Chicken Stew is a delicious meal with chicken, potatoes and sweet potatoes, onions and carrots. It’s all simmered in a rich seasoned chicken broth until tender. It’s one of our all time favorite meals (along with beef stew)!
A recipe like this chicken stew is a meal unto itself… full of protein, healthy carbs and veggies. We serve it with a salad or Easy Homemade Buttermilk Biscuits to sop up anything left in the bowl. It’s true chicken soup perfection.
Chicken soups are truly the ultimate comfort food from Crock Pot Chicken Noodle Soup to belly warming Chicken Rice Soup. This easy chicken stew fits the bill perfectly.
How To Make Chicken Stew
This simple chicken stew recipe is fully loaded with tender chicken and vegetables simmered in a deliciously seasoned broth! I use thighs because they tend to hold up better to the simmering but breasts can work well in this recipe too!
If you’re using chicken breasts, I would suggest browning the chunks and then adding in the last 20 minutes or so. If you have other veggies you love (root vegetables are especially great) add them in!
- Brown chicken at a high temp. No need to cook it through, you just want the caramelization and flavor.
- Soften onions/carrots/celery and add flour (to thicken a bit).
- Add broth, herbs and veggies. Homemade chicken stock or store bought work just fine.
- Simmer.
Crazy easy right? I add a bit of heavy cream at the end to make this chicken stew just a little bit creamy. You can skip the cream if you prefer or add extra if you’d like.
How To Thicken Chicken Stew
Sweet potatoes are a great addition to this hearty chicken stew recipe and they do soften quite a bit, this helps thicken it. The flour added at the beginning will thicken this chicken stew but you can certainly thicken it more if you’d like!
You can use a mixture of either cornstarch or flour with broth or water. I find cornstarch is less likely to be lumpy but flour tends to reheat/freeze better so the choice is yours! You can also add instant potatoes to thicken a little bit at a time.
How To Make a Slurry
Combine 2 tablespoons flour with 1 cup of water or broth (I prefer broth) and shake very well. Pour the slurry a little at a time into the boiling chicken stew while stirring. Once your stew is thickened, allow it to boil for a couple of minutes.
You’ll want to make sure your flour mixture has no lumps before you add it, I use a shaker jar or mason jar and shake really well.
Can You Freeze Chicken Stew?
Chicken Stew can be frozen! If you plan on freezing it, I’d suggest using flour as a thickener (not cornstarch) as it will have a better consistency. I personally freeze in individual servings because they defrost faster and I can take out as many as I need to serve.
More Chicken Soup Recipes You’ll Love
- Crockpot Chicken Noodle Soup
- Easy Chicken Taco Soup
- Chicken Wild Rice Soup (no cream)
- Chicken Barley Soup
- Slow Cooker Chicken Enchilada Soup
- Slow Cooker Chicken Pot Pie Soup
Ingredients
- 1 ½ pounds boneless skinless chicken thighs about 8 thighs, diced 1-inch
- 2 tablespoon olive oil
- 2 carrots diced
- 1 small onion chopped
- 2 ribs celery diced
- 5 tablespoons all-purpose flour divided
- ½ teaspoon dried rosemary
- ½ teaspoon dried thyme leaves
- ¼ teaspoon ground sage
- salt and black pepper to taste
- 1 ½ cups diced potatoes peeled if using russets or baking potatoes
- 1 ½ cups diced sweet potatoes peeled
- ½ red bell pepper finely diced
- ¼ cup white wine
- 4 cups chicken broth or chicken stock
- 1 cup green beans cut into 1-inch pieces, or frozen peas, thawed
- ½ cup heavy whipping cream
Instructions
- In a large pot or dutch oven, brown chicken in 1 tablespoon olive oil (it doesn't have to be cooked through). Remove from pot and set aside.
- Cook onion, carrot and celery in remaining olive oil for about 3 minutes or until onion is slightly softened. Stir in 3 tablespoons of flour, seasonings and salt & pepper to taste. Cook over medium heat about 2 minutes.
- Add potatoes, sweet potatoes, red pepper, white wine, browned chicken and broth. Bring to a boil, reduce heat and simmer covered for 30 minutes.
