Crock Pot Chicken Stew

Nothing warms the soul more on a cold winter evening than a steaming bowl of soup. I love making soup for my family because it’s easy, healthy, hearty, and delicious. If you love heartwarming meals as much as I do, you’ll also love this Crock Pot Butter Chicken, Chicken Tomatillo Soup, Healthy Chicken Wild Rice Soup, and Chicken Noodle Soup recipe.

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:

1. Prep the chicken: Use paper towels to pat dry the chicken on all sides. Season with salt and pepper. 
2. Sear the chicken: Add oil to a large skillet set over medium heat. Heat the oil, then add the chicken and cook on each side for about 4-5 minutes. Don’t worry about fully cooking the chicken, as we’re aiming only to brown it.
3. Add vegetables to the slow cooker: While the chicken is browning, add the onion, celery, carrots, garlic, potatoes, thyme, rosemary, paprika, salt, and pepper to the crock pot. 
4. Add the chicken: Place the browned chicken thighs on top of the veggies. 

5. Add the chicken stock: Pour the chicken broth on top of the chicken and vegetables and stir.  
6. Cook: Set your slow cooker to a low-heat setting and cook for 5-6 hours (or 3-4 hours of slow cooking time for a high-heat setting) or until potatoes are tender. 
7. Shred the chicken: Thirty minutes before the stew is done, remove the chicken and shred (or cut) it into small pieces. Place chicken back in the crock pot. 

8. Make the slurry: Add the cornstarch to a bowl. To make the cornstarch slurry, remove 2-3 tablespoons of liquid from the stew and place it in the bowl with the cornstarch. Whisk the mixture until it forms a paste, and stir it into the stew. 
9. Add the peas: Add the frozen peas, stir, and continue cooking for about 30 minutes in high heat setting or until thickened to your liking. Finish it off with a squeeze of lemon juice.
10. Season and serve: Taste for seasoning and adjust if necessary. Garnish with fresh parsley and serve. 

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. 

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:

1. Prep the chicken: Use paper towels to pat dry the chicken on all sides. Season with salt and pepper. 
2. Sear the chicken: Add oil to a large pot (such as a Dutch oven) set over medium heat. Heat the oil, then add the chicken and cook on each side for about 4-5 minutes. Don’t worry about fully cooking the chicken, as we’re aiming only to brown it. Remove and set aside. 
3. Saute vegetables: Add the onion, celery, and carrots into the now-empty pot. Saute until vegetables are softened, 6-7 minutes. Add the garlic and cook for another minute or so.
4. Add the rest: Add potatoes, thyme, rosemary, paprika, salt, and pepper to the same pot.
5. Return the chicken to the pot and cook: Place the browned chicken thighs back in the pot with the veggies and add in the chicken stock. Bring it to a boil and let it simmer for about 30-40 minutes, making sure to stir it a few times.
6. Prep the cornstarch: Add the cornstarch to a small bowl and set it aside. 
7. Shred the chicken: 10 minutes before the stew is done, remove the chicken and shred (or cut) it into small pieces. Place the chicken pieces back in the pot. 
8. Make the slurry: To make the cornstarch slurry, remove 2-3 tablespoons of liquid from the stew and place it in the bowl with the cornstarch. Whisk until it forms a paste, and stir it into the stew. 
9. Add the peas: Add the frozen peas, stir, and continue cooking on medium-high heat for about 10 more minutes or until the stewed chicken thickens to your liking. 
10. Season and serve: Taste for seasoning and adjust if necessary. Garnish with fresh herbs, if desired.

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:

1. Saute the chicken: Set your Instant Pot to “saute” mode and brown the chicken on all sides. Remove from the pressure cooker and set it on a plate.
2. Add the veggies: Add the onion, celery, carrots, and garlic into the now empty Instant pot insert. Cook, stirring frequently, until vegetables are softened, 4-5 minutes. Add the rest of the vegetables; potatoes, thyme, rosemary, paprika, salt, and pepper to the pot. Add in the semi-cooked chicken thighs and chicken stock. 
3. Cover and Cook: Secure the lid and pressure release valve to sealing position. Press the cancel button to reset the cooking program, then select the Soup setting and set the cooking time for 12 minutes at high pressure.
4. Let it release naturally: When the cooking time is complete, let the pressure release naturally.  
5. Shred the chicken: Carefully open the lid and remove the chicken. Shred (or cut) it into small pieces. Place it back in the pot. Select the saute setting.
6. Make the slurry: To make the cornstarch slurry, remove 2-3 tablespoons of liquid from the shredded chicken stew and place it in the bowl with the cornstarch. Whisk until it forms a paste, and stir it into the stew. 
7. Thicken: Add the frozen peas, stir, bring it to a boil, and simmer on “saute” mode until it’s thickened to your liking. Garnish and serve.

