
- 2 pounds boneless skinless chicken thighs about 8, cut into bite sized pieces
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 teaspoon black pepper
- 1 medium yellow onion diced
- 3 cloves garlic minced
- 1 1/2 pounds potatoes peeled and cut into ½ inch cubes
- 4 carrots peeled and chopped
- 1 cup fresh green beans ends trimmed and cut in 1-inch pieces
- 2 teaspoons fresh thyme or 1/2 teaspoon dried
- 1 1/2 teaspoons fresh rosemary or 1/4 teaspoon dried rosemary
- 1 tablespoon fresh oregano or 1 teaspoon dried
- 3 cups chicken broth
- 1 1/2 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce
- 6 tablespoons all-purpose flour
- 2/3 cup green peas frozen
- 1/4 cup heavy cream
- 1/4 cup milk
Instructions
- Cut the chicken into bite-sized pieces. In a large skillet heat the olive oil over medium heat. Add the chicken pieces, sprinkle the salt and pepper over the chicken, and sear both sides of each piece quickly. You don’t need to cook it all the way through. This step just adds extra flavor to the chicken in the end result.
- Dump the chicken and juices from the pan into the crockpot. Add the onion, garlic, potatoes, carrots, and fresh green beans, along with the thyme, rosemary, and oregano. Stir and mix all ingredients together.
- Slowly pour in the chicken broth and the Worcestershire sauce and mix together.
- Turn the crockpot on low heat, add the lid, and cook on low for 7-8 hours until the chicken and vegetables are tender.
- Remove about 3/4 cup chicken broth from the crockpot and mix it together with the milk, cream and flour. Whisk this mixture until there are no clumps of flour left.
- Pour the flour mixture along with the frozen peas into the crockpot and mix together well. Turn the crockpot to high and heat for an additional 20-30 minutes until the soup has thickened. Ladle into bowls and serve.
I thought this recipe was great, other than it needed a tad more seasoning! My family said they enjoyed it but would rather have it as the filling to a chicken pot pie!
Thanks so much for the feedback!