The idea of a crock pot is to make your life easier. Not much is easier than this family-pleasing stew. Using things you probably have on hand anyway, you spend about 10 to 15 minutes preparation time and eat in 8 hours.
Editor’s note: Originally published January 12, 2011. It has long suffered in need of a rewrite and editing of pictures. It is just a very nice stew. Please enjoy the redo.
This is a simplified version of a slow cooker recipe that appears identically on multiple recipe sites. It is not only delicious but extremely simple to make. Like most of the soup/chili/stew recipes, I’m “cooking for two with leftovers.”
This is the third soup in my “Week of Soups.”
Pre-Week of Soup Recipes
Week of Soups Recipes
My Rating:
I liked it a lot, and my wife loved it. It is so easy and really quite excellent for what it is. But all chicken stews are a bit bland.
Pro Tips: Recipe Notes for Chicken Stew
The first thing to realize is that all chicken stews are a bit bland. Yep, chicken stew does not “pop” a lot of flavors, but that is just what a chicken stew is all about.
Let’s spice it up some.
The original recipe calls for one teaspoon of thyme. If you are a big thyme fan, great but it is a bit much for us. I changed it to optional 1/2 to 1 teaspoon.
I think the optional tomatoes is a great addition. A can of Rotel has been suggested by some comments on this and other sites. It should be good if you want a little southwest taste (I would skip the thyme then).
One commentator here suggests 1/2 teaspoon of curry which my wife would love. I’m doing curry next time.
Let’s talk chicken.
Chicken breast meat can dry a little in a recipe like this so skinless boneless chicken thighs would be a great substitute.
The thickness of the stew.
The last issue is the thickness of this stew. This is a little thinner than most stews. You could thicken with a roux.
You would need about 6 tablespoons of butter and 6 tablespoons of flour. Make a roux in a pan and after cooking some, add to the crock pot. To me, the opaqueness of this method just doesn’t seem right.
You could use cornstarch but reheating can be a problem since it may have a gel-like texture when reheated.
But for this recipe, I would suggest 3-4 tablespoons of tapioca would be the best if you want thicker. You can add it about 30 minutes before done when adding the peas.
Prepare veggies. Chop one large onion, 4 peeled carrots, and 2 ribs of celery. Next 4-5 medium potatoes peeled and cut into 3/4 to 1-inch cubes. Optional- 8 oz. mushrooms cleaned and halved.
Clean, trim, and cube about 2 pounds (about 3-4) skinless boneless chicken breasts.
Cook on low for 8 hours or high for 4 hours. Add peas 30 minutes before the end of cooking. Also, 3 tablespoons tapioca if you want thicker chili.
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Simple Crock Pot Chicken Stew
Ingredients
- 2 pounds Skinless boneless chicken breast - about 3– trimmed and cut into 1 inch cubes
- 1 onion - large – diced
- 4 carrots - pealed and cut into 1 inch slices
- 2 stalks celery - diced
- 4-5 potatoes - peeled and cut into 3/4 to 1 inch cubes
- 8 oz mushrooms - cleaned and halved-optional
- 1 cup frozen corn
- 28 oz chicken broth
- 14 oz diced tomatoes - drained if you want a tomato based stew
- 1 teaspoon celery seed
- 1/2 to 1 teaspoon dry thyme - to taste... this is a little much for some
- 1/2 teaspoon black pepper
- 1 cup frozen peas
Instructions
- Prepare veggies. Chop one large onion, 4 peeled carrots, and 2 ribs of celery. Next 4-5 medium potatoes peeled and cut into 3/4 to 1-inch cubes. Optional- 8 oz. mushrooms cleaned and halved.
- Clean, trim, and cube about 2 pounds (about 3-4) skinless boneless chicken breasts.
- Add the chicken, prepped veggies, 1 cup frozen corn, 28 oz chicken broth, 1 teaspoon celery seed, 1/2 to 1 teaspoon thyme, 1/2 teaspoon pepper, and optionally one 14 oz can diced tomatoes diced.
- Cook on low for 8 hours or high for 4 hours.
- Add peas 30 minutes before the end of cooking. Also, 3 tablesspoons tapioca if you want thicker chili.
Recipe Notes
Pro Tips:
- Like most chicken stews, this is a bit bland. Spice it up if you want.
- Skinless boneless chicken thighs would go well here.
- For this recipe I would suggest 3-4 tablespoons of tapioca would be the best if you want thicker.
- Will reheat and freeze well.
