Full of flavorful, juicy, chicken, tender potatoes, and loads of fresh vegetables and herbs, this healthy slow cooker chicken stew is a cozy, easy dinner recipe for chilly nights!
Table of Contents
If you love slow cooker chicken recipes as much as we do, be sure to try slow cooker shredded chicken, this Crock Pot cream cheese chicken, this Crock Pot brown sugar chicken, these Crock Pot chicken and potatoes, this Crock Pot chicken Alfredo, this chicken cheesesteak recipe, and this flavorful Crock Pot chicken tortilla soup, too!
The crock pot chicken stew was delicious, a hit with everyone in the family, thanks for a great recipe!
– Elinor
How to Make this Slow Cooker Chicken Stew | 1-Minute Video
A Few Notes Before You Get Started
- This recipe has almost all of the same ingredients and flavors as a classic Crock Pot chicken noodle soup. The difference? There’s typically less broth in a stew, and it tends to have a slightly thicker consistency. Also, while soup usually includes noodles or rice, potatoes are the most common starch in a stew.
- I used peeled russet potatoes here, but you can also use yukon gold potatoes or red potatoes. The yukon golds or red potatoes would not need to be peeled.
- Bone-in skinless chicken breasts or bone-in skinless chicken thighs work best for a couple of reasons. The bone-in meat stays juicy and tender while the carrots and potatoes finish cooking. The bones also give the broth tons of added flavor. However, if you can’t find them or if you don’t want to bother with them, then boneless thighs or breasts will also work.
- Garlic, salt, paprika, a bay leaf, thyme, rosemary, and poultry seasoning flavor this hearty chicken stew recipe. Poultry seasoning is a combination of thyme, sage, rosemary, marjoram and nutmeg — so it gives you a lot of flavor with minimal effort! If you don’t care for this ingredient, no problem. Just leave it out, or use other herbs and spices instead.
- Every slow cooker runs at a slightly different temperature (which is why the recipe gives you general time ranges, rather than exact times). Since my slow cooker tends to cook at a relatively high temperature, I find that the meal is best when cooked on HIGH for about 3 hours or on LOW for about 6 hours. Just get familiar with your pot and adjust accordingly.
Directions
This Crock Pot chicken stew recipe requires just a handful of basic, easy-to-find ingredients. If you need a healthy, family-friendly dinner option that’s also incredibly affordable, then this old-fashioned recipe is the key! You’ll find step-by-step instructions in the recipe card below, but here’s the overview:
- Place the vegetables, herbs, and seasoning in the bottom of a slow cooker.
- Use a pair of kitchen shears to quickly and easily remove the skin from the chicken breasts.
- Season the chicken with salt and pepper, then arrange the meat on top of the vegetables. It’s perfectly safe to put raw chicken in the slow cooker. You do not need to brown the chicken before slow cooking for this recipe. Minimal prep time makes for a very easy stew!
- Pour broth over top.
- Cover and cook.
- During the final 30 minutes, remove the chicken from the pot. Shred or dice the meat, and discard the bones. Return the meat to the slow cooker.
- Stir in a cornstarch slurry.
- Cook, uncovered, on HIGH for about 30 more minutes, or until the broth thickens slightly.
- Remove the bay leaf and herb stems, season with salt and pepper, and ladle into bowls. The total amount of salt necessary will vary, depending on the saltiness of your broth and on your own personal taste preferences. Season as you go, and add extra if desired.
How to Thicken Chicken Stew
A cornstarch slurry (equal parts cornstarch and cold water) thickens this stew. I recommend 1 tablespoon of cornstarch mixed with 1 tablespoon of cold water for just a slightly thicker broth.
If you prefer your broth even thicker, use 2 tablespoons of cornstarch and 2 tablespoons of cold water (or more, as needed). Cook the chicken stew with the cornstarch slurry for 30 more minutes on HIGH heat without a lid to allow some extra liquid to evaporate while the cornstarch works its magic. The end result will be the best chicken stew that you’ve ever tasted!