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.

FAQs

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 Chili
• Cabbage Kale Soup
• Leftover Chicken Chili

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Crock Pot Chicken Stew Recipe

5 from 4 votes

By: Aysegul Sanford

Yields6 servings

Prep Time20 minutes mins

Cook Time6 hours hrs

Total Time6 hours hrs 20 minutes mins

This Crock pot chicken stew recipe is packed with potatoes, carrots, and fresh herbs. It's a heartwarming, healthy, & easy dinner recipe that you will make over and over again.

Equipment

• 1 Crock Pot

Ingredients 

1x2x3x

• ▢ 2 lbs boneless skinless chicken thighs, or chicken breasts
• ▢ ½ teaspoon kosher salt
• ▢ ¼ teaspoon black pepper
• ▢ 2 tablespoon olive oil
• ▢ 2 medium-sized onions, chopped (~ 2 cups)
• ▢ 3 stalks celery, chopped (~1 ½ cups)
• ▢ 4 carrots, peeled and chopped
• ▢ 4 cloves garlic, minced
• ▢ 4 medium size Yukon Gold potatoes, peeled and cut into 1-inch cubes
• ▢ 3 sprigs fresh thyme, chopped (or 1 teaspoon dried thyme)
• ▢ 2 sprigs fresh rosemary, chopped (or 1 teaspoon dried rosemary)
• ▢ 1 teaspoon paprika
• ▢ 1 teaspoon kosher salt
• ▢ ½ teaspoon black pepper
• ▢ 3 cups chicken stock, or store bought low sodium chicken stock
• ▢ 2 tablespoons cornstarch
• ▢ 1 cup frozen peas
• ▢ 2 tablespoons lemon juice
• ▢ ½ cup fresh parsley, chopped

Instructions 

• Pat dry chicken with paper towels. Season with salt and pepper.
• Heat oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add chicken and cook for 4-5 minutes on each side. We are not fully cooking the chicken here. Rather, browning it a bit to build flavor. *
• Meanwhile, place onion, celery, carrots, garlic, potatoes, thyme, rosemary, paprika, salt, and pepper into the crock pot.
• Add the now-semi-cooked chicken thighs on top.
• Pour the chicken stock and give it a stir.
• Cook on low-heat setting for 5-6 hours or high-heat setting for 3-4 hours.
• Place cornstarch in a small bowl and set it aside.
• Thirty minutes before the end of cooking time, remove the chicken from the slow cooker and cut (or shred) into small pieces. Return it back to the crock pot.
• Next, make the cornstarch slurry. Whisk cornstarch with 2-3 tablespoons of the liquid from the stew until it forms a paste. Stir it into the chicken stew.
• Add the frozen peas, give it a big stir and continue to cook on HIGH until it is thickened to your liking. In my case, it took about 30 minutes.
• Finish it off with lemon juice. Taste for seasoning and add more if necessary. Garnish with fresh parsley and serve.

Notes

• You can make this recipe without searing the chicken if you are short on time. However, I find that it tastes better if you take the time to sear.
• Make-ahead: To make it ahead, 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 slow cooker. 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 leftovers to room temperature and store them in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 5 days. 
• Freeze: To make it 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 stew overnight in the fridge. Reheat in the microwave or on the stove. 

Nutrition

Calories: 503kcal | Carbohydrates: 23g | Protein: 29g | Fat: 32g | Saturated Fat: 12g | Cholesterol: 142mg | Sodium: 192mg | Potassium: 825mg | Fiber: 4g | Sugar: 5g | Vitamin A: 5717IU | Vitamin C: 26mg | Calcium: 55mg | Iron: 3mg

Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.

Additional Info

Course: Soup, Stew

Cuisine: American

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