Check Out Other Great Recipes
Nutrition is generally for one serving. Number of servings is stated above and is my estimate of normal serving size for this recipe.
All nutritional information are estimates and may vary from your actual results. This is home cooking, and there are many variables. To taste ingredients such as salt will be my estimate of the average used.
Originally Published January 12, 2011
Peggy waskowiak
I used a can of cream of chicken soup. It helped to thicken it and added flavor. Add less salt
Kenneth
I have not made this yet but wanted to thank you for your soup for a week series. I especially like the crockpot options. I am starting to plan for this summers camping in Alaska and when we have electric hook ups I like to put a crockpot on in the morning and then explore for a day and come back to a hot and hearty meal. I add cornbread cooked over the fire and eat very well. I have at least 4 trips of options and counting from your site. I greatly appreciate your efforts.
DrDan
Hi Ken,
Please be sure to taste test this. It is bland and you might want more spice (a guy thing). See the discussion in the post.
Dan
Samantha Paul
Hello DrDan…!amazing its really nice and these dish looks sooo yummy; delicious, i will make this corck pot chicken in upcoming weekend. Thanks for sharing….!
Roxanne
Thank you for the wonderfully easy and tasty chicken stew! I found it to have a great flavour and found nothing lacking. I did add a few extra carrots and an extra stick of celery. I did use some flour and water to thicken near the end of cooking. Served with some warm biscuits and a comforting meal was enjoyed by all.
5 star ⭐️ rating definitely deserved!
DrDan
Hi Roxanne,
It is a little bland but that is what chicken stew is. I always think of this recipe as a starting point to modify.
I do love it with a good biscuit.
Thanks for the note.
Dan
Therese
Well, I’m trying this recipe for the first time today. So far, after following the recipe exactly, and I put my crockpot on high, after the four hours, the chicken was done, but the veggies, potatoes and carrots especially, were still hard as a rock. So, I took the chicken out after four hours and set aside. I am continuing to cook the veggies on high. Looking like it will take an extra two hours at least. I think I will also add some flour/milk mixture to make it creamy in the end.
Sonia Lacy
Will this recipe fit in a 3 quart oval slow cooker?
DrDan
Not even close. Cut in half.
DrDan
Shannon
I am going to try this tomorrow. I am new to the cock pot recipes but game to try anything this easy!
Zia
I have not used a slow cooker before, so this was the inaugural recipe for my new crock pot. I have a smaller pot than the recipe calls for, so I reduced quantities a bit. I like things with a lot of herb flavor, so in addition to the thyme I added savory and sage. Also about a teaspoon of sea salt at the beginning of cooking. Then a bit of black pepper at the end of 4 hours. It is not bland! I might even add a little cumin next time, and will also definitely try the curry version another reviewer suggested. But it turned out very tasty, and would be good with even fewer herbs.
Cooking time: after 4 hours on the high setting on my 4.5 qt cooker, the potatoes and carrots were still not quite done. Edible but way too firm (some of the carrot bits even had a slight crunch). Fortunately, since this was a maiden voyage I built in some extra time to my desired dinner hour. I turned the pot back on at the high setting about an hour ago and it’s close to done. I think 6 hours on high will work best in my pot (Crock Pot brand).
All in all, a great recipe that I will make again, and also share with friends. Thank you!
PaulaD
For those who call “Bland”, I recommend a 1/2 tsp to1 tsp Curry Powder, will zing it up deliciously, without tomato(too much acidity) or corn. I also add a dash of Tumeric for medicinal purposes. Doesn’t affect taste & is good for you. Go light on the salt, heavy on the fresh black pepper. Canned mushrooms work fine & little red potatoes (uncut) are a treat my son likes to mash separately & add butter, then lick the fork! Have not got him completely trained yet (he is 47). He comes over regularly for”Mom’s” cooking & my slow cooker recipes are his favorite. Try cooking a pot roast, slow cooker style, same ingredients just take a cup or so of liquid, thicken with flour in sauce pan & serve as accompaning gravy.
DrDan
Thanks for the note and ratings. Excellent comments. I love variations.
DrDan
Priscilla
i made this yesterday and it was delicious but I was unhappy with the many tiny fatty chicken bits floating throughout my stew that were impossible to remove. I used organic chicken breast pieces cut into cubes. Does anyone know why this happened or how to avoid it? This really makes the soup visually unappealing. I want a nice clear broth.