Serving Suggestions
Serve warm bowls of slow cooker chicken stew alongside a basket of 2-ingredient pumpkin muffins with cake mix, Aunt Bee’s 3-ingredient biscuits, cast iron cornbread, or a loaf of crusty Dutch oven bread. For a crisp green side, try a kale apple salad with bacon, feta, and creamy poppy seed dressing, a wedge salad with buttermilk ranch dressing, or our favorite house salad with candied pecans.
Preparation and Storage Tips
- Make Ahead: To prep ahead, chop all of the vegetables the night before, and then place them in a large zip-top bag or bowl with all of the seasonings in the fridge. In the morning, just dump the whole bag into the slow cooker, top with the chicken, and proceed with the rest of the instructions.
- How to Store: Stored properly in an airtight container, the leftovers will keep in the refrigerator for 3-4 days or in the freezer in an airtight freezer-safe container for up to 3 months. While the stew freezes fairly well, it’s important to know that the texture of the potatoes and vegetables will be mushy when thawed.
- How to Reheat: When chilled, the fat from the stew will rise to the top and harden. You can use a spoon to scrape off most of the fat, or you can simply leave it in the pot and stir it back into the dish when it heats up. Place the leftover chicken stew in a saucepan or Dutch oven on the stovetop. Cover and warm over low heat, just until it reaches the desired temperature. If it seems dry, you can add more broth to thin, as necessary. You can also reheat individual bowls of stew in the microwave for 1-2 minutes.
I cooked this 2x already and it is perfect. Reheats very well. I will keep as a go to recipe at least once a month! Thanks!
– J. Haskin
Did you make this recipe?
If you enjoyed this recipe, please leave a comment with a 5-star review at the bottom of the post. Thank you!
Watch How to Make It
Crock Pot Chicken Stew
Equipment
- Crock Pot (this one is big enough for the full stew)
Ingredients
- 2 medium sweet onions, chopped into bite-sized pieces
- 3 stalks celery, chopped
- 4 medium carrots, peeled and chopped
- 2 medium russet potatoes, peeled and chopped into small bite-sized pieces
- 2 small cloves garlic, minced or pressed (about 1 teaspoon)
- 1 bay leaf
- 3 sprigs fresh thyme (or about 1 teaspoon dried thyme)
- 2 sprigs fresh rosemary (or about 1 teaspoon dried rosemary)
- ½ teaspoon paprika
- ½ teaspoon poultry seasoning
- 3-4 lbs. bone-in chicken breasts or thighs, skin removed
- 3 cups low-sodium chicken broth or chicken stock
- 1 tablespoon cornstarch + 1 tablespoon cold water (increase to 2 tablespoons of cornstarch with 2 tablespoons cold water, or more slurry as needed for a thicker broth)
- Kosher salt and ground black pepper, to taste
- For garnish: chopped fresh parsley
Instructions
- Place onions, celery, carrots, potatoes, garlic, bay leaf, 1 teaspoon salt, thyme, rosemary, paprika, and poultry seasoning in the bottom of a large slow cooker. Stir to combine.
- Season the chicken with salt and pepper, to taste. Place the chicken on top of vegetables.
- Pour chicken broth over everything, cover, and cook on LOW for 6-8 hours or on HIGH for 3-4 hours.
- When there are about 30 minutes left in the cooking time, remove the chicken from the slow cooker and chop or shred the meat. Return chicken meat to the slow cooker and discard bones. Discard bay leaf and herb stems (if using fresh herbs). In a small bowl, whisk together cornstarch and cold water until smooth. Stir the cornstarch slurry into the stew and cook on HIGH without the lid for 30 minutes (or until broth thickens a little bit). Taste and season with additional salt and pepper, if desired. Garnish with chopped fresh parsley, just before serving.
Notes
- Every slow cooker runs at a slightly different temperature (which is why the recipe gives you general time ranges, rather than exact times). Since my slow cooker tends to cook at a relatively high temperature, I find that the meal is best when cooked on HIGH for about 3 hours or on LOW for about 6 hours. Just get familiar with your pot and adjust accordingly.
