Slow Cooker Chicken Stew
This Slow Cooker Chicken Stew is the perfect family dinner for a cool autumn evening. It’s full of tender chicken with potatoes, carrots, and celery and goes wonderfully with hot buttered biscuits.
A few years ago, the General Mills Company asked me to create an entree that would be great to serve with buttermilk biscuits. I knew immediately that it should be a stew. Definitely a chicken stew. I just can’t think of anything more welcome during the fall season than warm biscuits and stew.
I also wanted the recipe to be really easy to put together and one that the whole family would enjoy. So that’s how this Slow Cooker Chicken Stew came to be.
You can prep all the ingredients for this recipe in just a few minutes. Then pop everything into your slow cooker, set it and forget it. When you arrive home from work or after a day of running errands, this hearty chicken stew will be waiting for you. All you need to do is cook up a few biscuits or a pan of cornbread and dinner is ready!
Why We Love This Recipe
- It’s easy! Chop the veggies, brown the chicken, and let the slow cooker do the rest.
- Comfort food – what’s more comforting on a cool night than warm stew with biscuits?
- Economical – No expensive ingredients required.
About the Ingredients
- Chicken – Choose whatever you like or the least expensive cut at the grocery store. Boneless, skinless chicken parts are very convenient, but they come at a premium cost. Remove the bones and skin yourself and save loads of money! Both white and dark meat work well for this recipe.
- Potatoes – I like Yukon gold for this recipe. They hold up better to the long cooking time than floury potatoes like Russets.
- Cream of Chicken Soup – Gives a creamy richness to the finished stew.
- Poultry Seasoning – I always have this on hand, but if you don’t, just leave it out. It does give great flavor to the chicken, but I’m not sure it’s worth buying a whole container for one recipe.
- Fresh Parsley – Substitute dried if you like. Remember herbs substitute at 1/3 dried for fresh. So for this recipe, you’d use about 1 1/2 tablespoons of dried parsley in place of the 1/4 cup of fresh.
You’ll find detailed measurements for all ingredients in the printable version of the recipe at the bottom of this post.
How to Make Slow Cooker Chicken Stew
Prep the Chicken
- Cut the chicken into bite-sized pieces (roughly 3/4”). Sprinkle with poultry seasoning, salt, and pepper to taste. Toss the seasoned chicken pieces with the flour.
- Heat the oil in a pan over medium to medium-high heat. Add the chicken, working in batches if necessary to avoid crowding the pan, and cook until lightly browned on all sides.
- Place the chicken in a slow cooker.
TIP: Take care when handling raw chicken. I use a plastic cutting board that can go directly into the dishwasher to be sanitized.
Chop the Vegetables
- Cut the potatoes and celery into roughly 3/4” inch pieces and add to the cooker. Peel the carrots and cut them into similarly sized pieces. Do the same with the onion. Roughly chop the parsley and add it into the slow cooker with all the vegetables and the chicken.
Must Have Slow Cooker
This crockpot is easy to clean! The stoneware insert and lid can both go in the dishwasher.
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Combine the Soup and Seasonings
- In a small bowl, combine the cream of chicken soup with water, salt, pepper, and thyme. Pour over chicken and vegetables in the cooker.
- Cover and cook on high for 4-5 hours.
- Serve with a side of biscuits.
Storage and Reheating
Store any leftovers in an airtight container in the refrigerator and use within three days. Freezing is not recommended because frozen potatoes become too soft and grainy textured.
Options and Variations
- To make a richer, creamy chicken stew, add 4 tablespoons butter and 1/4 cup heavy cream during the last 30 minutes in the crockpot.
- Vary the herbs and seasoning to suit your own tastes. Simple salt and pepper is perfectly fine. If you enjoy a specific herb with poultry, go for it!
Questions
To make the stew on the stovetop, use a large heavy pot such as Dutch oven. Brown the chicken in the pot and add the remaining ingredients. Cover and cook until the potatoes and carrots are cooked through (about 45 minutes to 1 hour).
🧾 More Recipes You’ll Like
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- Irish Stew
- Mexican Beef Stew
- Oxtail Stew
- Oyster Stew
- Garlicky Beef Stew
- Sunday Beef Stew
- Beef Stew in the Pressure Cooker
More Questions? I’m happy to help!
If you have more questions about the recipe, or if you’ve made it and would like to leave a comment, scroll down to leave your thoughts, questions, and/or rating!
Thanks so much for stopping by!
Recipe
Slow Cooker Chicken Stew
Ingredients
- 1 pound boneless, skinless chicken breasts or thighs
- ¼ teaspoon poultry seasoning
- Salt and pepper
- 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
- 2 tablespoons oil
- 4 medium Yukon gold potatoes
- 2 rib celery
- 4 medium carrots
- 1 medium yellow onion
- ¼ cup fresh parsley
- 10.5 ounces cream of chicken soup
- 1 soup can water
- ½ teaspoon dried thyme
Instructions
- Cut the chicken into bite-sized pieces (roughly 3/4”). Sprinkle with poultry seasoning, salt, and pepper to taste. Toss the seasoned chicken pieces with the flour.
- Heat the oil in a pan over medium to medium-high heat. Add the chicken, working in batches if necessary to avoid crowding the pan, and cook until lightly browned on all sides.
- Place the chicken in a slow cooker.
- Cut the potatoes and celery into roughly 3/4” inch pieces and add to the cooker. Peel the carrots and cut them into similarly sized pieces. Do the same with the onion. Roughly chop the parsley and add it into the slow cooker with all the vegetables and the chicken.
- In a small bowl, combine the cream of chicken soup with water, salt, pepper, and thyme. Pour over chicken and vegetables in the cooker.
- Cover and cook on high for 4-5 hours.
- Serve with a side of biscuits.
Notes
- I like to use Yukon gold potatoes. Their skin is so tender that no peeling is necessary.
- Substitute fresh herbs for dried. Dried herbs are more potent, so when using fresh, use about three times more than dried.
- Boneless, skinless thighs also work very well in this recipe. Use whatever you have on hand!
- This recipe easily doubles to accommodate larger families.
Nutrition Information
Nutrition information is calculated by software based on the ingredients in each recipe. It is an estimate only and is provided for informational purposes. You should consult your healthcare provider or a registered dietitian if precise nutrition calculations are needed for health reasons.
— This post originally sponsored by General Mills and published on October 16, 2012. It has been updated with additional information.
I have made this great stew many times now. After a few times I stopped cutting the meat off the bones, I just skin the chicken thighs and proceed from there, every scrap of meat comes off during the cooking and nothing is wasted. Serve with home made whole wheat buns!
Good idea. Glad you enjoy the recipe!