This crock pot chicken stew is an easy, old-fashioned-style recipe with tender chicken, potatoes, and vegetables in a hearty broth. It’s a small-batch recipe for 4 that scales easily—from 2 servings in a 2-quart mini crock pot to a double recipe in a full-size cooker.
With about 10 minutes of prep, this is a true dump-and-go slow cooker recipe—add everything and let the crock pot do the work while you get on with your day (and take all the credit later).
Quick Answer: How Long to Cook Chicken Stew in a Crock Pot
- On LOW: 6–8 hours
- On HIGH: 3–4 hours
- Done when: chicken is 165°F and potatoes are tender
Jump To (scroll for more)
- 📋 TL;DR — Recipe Summary
- 🐓 Ingredients for Crock Pot Chicken Stew
- 👨🍳 Quick Overview: How to Make Crock Pot Chicken Stew
- ✅ Pro Tips for the Best Stew
- 🥣 Chicken, Potatoes, Vegetables & Thickening
- 🌿 Flavor & Finish Options for Chicken Stew
- ♨️ How to Cook Chicken Stew on the Stovetop
- ↕️ Scaling the Recipe and Crock Pot Size
- 🍽️ Serving Suggestions
- 🐔 More Crock Pot Chicken Recipes
- ❄️ Leftovers—Storage & Reheating
- ❓FAQs
- 📖The Recipe Card
Featured Comment by 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."
📋 TL;DR — Recipe Summary
What: Easy, old-fashioned-style crock pot chicken stew with chicken, potatoes, and vegetables in a hearty broth.
Why: A simple dump-and-go recipe with about 10 minutes of prep that scales easily for small or larger crock pots.
How: Add everything to the crock pot and cook 6–8 hours on LOW or 3–4 hours on HIGH until the chicken and potatoes are tender.
What to make next: Try my Best Crock Pot Beef Stew – Easy Any Size Recipe for another hearty slow-cooked classic.
🐓 Ingredients for Crock Pot Chicken Stew
- Chicken – boneless, skinless breasts or thighs
- Potatoes – red or Yukon gold; russets also work if peeled
- Vegetables – carrots, celery, optional mushrooms, green beans, corn, and peas
- Aromatics – garlic and onion
- Chicken broth – low-sodium
- Seasonings – salt and pepper, with optional poultry seasoning, celery seed, thyme, or rosemary
- Optional additions – diced tomatoes, Worcestershire sauce, or cream
- Cornstarch – optional, for thickening
👨🍳 Quick Overview: How to Make Crock Pot Chicken Stew
1. Prep potatoes, carrots, celery, and optional mushrooms.
2. Trim and cube the chicken breasts or thighs.
3. Add chicken, potatoes, vegetables, broth, garlic, seasonings, and optional additions to the crock pot.
4. Cook on LOW 6–8 hours or HIGH 3–4 hours. Add peas in the last 30 minutes. Cook until the chicken reaches 165°F and the potatoes are tender.
Optional finish: stir in cream at the end for a creamy chicken stew.
👇 Scroll down for the printable recipe card and complete step-by-step photo instructions—or keep reading for tips, veggie options, and serving ideas.
✅ Pro Tips for the Best Stew
- Add peas in the last 30 minutes so they stay bright and firm.
- Use chicken thighs if you want meat that stays juicy, even with longer cooking.
- Stir in cream at the end – never early – or it may curdle during cooking.
- For thicker stew, use a cornstarch slurry (1 Tbsp per 2–4 cups stew) during the last 30 minutes.
- Chicken stew is mild by design, so don’t hesitate to make it your own. Check out the tomato and Worcestershire sauce options.
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🥣 Chicken, Potatoes, Vegetables & Thickening
- Chicken – Breasts are lean and done at 165°F. Thighs are juicier and more forgiving, cooking nicely up to 180°F. Or use rotisserie chicken—just stir it in near the end so it doesn’t dry out.
