Crockpot Chicken Stew
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The best Slow Cooker Chicken Stew Recipe! This crockpot chicken stew is a cozy, healthy dinner that is so easy to make!
This post was originally shared in 2019, but has since been modified.
Made with simple pantry and fridge staples that you likely already have on hand, this crockp pot chicken stew stands out because it’s easy to make AND delicious! Toss the ingredients together in your crockpot and let it make dinner for you!
This slow cooker chicken stew recipe has chicken, carrots, celery, onions… It’s packed with protein and vegetables and is hearty and easy to make – a dinner you’ll go back to over and over again! This is the kinda meal you want to eat while curled up in a blanket on the couch; total comfort food!
liz’s top tips for slow cooker chicken stew
- Pound your chicken to make it extra tender: Pounding your chicken with a meat mallet can make it extra tender!
- Brown your veggies before hand. Sautéing veggies might seem like a simple step that you can skip, but it really makes a difference in the stew’s taste! You can brown the chicken if you like, but it’s not necessary.
Ingredients
Substitutions
Olive Oil: You’ll only need olive oil if you’re making this on the stovetop. If you’re making it in the crockpot you don’t need it!
Chicken: You can substitute boneless, skinless chicken thighs for the chicken breasts in this recipe. You can also substitute beef for chicken in this recipe or we also have a Healthy Beef Stew recipe and an Instant Pot Beef Stew Recipe and Old Fashioned Ground Beef Stew.
Onion & Garlic: I don’t recommend skipping the onion; it adds flavor.
Potatoes: Yukon golds work the best for stew because they’re tender and don’t get mealy when cooked. You can sub in halved fingerling potatoes, baby potatoes, or red potatoes for this recipe. I have not tried sweet potatoes or russet potatoes in this recipe, but I think they would become too mushy!
Carrots & Celery: I don’t recommend skipping either carrots or celery. They both add flavor! If you love your veggies – try this Chicken Vegetable Soup Recipe!
Broth: Chicken broth, stock and bone broth can all be used interchangeably. Vegetable broth or beef broth will also work. We like to use low sodium chicken broth or no salt added broth.
All Purpose Flour: You can substitute 1:1 Gluten Free Flour in this recipe in place of the all purpose flour. Almond flour and coconut flour will not work. Tapicoa starch may work, but I can’t be sure without trying it!
Peas: You can omit green peas from this recipe. If you prefer corn, try our Chicken Corn Chowder.
To make lower salt: Omit salt. Use low or no sodium chicken broth.
Can you make this chicken stew in the instant pot? You can make this in the instant pot but we don’t recommend it. Instead follow our Instant Pot Chicken Stew Recipe.
Tomatoes: This recipe used to have tomatoes in it, but we removed them. We think this recipe is much better as written! If you’d like the old recipe, feel free to email liz@thecleaneatingcouple.com
How To Make slow cooker Chicken Stew
- In slow cooker insert, stir all ingredients together except peas.
- Cook on low for 6 hours.
- When ready to serve, stir in peas until defrosted.
- Enjoy!
How to thicken Chicken Stew
This stew gets pretty thick naturally, but the addition of all purpose flour really helps.
If your stew is not thickening, you can also take the lid off the crockpot and turn it to high so that some liquid will evaporate.
What To Serve With This Recipe
Chicken stew is a complete meal in itself because it’s loaded with protein, veggies and healthy carbs. Here are some things we like to serve it with:
- Apple Walnut Salad or Blueberry Salad for extra veggies
- Roasted Brussel Sprouts with Parmesan
- fresh bread or crackers
Storage, Freezing & Reheating Instructions
How to store: You can store this chicken stew in the fridge or freezer in airtight containers.
Freezing: This stew freezes very well. Store in an airtight container and allow it to cool completely before freezing. We like these containers for freezing. If stored properly it should stay good for 4-6 months.
Reheating: You can reheat from the fridge in the microwave or on the stove. If frozen, defrost the night before in your refrigerator or just pop in a microwave/pan and heat!
Want more slow cooker recipes? Get our 40 best crock pot recipes in a printable ebook for less than $11!
Other Recipes You Might Like
Love your crockpot? Check out these 40+ Healthy Crockpot Recipes. Click here to grab our free healthy crockpot cookbook.
Slow Cooker Chicken Stew Recipe
Ingredients
- 1 ½ lbs boneless, skinless chicken breasts cut in 1 inch cubes
- 1 cup diced onion
- 1 tablespoon minced garlic about 4 large cloves
- 2 cups sliced carrots cut in 1/4 inch thick coins
- 2 cups cubed Yukon gold potatoes cut in ½ inch cubes
- 1 cups finely chopped celery
- 3 tablespoons all purpose flour can sub gluten free 1:1
- ½ teaspoon black pepper
- 2 teaspoons dried parsley
- ½ teaspoon dried rosemary
- ½ teaspoon dried sage
- ½ teaspoon dried thyme
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 1 bay leaf
- ½ cup low sodium chicken broth
- 1 cup peas
Instructions
Slow Cooker Instructions:
- Chop all veggies and cut chicken into 1 inch cubes.
- Optional: You can brown the chicken and vegetables in 1 tablespoon of olive oil if you'd like, but it's not necessary. See StoveTop Instructions if you'd like to brown the meat/veggies!