- Remove lid and stir in green beans and cream. Thicken if desired (below) and simmer an additional 10 minutes uncovered.
- To thicken: In a mason jar combine remaining 2 tablespoons flour and 1 cup water or broth. Shake very well (ensure there are no lumps) and add a little at a time to boiling stew to reach desired consistency.
Video
Nutrition Information
Nutrition information provided is an estimate and will vary based on cooking methods and brands of ingredients used.
Course Main Course, Soup
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This stew was very good! However the prep Time took a lot longer then 15 minutes but it was worth it and luckily I had the time. I had a couple of artichokes that needed to be used so I added them with the juice of a lemon. Other then that I stuck to the recipe except I made the recipe larger!
Mmmmmm! Great way to get some good veggies in with his hearty chicken stew.
Thanks for letting us know Kimberly! Your additions sound delicious.
I can’t find ground Rosemary. What can I substitute?
This recipe uses dried rosemary although it does not have to be ground. You should be able to find it at any grocery store!
Looks great
Thanks Denise!
Just would like to try something different
I hope you enjoy this recipe Rhonda!
Love the look and want the recipe
You can find the recipe at the bottom of the post. I hope this helps Dorothy!
I can’t emphasize how much everyone should try this who likes chicken! I made it last night for a new mom, and we had the rest. It was so good I’ve made it again this morning for freezer bags. Thank you so much for posting this!!
I am so glad you enjoyed this recipe Ruth! Thanks for your kind words!
I made this a few weeks ago…added dumplings at the very end. My kids and I truly loved it. I’m actually making it again right now!!
I am so glad this recipe was a hit with your family Heidi!
Excellent . Received rave reviews. Alrho it took two hours to prepare. I would make it again.
I have a question – can it be prepared the day before?
Thanks Laura! Yes, you could prep this a day ahead and have great results.
Chicken stew looks yummy. Ty
Enjoy Patricia!
I decided to make this mid-week since the recipe shows a total time of less than an hour but this took between one and a half and two hours after peeling, chopping, measuring, etc. plus the “cook time” according to the recipe doesn’t account for time to brown chicken or thicken the stew. That aside I found the results to be lacking. I feel the recipe called for too much liquid and could better be identified as a bisque than a stew. It tasted bland so I added some seasoned salt and the result was a marked improvement. Overall I enjoyed the dish and I may make it again but I’ll be prepared for additional prep time, cook time, and seasonings.
I am sorry it took you longer than anticipated Chris, but am glad you enjoyed the stew!
Made it last night and it was delicious. My chicken gave off so much liquid I didn’t need the other 2 T of oil and I used half and half instead of cream. Definitely will make again.
So glad your family loved it Lori.
I made this as a soup not a stew, so I cut everything in smaller pieces and didn’t thicken it. It was delicious! The flavors are really fresh. This came together easily, and I had all of the ingredients on-hand.
What a great idea Eileen. I can’t get enough soup in the winter so I will have to try this!
Excellent
Top with cheddar cheese
Substitute 1 teas ground ginger for fresh
Yum! Happy to hear you love the stew Kathy!
Yum! My family loved this! I didn’t change a thing, except cooking it in my instant pot. Thank you for this!
So happy your family loves this stew Rinda!
My picky son loved this when I made it last week, and he requested it this week while he has strep throat! Luckily, we all loved it. Just the hearty, healthy thing we need this week. Thank you!
Oh no, I hope he’s feeling better soon Anne, I’m glad he loved this stew!
This is an excellent chicken stew recipe, I added a bit of crushed garlic .
Sounds like a great addition Susan, glad you loved it!
Can I freeze this soup? Was delicious!
So glad you loved it! You can freeze it, but the potatoes my change in texture when it is reheated.
What is the serving size for the nutrition information?
It’s approximately 1½ cups, this can vary slightly based on the size of your vegetables.
Delicious. This now is our go to chicken stew recipe.
So happy to hear you love the stew Phillip!
Made this recipe Yesterday. Gotten great reviews, at work.
Glad everyone loved it Cindy!