- Potatoes & Veggies – Red or Yukon gold hold their shape without peeling. Russets work fine if peeled. Frozen peas go in at the end to stay bright. Add mushrooms, green beans, or bell peppers if you like.
- Thickening – Keep it brothy, or use a cornstarch slurry: 1 tablespoon cornstarch per 2–4 cups of stew (mix with cold water first). Add during the last 30 minutes. Potato flakes also work for a quick fix.
🌿 Flavor & Finish Options for Chicken Stew
Chicken stew is mild by design, so don’t hesitate to make it your own. Try layering in herbs, tomatoes, or Worcestershire sauce to boost flavor and make it uniquely yours.
- Herbs & spices – Add rosemary, thyme, a bay leaf, or poultry seasoning for depth.
- Flavor boosters – A splash of Worcestershire sauce or white wine gives the broth more punch.
- Tomatoes – Diced tomatoes brighten the stew with a tangy edge.
- Creamy vs brothy – For a creamy slow cooker chicken stew, stir in milk or cream at the end. Keep it broth-based for a lighter, classic version.
♨️ How to Cook Chicken Stew on the Stovetop
- Heat a Dutch oven or heavy pan with a little oil over medium-high heat.
- Add the chicken and cook until it just starts to brown, about 4–5 minutes.
- Stir in the carrots, potatoes, celery, onion, and (optional) corn or green beans. Cook another 4–5 minutes.
- Add broth, garlic, seasonings, and any extras (except peas). Bring to a simmer, cover, and cook 45–60 minutes until the chicken reaches 165°F and the vegetables are tender.
- Stir in peas during the last 10–15 minutes so they stay bright and firm.
↕️ Scaling the Recipe and Crock Pot Size
This recipe makes about 4 servings (roughly 2 cups each) in a 3–4 quart crock pot. It’s easy to scale down or up:
- Half batch – Fits in a 2-quart mini crock pot. Perfect for cooking for two with minimal leftovers.
- Full batch – Works in a 3–4 quart crock pot. About 4 servings.
- Double batch – Needs a 6-quart or larger crock pot. Great for families or freezing extras.
👉 Thickening tip: Use 1 tablespoon of cornstarch per 2–4 cups of stew (mixed with cold water first). Scale the slurry up or down to match your batch size and thickening needs.
🍽️ Serving Suggestions
Serve this stew with bread or biscuits for dipping. Try:
🐔 More Crock Pot Chicken Recipes
For more easy crock pot chicken dinners, try:
❄️ Leftovers—Storage & Reheating
- Refrigerator: Store in an airtight container up to 4 days.
- Freezer: Up to 3 months.
- Reheat: Thaw overnight if frozen. Warm on the stovetop over medium heat for the best texture. The microwave works, but it may toughen the chicken.
❓FAQs
Stew is thicker, with potatoes or other starches, while soup is usually brothier.
Yes. Cool completely before freezing in airtight containers for up to 3 months. Thaw overnight in the refrigerator before reheating on the stovetop or in the microwave.
The easiest way is with a cornstarch slurry—mix 1 tablespoon cornstarch with 1 tablespoon cold water for every 2–4 cups of stew. Stir it in during the last 30 minutes of cooking. Potato flakes also work for a quick fix.
Most stews, including this one, are naturally gluten free if you thicken them without flour. Use cornstarch or potato flakes instead of a flour roux, and check your broth label to be sure it’s marked gluten free.
Yes. Stir in milk or cream at the end for a creamy slow cooker chicken stew.