- In slow cooker insert, stir together chicken, onion, garlic, potatoes, carrots, celery, flour, dried spices and chicken broth.
- Cover the slow cooker and cook on low for 6 hours or high for 4 hours. Cooking on low is recommended.
- When ready to serve, stir in thawed peas. Discard bay leaf and enjoy!
StoveTop Instructions:
- Note: You'll need 1 tablespoon of olive oil to make this on the stovetop. This is not in the recipe because the slow cooker instructions don't call for it.
- In a large pot, heat the olive oil over medium-high heat. Add the chicken to the pot and cook for 10 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the chicken is lightly browned on all sides.
- Add the onion and garlic. Sauté for an additional 3 minutes or until the onion and garlic start to soften.
- Add the carrots, potatoes, celery, flour, parsley, pepper, rosemary, sage, thyme, salt, and bay leaf. Stir to combine.
- Important: For the stovetop, you'll want to use 2 cups of chicken broth, not 1/2 cup. You need more liquid when cooking on the stove. Add the chicken broth. Cover the pot and bring the stew to a simmer. The mixture should start to bubble and will start to thicken after about 5 minutes.
- Cook the stew, covered, over medium heat for 15-20 minutes, stirring occasionally.
- Once the stew has cooked, stir in peas. Remove the bay leaf before serving.
Video
Notes
- Chicken: You can substitute boneless, skinless chicken thighs for the chicken breasts in this recipe.
- Potatoes: You can sub in halved fingerling potatoes for this recipe. I have not tried sweet potatoes in this recipe, but I think they would become too mushy!
- Broth: Chicken broth, stock and bone broth can all be used interchangeably.
- Peas: You can omit peas from this recipe.
My husband and I loved this recipe!
Really loved this! Smelled so good cooking all day. Used 4 cups of potatoes as I am feeding 4 teens, then did 2 cups broth and doubled seasonings.. although I think I will use a little less seasoning next time (if doubling). The sage was a bit strong so maybe the original amounts with a a few pinches more would have sufficed. It was thick, hearty and there was only one small bowl for my husband to take to work so everyone must have liked it.
I left out the Rosemary, just because I don’t it. Added green beans to mine. It’s delicious!
This recipe is so good, I will be making it again and again! I swapped some white potatoes for sweet and used bone broth for extra protein.
I followed your directions exactly, using my Instant Pot. After a few minutes (after it reached temperature) I got a ‘burn’ message. The bottom of the Instant Pot was all burned. I added more water and tried again. I got the same message. The stew was cooked enough and was good. But now I have a cleaning job of my Instant Pot metal pot.
for the chicken stew crockpot recipe, it only calls for 1/2 cup broth.this doesnt seem like enough liquid when i put it all in the crockpot … is it correct or should it be a different amount?
It’s correct! The vegetables release water as they cook!
One of my absolute favorites! So delish and I love all the veggies!! Thank you!
Mt husband is allergic to regular flour, and I’m allergic to cornstarch and his
1-1 gluten free. Would it work to use tapioca starch to thicke? Also, I love the idea of peas as they make the pics look wonderful. I’m also allergic to peas so I wonder if some steamed broccoli florets, or some shredded zucchini added at the end would turn out good?
I’m sorry, but I can’t be sure how tapioca starch would work to thicken without trying it. I absolutely would not add shredded zucchini at the end of this, I think it will be watery and have a terrible texture. I think broccoli would be fine, but you honestly could just skip it/the peas and this would still taste good!
Really enjoyed the flavor and veggies in this recipe. Delicious!!
I have a lot of butternut squash to use up. Could you substitute butternut squash for the potatoes?
I’m sorry but I haven’t tried that so I’m not sure how it would work. I think it would be fine, but I can’t be sure without trying it.
This is a great and healthy meal. I made the stove top version and did add a splash of balsamic to my chicken as it cooked. The recipe turned out delicious and my young adult sons and husband also loved it. Reminded me of a crust less chicken pot pie in flavor which I loved.
Loved this recipe! It reminding me of a healthy chicken pot pie. It was very easy to make and is perfect for a cold winter day!
This was delicious and a huge hit with our picky toddler!! Worked great with King Arthur 1:1 GF flour. Made on the stove top. Can’t wait to make it again!
Easy and Tasty. I made this in my pressure cooker and thickened it with corn starch and a splash of heavy cream. I added a lot more broth than the recipe called for!
Followed exactly for crockpot. I knew it should have more broth but went with directions. (1) it was done in 4 hours on low, and (2) VERY dry, with the flour still in little clumps. I’d say it needed 1-1/2 cups broth, not a mere half-cup. Smells good, tastes okay, but looks awful. I’ll have to make a few cups of instant chicken gravy to add to the pot to disguise the flour clumps.
Did you stir the flour in well? there shouldn’t be any flour clumps. This does not need more broth if you want a stew like texture. If you want more of a soupy texture, feel free to add it. But the chicken and veggies all release water as they cook.
Tried this tonight for dinner. It was delicious! My husband had two big helpings!! I added more bone broth because I put more ingredients in, to make a larger quantity, and it took more like 40 minutes to cook rather than 20. But it tasted great!! Will absolutely be adding this to our winter menu rotation.
So glad you enjoyed it! Adding more ingredients will definitely adjust the cook time – I’m glad it worked out well for you 🙂