This quick and easy one-pot Chicken Stew is made with chicken, potatoes, and carrots simmered in a deliciously seasoned broth and garnished with fresh herbs. Enjoy with crusty bread for a savory comfort meal!
It is one of our favorite winter dinners along with slow cooker chicken stew and creamy lemon chicken orzo soup.
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Chicken stew is super easy, done in one pot and ready to serve in under an hour. The infused flavours of herbs and spices create a winning taste combination and the red pepper flakes are an added kick! It’s everything you need to get you through cold days.
This is the perfect time of year to stock up on as many warm, healthy, and simple soup and stew recipes as you can get your hands on, like chicken noodle soup and chicken and rice soup!
Cozy up with a hot bowl of this hearty chicken stew, serve with a side salad, and enjoy!
Why You’ll Love This Recipe
- Comforting: Soothing herbs and spices with a little heat- there is a reason chicken soup is good for the soul!
- Easy: Basic pantry ingredients with minimal effort gets you maximum flavour.
- One pot stew: Less kitchen mess equals less clean up and more time to be cozy in your PJs.
- Delicious: Loads of tender chicken breasts, chunky potatoes, and a flavorful broth make this one of the tastiest stews you’ll ever try!
- Healthy: Loaded with vitamins, minerals, protein, and antioxidants all while remaining low in sodium.
Ingredients for Chicken Stew Recipe
- Chicken: Boneless skinless chicken thighs or breasts. Cut into cubes.
- Onion and garlic: Chopped onion and minced garlic.
- Veggies: Diced carrots, diced celery, cubed potatoes.
- Oil: Extra virgin olive oil.
- Herbs and spices: Dried rosemary, oregano, and thyme. Ground cumin, red pepper flakes, bay leaves, salt, and pepper.
- Broth: Low sodium store-bought or homemade chicken broth.
- Garnish: Fresh parsley, dill, or green onion. Finely chopped.
How to Make Chicken Stew
- Prep: Preheat a 6-quart Dutch oven or large pot and add the oil to coat the bottom.
- Sauté: Add the onion, garlic, carrots, and celery to sauté and stir occasionally.
- Add: Next, add the chicken, herbs, and spices with exception of the bay leaves. Continue to sauté just until browned a bit, stirring once.
- Simmer: To the pot, add chicken broth, potatoes, and bay leaves and scrape off any bits off the bottom of the pot. Stir then cover and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to low and simmer until potatoes are tender. Pierce with a fork to check.
- Garnish: Remove the soup pot from heat, discard bay leaf and add any of your desired garnishes. Taste and if you wish, season with salt and pepper to taste. Enjoy!
Optional Add-In’s and Variations
- Chicken drumsticks: If bone-in, skin-on chicken is what you prefer you can use it. Brown them on both sides first (no need to cook through), remove them onto a plate and then brown the veggies. Also, cook with potatoes for about 30 minutes.
- Potatoes: Red potatoes, white potatoes or baby potatoes are great for roasting and soups because they hold their shape better. This is essential especially if you are using bone-in chicken and will be cooking your stew longer. However, russet potatoes will make a more starchy stew and give your soup more body, like in Instant Pot potato soup.
- Other vegetables: You can also add chopped cauliflower, sliced mushrooms, rutabaga, or okra.
- Finishers: A squirt of lemon and a sprinkle of parmesan are always a great way to put the finishing touch on a soup or stew.
Tips for Best Results
- Thicken the stew: If you like thick stew, mash a few potatoes and add them back (works well with russets especially). Or make a slurry of 2 tbsp cold water mixed with 2 tbsp cornstarch.
- Double the recipe: This stew recipe can be doubled if serving a larger crowd. Just double each ingredient and be sure to use a large pot or Dutch oven that can hold it.
- Instant Pot: I do have Instant Pot chicken stew recipe. But for something different but just as quick, easy, and delicious try my Instant Pot chicken and potatoes.
- Slow cooker: Brown veggies and meat as per the recipe, then add remaining ingredients, cover, and cook on High for 3-4 hours or Low for 4-6. Or try my crockpot chicken stew recipe.
Serving Recommendations
Keep this chicken stew recipe on hand for making a quick and hearty weeknight dinner or a simple comforting meal on a weekend afternoon. Pack the rest away for leftovers and allow the flavors to marry even more the next day!
Serve hot in a small bowl with a basket of bread along with this amazing garlic and olive oil dip and a nice light lemon kale salad.
Making This Recipe in Advance
Store: This chicken stew will keep in the fridge for up to 5 days in an airtight container.
Freeze: If you do freeze, make sure to use a freezer-friendly glass container or resealable silicone bags. Will keep in the freezer for up to 3 months.
Reheat: If frozen, thaw in the fridge overnight or on the counter for 6 hours. Simmer on low heat for approximately 5-7 minutes.
Recipe Tip
Although freezing a stew containing potatoes is possible, it’s not highly recommended. Potatoes may change the texture and taste over time and might be a disappointment when reheated.
