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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!
Loved it! I found this recipe on Pinterest. I was a little skeptical that chicken would have a stew vibe but it dies! It totally tastes like a stew.
I added some dried chives (just because I love them in everything). I will be making this again and probably using it a base for other soups.
Thank you!
I’m so happy you enjoyed it!! Thanks for your review!
Making this again tonight!
Awesome!! Enjoy, Allisen!
I’ve made this recipe a number of times now – my kids love it! Do you ever freeze this?
I’m so happy it’s a hit! I think it should be ok to freeze this one.
I made this tonight and it was just delicious! Definitely a keeper recipe. Thanks for sharing!
Fantastic!! You’re very welcome, Denise!
Delish! A hearty upgrade from chicken soup. True prep time for me was 45 minutes to scrub the celery, peel the potatoes, dice the onions, clean and slice the mushrooms; then set out all the other ingredients.
I sautéed the mushrooms in a separate pan and added Adobo spice to add to their flavor. I also saved them for use as a garnish when served. Instead of parsley, I sprinkled with dried kale flakes. I boiled the chicken in a separate pot because I did not want to slop the delish cream sauce around while adding–then removing–the chicken pieces, and later stirring in the shredded meat. To me, it seemed more proper to let the soup pot simmer unbothered while I dealt with the meat.
This will be a new winter fav for my fam! Thank you!
I’m so glad you enjoyed it, Rachel!! 🙂
I will be making this. Seen Ree Drummond make her version and had to.look up another version.
Great! Hope you like it!
good stuff but i made some changes the 2nd time i made your goods, added corn and peas to it and it came out much better then the original however, i’m thankful for the base recipe.
I followed one of the past comments and used Herbs De Provence seasoning. Added some pearl onions I found in my freezer and at the end some asparagus nearing the end of its life. Just delicious! A keeper for sure!
Fantastic! 🙂
Well… many people have successfully made the recipe. Which part is unclear? It’s all explained in detail in the recipe card (you would have had to scroll past it to leave me a comment).
“5. Take the chicken out and cut it up/shred it. Add it back in, then season the stew with salt & pepper to taste.”
How long do you cook the chicken for after cutting it?
Thanks
Hi, I edited your username since it’s probably not a good idea for that word to appear on a food blog post lol. Anyway, the chicken is stewing for over 25 minutes, so it’ll be cooked. You just cut it up, put it back in, and serve it. If you’re particularly concerned, use an instant read thermometer to ensure the chicken is 165F prior to cutting it up.
Super easy and delicious. I left out the mushrooms and cream but added an extra tablespoon of flour since you said it was thin. Ultimate comfort dinner.
I’m so glad you enjoyed it!! 🙂
I made this but substituted 1 tsp of herbs de Provence for the Italian seasoning. I thought that was fitting, given it includes lavender and the name of this site is salt and lavender. It was DELICIOUS! It tastes like the inside of a pot pie! Yum!
Hahaha I love that!! Thank you, Julie. 🙂