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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!
Can and how could this be made in a crock pot?
You may want to still do the searing steps on the stove, but I think it could work in a slow cooker. I’d add the cream in during the last 30 min or so. Timing I’d just follow the general 3-4 hours on high or 6-8 on low rule.
Very tasty. Wish I put mushrooms in but my hubby doesn’t like them. Definitely will make this again with mushrooms
Thank you so much, Laura! Glad it was a hit even without the mushrooms. 🙂
thanks for a great recipe.
You’re very welcome, Karen! 😀
I made this recipe for the first time about a month ago and my husband (who is definitely the better cook) has asked me to make this weekly since. It’s simple, and so easy to modify to whatever you have or want and that’s what I love most about all the the recipes! This one is delicious and perfect for these winter months!
Love that!! Thanks, Vanessa!
I have a concern putting the uncooked chicken in with everything else. Wouldnt it be safer to brown the c hicken before putting it in with everything else?
Hi Betty! There is no need to be concerned. It cooks right in the stew while everything else cooks. I don’t recommend browning it first as you’ll likely end up with dry, overcooked chicken. Besides, browning it doesn’t fully cook it, so you’d be dealing with uncooked chicken anyway as it finishes cooking through and releases juices into the stew. Use an instant read meat thermometer to ensure it’s 165F in the thickest part prior to serving if you’re worried. Many readers have had success with this stew as written, so I recommend giving it a try. Hope you enjoy it!
Hi Natasha – I have recently found your recipes and my family and I thank you! I have this on the stove now and it smells amazing.
Quick question – any reason you don’t sauté the mushrooms with the rest of the veggies?
Hi! I’m so glad you guys are liking my recipes! 😀 Yes – the initial sautéing step is mostly to soften the tough veggies and build a bit of flavor and sometimes a bit of browning if you cook them long enough/at a high enough temperature. If I added the mushrooms in, it would just make the pan more crowded, and the mushrooms wouldn’t brown anyway, so I just throw them in later since they don’t need as much cooking as say carrots to soften up. For recipes that have mushrooms as the star, I like to sear them on their own or with onions so they get nicely browned and the water cooks out and such.
Just finished making and eating this tonight and it was AMAZING. My mom was obsessed with it. This will become a staple.
That’s awesome, Dana!! 😀 Thanks for letting me know.
Made this for dinner tonight and it was so good. I used chicken thighs, not a fan of breast. Cut up into chunks and did a quick sear to brown the meat. I also put in a tsp of turmeric for a nice colour. A bay leaf and some thyme. Super delicious. This will go into rotation for the cold winter days. Thank you 😊
Excellent! You’re very welcome!
excellent , i loved my stew but this was awesome !!!
Thanks 🙂
You are very welcome!
I’ve made this a couple of times now with no changes. The stew is fantastic as is. Thank you for such an easy and great recipe!
You are very welcome, Joe! 😀