Slow Cooker Chicken Stew

Absolutely delicious slow cooker chicken stew, hearty, meaty, packed with flavors. If comfort food would have a name, it would be chicken stew!

One of the dishes that can satisfy every picky eater in your family, is, in my opinion, chicken stew. The only but is that we usually don’t have time to do it hands-on.

After trying to make chicken curry in my crock pot, this time I made chicken stew with tender potatoes, juicy chicken, and flavorful thick broth.

Why You’ll Love This Recipe

• A hands-off stew recipe for a whole family.
• Minimal prep time and no-mess recipe and it makes it a nice meal prep option.
• Hearty stew makes a very satisfying meal, especially for those cold evenings.
• Very healthy too: gluten-free, lean, and no added salt.

Ingredients Notes

• Boneless, skinless chicken breasts or boneless skinless chicken thighs. Both make yummy juicy chicken. Frozen chicken is ok to use, you should thaw it beforehand or cook it for an additional 1 to 2 hours in the slow cooker before you can shred it.
• Chicken broth to keep the meat juicy, moist, and tender throughout a long cooking time. For extra flavor, I would also add condensed cream of chicken soup.
• Aromatics: carrots, celery, and onion – a classic trio to make the base for soups and stews.
• Potatoes. Yukon gold potatoes, Russet potatoes, red potatoes, and even sweet potatoes.
• Seasoning: black pepper, garlic powder, poultry seasoning. You can add minced garlic instead of garlic powder.
• Heavy cream is a secret cheap ingredient to make creamy chicken stew. You can make this chicken stew dairy-free by swapping heavy cream with coconut cream. If you want it less creamy or thinner, use milk instead, regular or alternative like soy or almond milk.
• Frozen peas add texture, flavor, and a little color pop!

Kitchen Equipment

• 6 qt crock pot
• 2 forks

How To Make Slow Cooker Chicken Stew

1: Load The Ingredients

1. Spray the slow cooker insert with cooking oil.
2. Add the chicken, chicken broth, carrots, chopped celery, onion, potatoes, pepper, garlic, and poultry seasoning to the pot.
3. Cover and slow cook on low for 6 hours, or on high for 4 hours – or until the potatoes are tender. With stews I prefer to go with the low setting, to really get the flavors out and thicken it.

2: Shred Chicken

Remove the chicken from the cooker. Shred chicken by pulling it with two forks. Then add it back to the cooker. 

3: Add Heavy Cream

1. Add the heavy cream and green peas – and stir.
2. Cover and cook for another 10-15 minutes or until the peas are softened before serving.

Serving Suggestions

Serve warm with a slice of crusty bread, and sprinkle some chopped fresh herbs (fresh parsley or cilantro).

The dish is a complete meal in itself, but you can serve chicken stew together with rice, egg noodles, biscuits, or a light green salad.

Storage

Keep leftover chicken stew in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 4 days.

You can also freeze crockpot chicken stew in a freezer-safe container for 2-3 months. If you’re making this stew to freeze, I’d skip potatoes.

Thaw in the fridge overnight and reheat individual portions in the microwave for a couple of minutes. To reheat the whole batch, you can use a Dutch oven and warm the stew up for about 5-10 minutes.

Substitutions & Variations

• For more flavoring: cook chicken stew with bay leaf and fresh rosemary sprigs, and remove it once it is done. In stew base, tomato paste, apple cider vinegar, Dijon mustard, soy sauce, or Worcestershire sauce add deep flavors. For adults-only meals, you can even add some white wine to the broth.
• Butter adds a ton of flavor, but it will also add lots more fat to the dish. You can even use it to sear the chicken.
• If you have an extra 10 minutes, sweat chopped onions and garlic cloves in some olive oil. Then add the softened and translucent aromatics to the slow cooker.
• You can also add mushrooms, broccoli, green beans, or any other vegetables you like. You can use fresh veggies or frozen, like frozen peas or frozen corn.
• If your stew is too thin you can add a cornstarch slurry or some instant potatoes to thicken it up.
• Vegetarian stew can use beans or lentils.
• You can serve this easy chicken stew with buttermilk biscuits or some warm bread just like I do with my slow cooker chicken pot pie. 

Popular Questions

Can I Put Raw Chicken In A Crock Pot?

You can cook frozen or raw chicken in a slow cooker and make soups and stews. You should not slow-cook leftover rotisserie or other cooked chicken for long hours since it will make it mushy.

How Do You Thicken Chicken Stew In A Crock Pot?

Chicken stew is quite thick by default, but to make it thicker you can add cornstarch mixed with water or almond milk. Tapioca or arrowroot slurry will also work. Stir the slurry in and let the stew cook for another 30 minutes without the lid.

Do You Have To Brown Chicken Before Putting In A Crock Pot?

You can brown the chicken before adding it to a crock pot, sear the sides with olive oil over medium-high heat, and keep the meat moist and tender. You don’t have to cook it through, just sear until it is golden brown.

If you love this slow cooker dinner recipe, you’re going to love these other slow cooker chicken meals too. Please click each link below to find the easy, printable recipe!

More Great Stew Recipes

Instant Pot Beef Stew

Chicken Vegetable Soup

Instant Pot Beef Bourguignon

Chicken and Sausage Gumbo Soup

---

---