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With just a handful of everyday ingredients, this filling and simple chicken stew recipe is a soul-warming meal on a chilly day! It requires only 15 minutes of prep.
You may also want to try my Crockpot Chicken Stew or easy Hamburger Stew next.
Why you’ll love it
On a brisk day or when you’re under the weather, a piping hot bowl of this hearty chicken stew is one of the only things that will do the trick. It’s got plenty of vegetables, tender chicken, and a richly flavored broth. Total comfort in a bowl in just an hour.
What makes my chicken stew stand out from others is the delicate hint of cream. It’s the ideal way to give this simple chicken stew a velvety quality without being heavy. I definitely recommend trying it as the perfect way to enhance this tasty stew!
What you’ll need
- Olive oil and butter – for sautéing
- Onion, celery, and carrots – a classic base for many soups and stews. I prefer Vidalia onions.
- Garlic – for more savory flavor
- Flour – to thicken up the broth
- Chicken broth – the base of the broth. Chicken stock works equally well.
- Heavy cream – just a little bit for that light, creamy touch
- Italian seasoning – I enjoy this versatile herb blend in a variety of my recipes
- Mushrooms – use either white or cremini
- Potatoes – Russets are a great pick for soups and stews
- Chicken – we’re using chicken breasts, and they cook right in the stew for ease
Tools for this recipe
Check out Natasha’s favorite kitchen essentials, gadgets, and cookware!
- I like to make soups and stews in my 5.5 qt Dutch oven.
- The easiest way to never overcook or undercook chicken is using an inexpensive instant read thermometer. Chicken is done at 165F.
- A classic chef’s knife makes prepping the veggies a breeze.
How to make chicken stew
This is an overview with step-by-step photos. Full ingredients & instructions are in the recipe card below.
Sauté the onion, carrots, celery, and garlic in a soup pot or Dutch oven in the butter and olive oil. Once softened, add in the flour and cook for a minute or so. Stir in the broth and make sure the flour is dissolved.
Pour in the cream, and add the Italian seasoning, chicken, potatoes, and mushrooms. Bring to a gentle boil, then decrease the heat and simmer, giving the occasional stir. Once the chicken is cooked, take it out and cut it up. Season with salt & pepper, and enjoy.
Substitutions and variations
- The cream in here keeps the chicken moist and gives the stew a slightly richer texture and flavor, but if you can’t have dairy, it should be ok to leave it out. I personally would keep it in if possible. It’s only 1/2 cup among six portions so not a big calorie concern. With milk or half-and-half, there’s a chance it’ll curdle due to the high heat and length of cooking time.
- If you’re not a fan of mushrooms, feel free to leave them out.
- You can easily make it a chicken thigh stew. Bonus: chicken thighs are less likely to dry out!
What to serve with chicken stew
- My favorite thing to serve with it is a freshly baked baguette, or choose your favorite kind of bread or a dinner roll. Garlic Bread is always a good idea.
- For a salad pairing, go for something comforting as well like a Classic Ranch Dressing or my personal favorite, this 10 Minute Caesar Dressing.
Leftovers and storage
- This is one of those stews that, in my opinion, tastes even better the next day after it thickens up a bit more and the flavors meld together. Store in the fridge for 3-4 days in an airtight container.
- Simply reheat in a saucepan on a low heat until warmed through.
- This chicken stew can be frozen since there’s only a small amount of cream in it.
More cozy soups and stews
If the blog post didn’t answer your questions about this homemade chicken stew recipe, ask below. Please leave a star rating and a review if you made it! As always, you can find me on Instagram.
Easy Chicken Stew
Ingredients
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1 tablespoon butter
- 1/2 medium onion chopped
- 2 sticks celery chopped
- 3 medium carrots peeled & sliced
- 3 cloves garlic minced
- 2 tablespoons flour
- 3 cups chicken broth/stock
- 1/2 cup heavy/whipping cream
- 1/2 teaspoon Italian seasoning
- 8 ounces mushrooms (use white or cremini) sliced
- 2 large Russet potatoes peeled & diced
- 1.5 pounds uncooked chicken breasts
- Salt & pepper to taste
Instructions
- Add the oil, butter, onion, celery, carrots, and garlic to a Dutch oven or soup pot. Sauté over medium-high heat for 5-7 minutes.
- Stir in the flour and let it cook for about a minute.
- Stir in the chicken broth and ensure the flour has dissolved, then add in the cream, Italian seasoning, mushrooms, potatoes, and chicken.
- Increase the heat to high and bring the stew to a gentle boil. Reduce the heat to medium-low and simmer with the lid slightly open for 25 minutes. You may want to stir it a couple of times to ensure nothing is sticking to the bottom of the pot as it cooks.
- Take the chicken out of the pot and cut it up. Add it back in, then season the stew with salt & pepper to taste, and serve.
Notes
- This isn’t a super thick stew. It’s got quite a soupy texture (especially day 1). For leftovers it definitely thickens up a bit.