- The total amount of salt necessary will vary, depending on the saltiness of your broth and on your own personal taste preferences. Season as you go, and add extra if desired.
Nutrition
Recipe Variations
- If you don’t mind a thinner, more soup-like broth, you can skip the final step with the cornstarch. It will still taste delicious!
- Rotisserie chicken stew: Instead of the raw chicken, use chopped or shredded meat from a store-bought rotisserie chicken. Since you don’t need to cook the rotisserie chicken, add the shredded meat to the pot towards the end of the cooking time (when you add the cornstarch). This way it won’t get too dry while the stew simmers.
- I use peeled russet potatoes, but you can substitute with white potatoes, gold potatoes, or red potatoes. There’s no need to peel the white, gold, or red potatoes, since they have a thinner skin.
- Add different herbs and seasonings to make the stew your own. Try cayenne for heat, or different herbs like oregano, sage, dill, chives, or basil.
- Include other veggies such as sliced fresh mushrooms, frozen peas or corn, or frozen, cut green beans. To keep the frozen veggies crisp-tender (not mushy), wait to add them until the end of the cooking time. You don’t need to thaw them first.
- You might also enjoy a creamy chicken stew on the stove top.
More Popular Stew Recipes to Try
Dutch Oven Beef Stew
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Crockpot Brunswick Stew
6 hours hrs 10 minutes mins
Crock Pot Beef Stew
8 hours hrs 20 minutes mins
This post was originally published in December, 2017. It was updated in October, 2024.
This recipe is exactly what I was looking for. I really focus on heart healthy recipes and this one beautifully fits into this way of eating. I decided to use sweet potatoes instead of regular potatoes only because they have more nutrients. And then I didn’t feel the broth needed to be thickened so I didn’t use the corn starch. It’s hearty and healthy and delicious. My family loved it and I will definitely be making this again. It’s a yes for me.
Thank you for your feedback, Lisa! We’re so glad you enjoyed the recipe!
Trying your chicken stew recipe today. Chicken thighs and fresh veggies that need to be used up. I’m recovering from surgery so this recipe was easy to throw together when I had burst of energy husband likes these type recipes .
We hope you enjoy it and are wishing you a speedy recovery, Nonna!
We made this last night per the recipe and it was delicious. Will definitely make this again.
Thank you,
Patti
Wonderful! Thanks, Patti!
How many times can I say, I LOVE this recipe. I followed instructions exactly and used the bone-in chicken beasts (so moist), but did not use poultry seasoning. I have been making this Chicken Stew recipe for over three years and most recently for a friend. She and her husband raved about it and asked for the recipe. It’s a wonderful comfort food on cold days.
This made my day! Thank you so much for taking the time to let me know, Mitze. I’m glad that you and your friends enjoy the cozy meal!
I used chicken breast meat. I had my butcher cut them in bite sized pieces. Breast were boneless and skinless. Reduced the fat and resulted in less mess. Great recipe!
Great tip, John. Thank you! So glad that you enjoyed it!
Love mostly all your receipts and suggestions!
Thanks, Vickie!
I followed the recipe but it was too much chicken, and not enough broth. I would probably use no more than 2 pounds of chicken. I will try it again, but with adjustments.
We’re sorry you didn’t love it, Joyce, but appreciate the feedback. We’d love to know how it goes if you try it out again!
Very good! I used cut up boneless chicken breast (big hunks) and everything cooked to perfection! It was yummy and warm and comforting for a cold evening.
Wonderful! Thanks, Marsha!
n27bz4
I hate to cook. But a crock pot recipe like this one was appealing. Great meal for a cold day. However, prep time for me took more like an hour. Not 20 minutes.
Thank you for the feedback, Bev. We hope you still enjoyed the recipe!
This is a very delicious stew! I used ~2 lbs. of boneless, skinless thighs with bone broth, since I could not find bone-in thighs. I added about 1 TBSP of minute tapioca with the broth for thickening, so I omitted the cornstarch step.
Thank you for the feedback! We’re so glad you were able to make the recipe work for you.