DrDan
About the only place they could come from is the chicken…. Be sure to trim any visible fat, there is very little in the chicken breasts otherwise. Many have suggested chicken thighs for tenderness but that is a lot fat. There is nothing else with fat other than the broth. Most can broth is low fat but homemade is higher in fat.
DrDan
Matt
The other option is to stew the chicken in the broth first for a couple hours. Turn off the crock pot and let it cool (if you’re really concerned you can pop it into the fridge overnight). After its cooled all the fat will be on the top for you to scoop out leaving the clear broth. Then just put it back on the heat and throw all the other stuff in as in the recipe.
Millie T
Thanks for the recipe! I found your site two weeks ago, and have already made this stew twice. I have to admit, I did some variations based upon what I had on hand (we use thighs since it’s more forgiving on cooking time), but I feel that your proportions are right on the nose. All the adults had a couple of big bowls apiece. I took Lisa’s excellent suggestion to use an immersion mixer at the end to thicken the soup up.
For those who think that this is bland, make sure to add salt & pepper to taste towards the end of cooking. Also, if you have a newer crockpot that runs hot (mine will actually bubble on low setting at around the 4 hour mark) you’ll need to shorten the cooking time. I set my timer for about 5.5 hours total, but I think that it might be even better at 5 hours. Will definitely keep this in the rotation, thanks!
Matt S
Made this yesterday. Kill the thyme completely. Family hated it. I could deal with it if it was a fourth or less thyme than what the recipe called for. After eight hours in the crock on low, the potatoes were not falling apart. 1″ cubes may be too large. I’ll go smaller next time. I agree with the Worcestershire or something else for spark.
DrDan
Thanks for the note and rating.
I put a note in the recipe about the thyme. The potatoes are fall apart in both my larger crock pots so yours may run a little cooler then mine. But 1 inch is the biggest I would want in stew so I put in 3/4 to 1 inch.
DrDan
Marjorie Roy
Don’t really need the thyme! But a little Worcestershire Sauce gives it a nice taste. I use white pepper on just about everything (well, not ice cream – haha) and a few shakes just adds to the flavor. Also love it with added tomatoes. Great recipe, DrDan! And oh so easy…
Chef
All of you saying it is bland…… Season to taste!!!! Never follow a recipe exactly unless you are baking. even then you can make small changes. It is your fault it is bland.
Mrs.Earl
I made your chicken stew tonight with some garlic bread and it was a hit.
DrDan
I’m glad it worked for you.
Thanks for the note
DrDdan
Jack S. Barr
If you keep posting recipes like this and people realize how easy it is to create a great meal while they are at work, slow cooker sales should rise and people will be healthier.
Thanks for posting.
DrDan
Thanks for the note and enjoy the recipes.
DrDan
DrDan
Some people want thicker and those are great suggestions that definitely would work. I see lots of suggestions to thicken things in a crock pot with flour and other things and it just does not work for me.
Thanks for the note.
DrDan
Lisa
An easy way to thicken a soup is to take a few scoops out of the pot (meat, veggies and all)
and give it a quick spin in the blender, then add that back to the pot. Even easier-use an
immersion style blender and thicken it right in the pot.
Simple!
Jon
I am curious as to why a crockpot should only be 1/2-2/3 full. I often times fill mine to the brim.
DrDan
For more even cooking and that is how they are designed (I’m told). Have said that, I too have “crowded” the pot almost to the top with little if any detectable ill effect but I think it is a good rule of thumb to determine the size of pot to use.
DrDan
Kim
I have made this multiple times. It always turns out great! I served it to my Mom when she was visiting, to some friends, they all loved it. My teen daughter really loves it. We do not eat red meat, so this is a good alternative to beef stew, particularly when it’s cool outside. I can’t imagine why anyone would think it was bland, but I just want to say that we love it. Thanks for the easy, great, healthy recipe! BTW, I followed it almost to the T – I just used vegetable broth today because I was out of chicken broth (yes, its cooking now)… : ) on the two days I work at home, I put something in the crock pot before I begin work..
DrDan
Thanks. It is what it is. This is just right for me most of the time but I do have some really spiced up recipes also.
Kristen
I always feel guilty when something so easy to cook tastes good. You feel like you should have worked much harder for such a great result. I pretty much stuck to the recipe and it turned out great. Added a little cornstarch mixed in water to thicken it up with about 30 minutes left in cooking.
DrDan
I feel guilty but not much…
Niyair
Pretty bland i had to add a lot of other seasoning to it to give it some taste. I would cut the broth down also in the future. Smells good though
Dan Mikesell
Yep… a bit bland for some but just right for a lot of people. To spice up some, I would add 1-2 t of chili powder and 1 tsp of cumin. Then if doing tomato add a can of RoTel or 1-2 cups of salsa.
