Nothing says comfort like a bowl of hearty delicious chicken stew. It’s an easy dish to make for yourself or your family and can be made with the vegetables you have on hand.
Stews are one of our favorite cold-weather foods. And chicken stew takes a lot less time than beef, so it’s usually my go-to stew when I want to fill up on comfort food.
It takes a little longer than most of the dishes share, but that’s only because it needs about 30 minutes to simmer. But it couldn’t be any easier to make!
What ingredients do I need to make Chicken Stew?
Let’s start by gathering the ingredients we need to make Rustic Chicken Stew. In Chef Speak this is called the “Mise en Place” which translates to “Everything in its Place”.
Not only does setting your ingredients up ahead of time speed up the cooking process, but it also helps ensure you have everything you need to make the dish.
Do I have to use peas or mushrooms in my stew?
No, you don’t. If you’re not a fan of green peas or mushrooms, leave them out. The best way to make a delicious stew that you’re family will love is to use vegetables you enjoy eating. You can also add whatever vegetables you have on hand, these are some of my favorites.
- corn
- green beans or lima beans
- okra
- spinach or other greens
- sweet potatoes or yams
- turnips, parsnips, rutabagas or fennel
**Stews are made up of vegetables and protein, but that’s not saying you can’t add what you like to eat to the stew. Beans could also be added for extra protein and flavor. This recipe would work well with pork or beef.
How do I make Chicken Stew?
The first is preparing the chicken for the stew. Clean any visible fat or skin from the thighs and cut the chicken into chunks.
Prepare seasoned flour by adding half a teaspoon of salt and a quarter teaspoon of black pepper into a half cup of flour. Mix well and coat the chicken chunks with the seasoned flour.
Add olive oil to a hot pan over medium-high heat and sauté the chicken until all the sides have been seared. Remove the chicken from the pan and hold till needed.
Can I use Chicken Breast in my stew instead of thighs?
You sure can. I like using thighs because they have a higher fat content, which means more flavor. But you can always substitute boneless chicken breasts.
**You could even stew a whole chicken and use the meat and broth to make your stew. The pieces would be smaller, but it would be amazingly delicious.
Once the chicken has been cooked you can move on to the stew vegetables.
In the same pan over medium-high heat add additional olive oil and the carrots, onions, celery and mushrooms. Allow them to cook for 2-3 then reduce the heat to medium and cook an additional 2-3 minutes until they begin to caramelize. Stirring the mixture as needed so the veggies don’t burn.
**This brings out the natural sugars in the vegetables adding flavor to the dish.
Add the flour to the pan and mix well. Turn the heat down to low and allow the mixture to cook for 3-4 minutes, stirring often. Don’t let the roux burn. Allowing the flour to cook will improve the overall flavor of the sauce.
Add the stock to the veggie mixture one cup at a time. Mix well so there are no lumps in the sauce. Increase the heat to medium-high and bring the sauce to a light boil and reduce the heat to medium.
Add the chicken, potatoes, peas and seasonings to the stew. Mix well, bring back to a boil, and reduce the heat to a simmer. Continue cooking for 20-30 minutes.
**If you want the peas to be bright green, hold off adding them until you’re ready to serve. Add the peas in at the last minute and they will warm up in the gravy and be a brighter shade of green.
**You can also par-cook the potatoes, or cut them into smaller pieces if you want the stew to cook faster.
If the stew is too thick add additional stock or water to the mixture. If the stew is too thin, increase the heat to medium and allow the sauce to reduce a little longer.
**If you want the gravy to be a lighter color, add a quarter cup of heavy cream to the stew. This will lighten the color.
Serve the stew over egg noodles, rice or all by itself with a loaf of crusty bread. Anyway, you serve it your family is going to love this delicious comforting chicken stew!
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Chicken Stew
Ingredients
Stew
- 24 ounces chicken thighs- boneless skinless cleaned and cut into chunks, dusted with seasoned flour
- 2 cups potatoes peeled and cut into chunks (3-4 medium potatoes)
- 1 cup carrots peeled and sliced (1 large carrot)
- 1 cup celery trimmed and sliced (4-5 stalks)
- 1 cup onion peeled and large dice (1 medium onion)
- 2 cups mushrooms washed and sliced (8 ounces mushrooms)
- ½ cup green peas froxen or fresh
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 3 tablespoons butter
- 2 tablespoons all purpose flour
- 3 cups chicken stock
- 1 teaspoon poultry seasoning
- sea salt and black pepper to taste
- Italian parsley finely chopped – garnish
Instructions
- Dredge cut-up chicken pieces in flour seasoned with sea salt and black pepper
- Add olive oil to a large saute pan and let the pan get very hot before adding floured chicken
- Saute the chicken 3-4 minutes or until golden brown over medium-high heat, When the chicken has been seared on all sides, remove from the pan and set aside until needed.
- Add the butter to the same pan and add the cut up celery, onions, mushrooms and carrots to the pan. Saute for 5-6 minutes over medium heat to allow the vegetables to caramelize.
- Add flour to the pan to make a roux. Reduce heat to medium-low and continue to cook , stirring frequently for 3-4 minutes to let the flour cook.
- Gradually add the chicken stock to the roux, stirring. Add enough stock to the pot that the mixture is more of a soup consistency than a sauce. **Err on the thicker side, you can always add more stock.
- Add the potatoes, chicken, peas, and poultry seasoning to the mixture. Bring to a boil and reduce heat to a simmer. Continue to cook uncovered for about 30 minutes.**If the mixture gets too thick add more stock or water.
- Re-season with salt and pepper and serve. Garnish stew with chopped fresh Italian parsley or your favorite herb.
Lynne B
Just now made it. It’s delicious, easy to make. The recipe doesn’t tell when to add the peas, so I added them with the potatoes, etc. Also the images show parsley, but the recipe doesn’t mention it either. I’d probably add a couple of tablespoons, chopped, also with the potatoes. Thanks for this great recipe. I’ll definitely be making it again.
Chef Dennis Littley
Thanks for catching those missing items Lynne. You did right with the peas, and I generally just use parsley as a garnish to brighten the dish up a bit. Happy to hear you enjoyed the stew!
Naiby
This stew is so hearty with lots of different textures. And what a great meal to eat all your veggies. It’s a perfect meal for cold times.
Neha
Stew is literally my most favorite meal during this time of the year. As it gets colder outside I crave for such comforting bowls of deliciousness. So trying it out.