📖The Recipe Card
Crock Pot Chicken Stew (Old-Fashioned Style)
Ingredients
- 1–1½ pounds boneless skinless chicken breast - trimmed and cut into 1-inch cubes
- 1 medium onion - diced
- 1–2 cloves garlic - crushed or minced
- 2–3 carrots - peeled and cut into 1 inch slices
- 1–2 stalks celery - diced
- 2 cups potatoes - peeled and cut into ¾–1-inch cubes (about 2 medium)
- ½ cup frozen corn
- ½ cup frozen green beans
- ½ cup frozen peas - add near the end
- 14 oz low-sodium chicken broth
- ½ teaspoon poultry seasoning - skip if you don't have
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ¼ teaspoon black pepper
- ½ teaspoon celery seed - skip if you don't have
- ¼–½ teaspoon dry thyme - to taste. Optional
- cornstarch - optional for thickening-in cold water
- 1 cup diced tomatoes - Optional, add if you want a tomato-based stew
- 4 oz mushrooms - cleaned and halved (optional)
- 1-2 tablespoons cornstarch - optional for thickening
Step-by-Step Instructions
Prepare vegetables
- Prepare vegetables—chop 1 medium onion, 2–3 peeled carrots, and 1–2 ribs of celery. Next, prep the potatoes by peeling and cutting into ¾-1-inch cubes – about 2 medium potatoes for about 2 cups. Optional – 4 oz. of cleaned and halved mushrooms.
Prepare chicken
- Clean, trim, and cube 2 skinless boneless chicken breasts—about 1–1½ pounds.
Load the crock pot
- Add the chicken, prepared veggies, ½ cup each frozen corn and beans, 14 oz of chicken broth, 1–2 crushed or minced cloves of garlic, ½ teaspoon celery seed, ¼ to ½ teaspoon thyme (optional), ½ teaspoon poultry seasoning, ½ teaspoon salt, ¼ teaspoon pepper, and optionally 1 cup of diced tomatoes.
Cook
- On LOW 6–8 hours or HIGH 3–4 hours. Add peas during the last 30 minutes. The stew is done when the chicken reaches 165°F and the potatoes are tender. For a thicker stew, stir in a cornstarch slurry (1–2 tablespoons of cornstarch mixed with an equal amount of cold water) during the last 30 minutes. If vegetables aren’t fully tender, cook a bit longer.
Recipe Notes
Pro Tips:
- Set for a 3–4 quart crock pot and about 4 servings of about 2 cups each. Double for a 6-quart (about 8 servings) or make a half batch in a 2-quart mini crock pot.
- Like most ingredients in soups and stews, the amount of chicken can vary. A range of 1–1½ pounds is fine. Use either breasts or thighs.
- Other ingredients like celery, carrots, and potatoes can also vary by the amount you have.
- Chicken stew is mild by design; season to taste. Thyme is optional. Tomatoes add a nice tang but may need a pinch more salt/pepper.
- This is a thinner stew by default. To thicken, use a cornstarch slurry. A good guide is 1 tablespoon of cornstarch per 2–4 cups of stew, added in the last 30 minutes.
- If the vegetables are not tender at the end of cooking, go a bit longer.
- Good refrigerated for 4 days and frozen for 3 months.
Your Own Private Notes
To adjust the recipe size:
You can adjust the number of servings above; however, only the amount in the ingredient list is adjusted, not the instructions.
Nutrition Estimate (may vary)
Originally published January 12, 2011. Updated with new photos, improved structure, and clearer instructions for any slow cooker size.
Gail Keller says
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 says
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 says
Ok thanks! I'm preparing it right now, we can't wait to try it!!
Dan Mikesell says
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 says
I'm going to try this recipe today! Does anyone know how big a serving size is?
Dan Mikesell says
This is one of my favorites. The 5 yr old actually eating second is good stuff.
Carey says
Made this tonight... my 5 year old asked for seconds! Which is HUGE!!! Really good stuff! :)
Dr Dan says
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 says
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 says
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 says
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 says
Can I use a 4qt crock pot for this?
Carey says
I did, and it came out perfect! 4 hours on high.
Dan Mikesell says
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 says
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 says
What size crick pot do you use? It doesn't seem like much liquid is called for.
Martha (MM) says
And this one too!!
Kelly Anne says
I really enjoy all your post and recipes! Keep them coming!
Jeffrey and Juli says
Looks yummy!