BobRob
Bland, bland, bland. A waste of time. We had one serving and trashed the rest.
Ash
I found the flavor to be good; I didn’t have any thyme, but I did have a poultry seasoning blend that listed thyme as the first ingredient so I used it instead. The consistency was very watery though..like a soup instead of a stew. What would you recommend to thicken it up? I tried adding a flour slurry at the same time as the peas but it didn’t make a difference. Maybe add the flour from the beginning?
And just a side note, I used both breasts and very well trimmed boneless, skinless thighs because that’s what got defrosted. The thighs were much better than the breasts, which I found to be a little dry despite the watery consistency.
Ok one more sidenote, because it sounds like I’m bashing the recipe and I don’t mean to. It was good, just needs some tweaking
Dan Mikesell
I have never had much luck thickening in a crock pot. With the usual flour or corn starch, it don’t work for me without boiling. I understand arrowroot works at lower temps and may try that some time. You can thicken by reduction, try the top off for the last hour and turn them temp up… Maybe a cup of instant potatoes. Or just cut out a can of broth.
Regarding the breast/thighs, I’m kind of your low fat, doctor type person and has never been a big thigh guy. With the extra fat in the thigh, I would think they might hold up better.
Thanks for the comments
Shandi paul
Made this for the first time ever, husband told me that it was the best stew i’ve ever made. Thanks, I will be making this again for sure. Only found this site two days ago.
Susenna Singh
I went home during my lunch hour to check on it as it was my first time making and i found it really bland… I followed the recipe exactly … so im not sure whats happening. Before leaving… I did add a bit of salt and a can of Cream of Broc soup to hopefully give it a bit more flavor. Hopefully dinner will turn out *Yikes*
Gail Keller
Tried this recipe yesterday and I think it would be much better without the thyme. The 1t was way too overpowering (taste and smell) for us. Will try again without the thyme.
Dan Mikesell
There is definitely a thyme taste and smell that I’m fine with but thanks for the comment that may be useful to others with the same taste. Cut it back or out and post a comment about how it went if you would.
Donna Diamond
Ok thanks! I’m preparing it right now, we can’t wait to try it!!
Dan Mikesell
I’m going on memory but I believe the 8 severing are 12 -16 oz (1.5 to 2 cups). I don’t do small servings… There is a lot.
Donna Diamond
I’m going to try this recipe today! Does anyone know how big a serving size is?
Dan Mikesell
This is one of my favorites. The 5 yr old actually eating second is good stuff.
Carey
Made this tonight… my 5 year old asked for seconds! Which is HUGE!!! Really good stuff! :)
Dr Dan
It came, I thank, from one of the recipe sites. But I found the same identical recipe on many sites. My contribution was to simplify things and I changed from cups of the veggies to the 4 carrots or 2stalks of celery etc. The worcestershire sounds good and I think I will try the flour when I do this again.
Julie
Also, I add a little flour and cold water at the end of cooking, and stir over the heat until thickened to form the gravy.
Julie
I’ve been using this recipe for a few years and it’s one of our favorites. I sear the chicken on both sides and don’t cut it into pieces until the stew is finished cooking. Also, we prefer it without the tomatoes, so I’ll add a little worcestershire sauce sometimes, as a little acidity really complements it. Thanks for postiing the recipe. The place where I originally saw (what looks identical) is no longer online. :)
Dr Dan
Not as written. This is a 6.5 qt. It is about 2/3 full. Generally a crock pot should be 1/2 to 2/3 full if possible. Cut it in half for the small crock pot.
Diana Rodriguez
Can I use a 4qt crock pot for this?
Carey
I did, and it came out perfect! 4 hours on high.
Dan Mikesell
I assume you mean a 4 qt. I tried to add it up and thought it was just about 4 qts. How full was it?
Dr Dan
This is a 6 1/2 qt. All Clad. I don’t think it would fit in anything under 5 qt. The liquid is not much but you have the potatoes, meat and and veggies. I adds up.
I’m just starting a small crock pot series today with a 3 1/2 qt cooker and chicken noodle soup.
Emily
What size crick pot do you use? It doesn’t seem like much liquid is called for.
Martha (MM)
And this one too!!
Kelly Anne
I really enjoy all your post and recipes! Keep them coming!
Jeffrey and Juli
Looks yummy!