FAQs
Other than tender meat and flavourful veggies, most of the flavor in this stew is going to come from the broth and whatever seasonings get added. You can always play around with the amount of seasoning you add or the amount of spice. You can also switch up the seasonings a bit, and add a bit of paprika, lemon pepper, or Italian seasoning.
Sure it is. As long as both are fully cooked at the end, they can absolutely be cooked together. In fact, doing so, gives them both added taste.
Adding yummy fluffy dumplings to your stew is classic! Whether you’re making yours from scratch or using a store-bought mix, drop them in towards the last 15 minutes of cook time. Cover and let them expand and cook through. So good!
Cooking chicken at just the right temperature with the right amount of juices involved will usually do a good job of keeping it tender. As long as you don’t overcook (or undercook) the chicken, you will end up with deliciously tender chicken. Stewing it is just one way. Pressure cooking chicken, using a brine, or marinating chicken are other ways.
This happens when chicken is overcooked. It becomes tough and rubbery and no longer as pleasant to bite into. Or chew. To combat this, make sure your pieces are uniform in size and thickness so they cook evenly. Otherwise, some pieces may end up overcooked and some undercooked. Use meatier parts of the chicken so they don’t cook too quickly.
More Stew Recipes to Try
More Chicken Recipes to Try
Chicken Stew Recipe
Ingredients
- 1 large onion finely chopped
- 5 garlic cloves 4 minced, 1 grated
- 4 large carrots diced
- 2 large celery stalks diced
- 2 lbs boneless & skinless chicken thighs or breasts cubed
- 2 lbs potatoes cubed
- 2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
- 1 tbsp dried rosemary
- 1 tsp dried oregano
- 1/2 tsp dried thyme
- 1/2 tsp ground cumin
- 3/4 tsp salt
- 1/2 tsp ground black pepper
- Pinch red pepper flakes
- 4 bay leaves
- 2 1/2 cups low sodium chicken broth
- 3 tbsp fresh dill or parsley finely chopped
Instructions
- Preheat 6 quart Dutch oven or large pot on medium heat and swirl oil to coat. Add onion, minced garlic, carrots and celery. Saute for 5 minutes, stirring occasionally.
- Add chicken, rosemary, oregano, thyme, cumin, salt, pepper and red pepper flakes. Saute for 2 minutes, stirring once.
- Add chicken broth, potatoes and bay leaves and stir. Cover, bring to a boil, reduce heat to low and simmer for 20 minutes or until potatoes are fork tender.
- Turn off heat, add dill, stir and serve hot. Add grated clove of garlic – yum!
Video
Notes
- Store: Refrigerate in an airtight container for up to 5 days. Reheat portions by simmering in small pot on low heat.
- Freeze: Technically you can freeze this stew. I am personally not a fan but some people do not mind that potatoes change texture. Freeze in a glass container or resealable silicone bags for up to 3 months. Thaw in the fridge overnight or on the counter for 6 hours.
- Chicken drumsticks: You can use chicken parts with bone in and skin on. In this case, brown them on both sides first, remove onto a plate and then proceed browning veggies. Also cook with potatoes for about 30 mins.
- Potatoes: Red potatoes, white potatoes and baby potatoes will hold their shape better, especially if you are using bone-in chicken pieces and cooking stew longer. However, I love starchy stew russet potatoes make.
- Slow cooker or Instant Pot: For slow cooker version, brown veggies and meat as per recipe, then add remaining ingredients, cover and cook on High for 3-4 hours or Low for 4-6. For pressure cooker, try my Instant Pot chicken stew.
- Double the recipe: Just double each ingredient and be sure to use a large pot or Dutch oven that can hold it.
- Other vegetables: You can also add chopped cauliflower, sliced mushrooms, rutabaga or okra.
- Thicken the stew: Mash a few potatoes and add them back (works well with russets especially). Or make a slurry of 2 tbsp cold water mixed with 2 tbsp cornstarch.
This sounds delicious, may I just ask is that dried bay leaf or fresh, I don’t want to muck this up !
Dried bay leaves.
Just what I needed! It’s a keeper for sure. Easy, hearty and flavorful.
Fantastic! Glad you enjoyed the recipe!
Looks so delicious 😋 thanks very much I’ll try it 😋
Yum! This stew is so good! We will definitely be making this a lot! Thank you for another great recipe Olena!
So glad you enjoyed it!
Do you think rotisserie chicken would work well?
While it hasn’t been tested, it should work.
Made this. Loved this. Easy to put together and ready to serve in short order. This will be in my favorites section☺
So glad you enjoyed it!
This stew is simple and soooo delicious. Thank you!
So happy to hear this, it’s so warm and cozy during the colder months!
I’ve made this stew several times last winter and it is so good. I made it twice for a homeless shelter for 50 during CODE BLUE and the smell is so inviting as the people come in and they are so grateful for homemade stew! Once you get the chopping finished…it is an easy dinner! Thank you Olena
Thank you Kim and for sharing it with those in need!
I made this last night and it was so good. Wish I could include a picture with my review!
So glad to hear it went well! Always feel free to share a picture on social media and tag us! 🙂
This stew was DELICIOUS and so easy and quick to make!
So happy to hear!