Description
Hearty slow cooker chicken stew delivers comfort straight from grandma’s kitchen, packed with tender meat and wholesome vegetables. Warm, rich flavors meld together, promising a satisfying meal you can savor with family and friends.
Ingredients
Scale
Meat:
- 1.5 pounds chicken thighs (cut into 1-inch pieces)
Vegetables:
- 1 onion (diced)
- 3 carrots (peeled and sliced)
- 2 large potatoes (cut into 1/2-inch cubes, 1 pound)
- 1 cup frozen green peas
- 6 cloves garlic (minced)
Herbs, Spices, and Liquids:
- 3 tablespoons all-purpose flour
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 3 cups chicken broth
- 1/2 cup milk
- 1 teaspoon dried thyme
- 1 teaspoon dried rosemary
- 1/2 teaspoon salt (plus more to season)
- 1 bay leaf
- Black pepper (to season)
Instructions
- Cut chicken thighs into uniform cubes and season thoroughly with salt and pepper.
- Heat olive oil in a skillet over medium-high heat (375°F) and sear chicken pieces for 4-5 minutes until golden brown, creating a flavorful exterior without fully cooking.
- Transfer seared chicken to slow cooker and dust with flour, thyme, rosemary, ensuring even coating of herbs and flour.
- Add minced garlic, chopped onions, sliced carrots, and diced potatoes to the slow cooker, creating a colorful vegetable base.
- Pour chicken broth over ingredients and tuck bay leaf into the mixture for aromatic infusion.
- Cover slow cooker and cook on low temperature for 7-8 hours or high temperature for 3-4 hours, allowing flavors to meld and chicken to become tender.
- During final 10-15 minutes of cooking, incorporate frozen peas and milk, stirring gently to maintain vegetable integrity.
- Adjust stew consistency by adding chicken broth if too thick or whisking in additional flour if too thin.
- Taste and fine-tune seasoning with extra salt and pepper according to preference.
- Serve immediately in warm bowls. Refrigerate leftovers for up to 5 days or freeze for 3 months in sealed containers.
Notes
- Ensure chicken pieces are roughly the same size for even cooking and consistent texture throughout the stew.
- Searing chicken beforehand develops rich, deep flavor by caramelizing the meat’s exterior and creating delicious golden-brown edges.
- Use boneless, skinless chicken thighs for more tender and juicy meat compared to chicken breasts, which can easily dry out during slow cooking.
- For gluten-free version, replace wheat flour with cornstarch or alternative gluten-free flour blend to maintain stew’s thickness and binding properties.
- Prep Time: 10 minutes
- Cook Time: 7–8 hours (low) or 3–4 hours (high)
- Category: Lunch, Dinner
- Method: Slow Cooking
- Cuisine: American
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 4
- Calories: 259 kcal
- Sugar: 3 g
- Sodium: 404 mg
- Fat: 11 g
- Saturated Fat: 2 g
- Unsaturated Fat: 8 g
- Trans Fat: 0 g
- Carbohydrates: 16 g
- Fiber: 3 g
- Protein: 22 g
- Cholesterol: 65 mg