- I used 3 medium-to-large chicken breasts weighing around 1.5 pounds (anything in that ballpark is fine). Feel free to use chicken thighs. The meat is more likely to stay tender, especially after reheating.
- You don’t need to be exact with the potato weight. My two potatoes weighed 1.3 pounds total.
- This recipe is also in the soups chapter of the Salt & Lavender: Everyday Essentials cookbook.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
© Salt & Lavender Inc. Content and photographs are copyrighted. Sharing this blog post is much appreciated, but copying and pasting full recipes without authorization to social media is strictly prohibited.
This recipe was originally published on January 12, 2020. It’s been updated with new photos and better instructions but is the same great recipe!
We too really enjoyed this! A few changes to tweak my own fussy palate (which kind of took away from the awesome simplicity of this recipe): I browned boneless, skinless thighs in my Dutch oven first, then removed them (and shredded when cooled) and did the veggies and followed instructions as written. As for the spices, I omitted the Italian seasoning because I had a bundle of fresh thyme in the fridge, so used that instead. I made this on a snow day; my SIL brought over a loaf of homemade sourdough, I drank a lot of cotes du Rhône, I was surrounded by my favorite people…basically, best day ever. Highly recommended.
Sounds like the perfect day hehe ♥️
Great, quick recipe, was surprised how much flavor this stew had with such simple ingredients. I used soy milk instead of half and half for my son who is allergic to dairy. I would also double this recipe, IMO does not serve six and/or it was just that good. It barely served our family of 4 (2 adults and 2 small children), no leftovers. This would also be good with some fresh parsley, I’ll make sure I have some on hand next time.
I’m so glad you enjoyed it!! Yeah, I definitely was happy how this one turned out. I don’t like using tons of ingredients if I can help it.
Made this last night and my family loved it! I wouldn’t change a thing except to double the recipe so there’s leftovers! :)))
Excellent!!
Made this tonight with some chicken breasts I had in the freezer. We are homebound as most people right now during the … outbreak. I didn’t have any mushrooms, but I had everything else!
I shredded the chicken and it was tender and moist. A new go-to chicken recipe for this household!
It will be even better next time with mushrooms!
Thanks for sharing this recipe!
Raven D.
I am happy that it all worked out, Raven! Stay safe XO
Made this the other night for dinner. It came out beautifully and was delicious my whole family loved it including my 10 year old !! Actually had run out of time so made in the pressure cooker sautéd first then added in chicken potatoes mushrooms broth etc cooked for 25 minutes then shredded chicken and added cream came out perfect!!
I’m so glad to hear it! ♥️
I tried this recipe 2 nights ago for my family and it was (((((AMAZING))))), it is now in our family rotation, full of flavor without being heavy like certain cream stews can be. We added to the table a sourdough rustic bread/ Baguette to soak up the last bits of liquid. Definitely worth a try and you will love it as much as my family and I do.
I am so happy to hear that!! Thanks so much for leaving me a comment, Wesley! ☺️
Are they bone-in chicken breasts or boneless? Thanks!
Hi! I used boneless ones (easy and they’re what my grocery store has available) but you could definitely use bone-in if you prefer. I think it would add more flavor. They may take a little longer to cook, so just be mindful when you’re cutting them up – I’d the meat seems to be undercooked, cook it for a little longer once you’ve added it back to the stew. ☺️
Just sent my husband to get mushrooms from the store – I have everything else chopped and ready, cannot wait to make this! Your recipes are always practical, easy and the bomb dot com!
Aww you’re too sweet. Enjoy! ♥️
I’m back with an update! Made this tonight and oh my goodness it was beyond phenomenal and so easy and fairly quick to make. Cant wait to eat the leftovers for lunch tomorrow. Thanks Natasha!
Thank you so much for the update!! So glad you enjoyed it! ♥️
Could this be done in the instant pot?
Try 8 min high pressure and add the cream in once you’ve done a quick release. This is a total guess, tho – haven’t tested it.
Thanks for the quick reply. Turned out perfect!
That’s awesome! ♥️
Can you use a non dairy cream or non dairy half and half?
Hi! You could try, but to be honest I’ve never tested non-dairy cream, so I don’t know how it’ll respond.
You can try using unsweetened coconut milk or cream. You might have a hint of coconut though. Some curry powder will hide that and it’s great if you have a cold.
Do you put the chicken breasts in the pot without cooking them first?
Yes you put them in raw. They cook in the stew. 25 minutes is a pretty long time to cook chicken (you’re gently boiling it), so it’ll typically be cooked before then. You don’t want to overcook chicken or it’ll become very rubbery. If you’re ever in doubt about whether chicken is cooked, use a meat thermometer to ensure it’s 165F in the deepest part. Or give it a few more minutes cooking in the stew once you cut it up. But be careful not to overcook since overcooked chicken ruins it.
This chicken stew looks so warm and inviting. . I want to dive in! LOVE this!!!
Thanks so much, Alice!