An old-fashioned recipe for Slow Cooker Chicken Stew is a cozy & easy meal. Tender meat, vegetables, potatoes, & a savory broth is a hearty CrockPot dinner that is 100% comforting. The perfect way to warm up on a cold fall or winter night.
Why this Slow Cooker Chicken Stew with Potatoes Recipe is Amazing: No need to brown the boneless skinless chicken breasts, everything just goes into the Crock-Pot for a quick dump & go with only 10-minutes prep.
For anyone that doesn't eat red meat, this is a lower fat alternative to classic beef stews like Hungarian Goulash. Good thing because you will likely want seconds, it's so delish.
This is CrockPot version of my popular Dutch Oven Chicken Stew recipe. Both are amazing & go well with a batch of my Easy Homemade Soft Dinner Rolls. Ok, now we cook!
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Ingredients for Slow Cooker Chicken Stew
This is made with boneless skinless chicken breasts & a combination of fresh & frozen produce. All are simple, inexpensive items that you likely buy often or already have in your fridge, freezer, and pantry.
This recipe is dairy-free, gluten-free, & made without tomatoes, cream, or any processed canned condensed soups. Just real whole foods for real amazing results.
- Boneless Skinless Chicken Breasts - cut into bite-size pieces; thighs can be substituted
- Carrots - large diced with peel on or off
- Potatoes - thin skinned boiling potatoes (yukon gold, white, or red) so no peeling is needed.
- Onion - white or yellow cut into small pieces
- Garlic - fresh cloves minced
- Chicken Broth - the base for the liquid, use homemade chicken bone broth or cubes/powder or better than bouillon to make it
- White Wine - for deep flavor that makes this taste gourmet
- Spices - thyme, sage, & black pepper
- Cornstarch - to make a slurry to thicken the stew
- Frozen Peas - fresh can be used but don't use canned (too mushy)
See the recipe card for quantities.
How to Make Chicken Stew in the CrockPot
It takes just 10 minutes to prep this recipe. It can be even faster if you buy precut ingredients.
Make sure when cutting up the meat & veggies you do so so they are similar in size. The uniformity ensures they cook evenly and are all done at the same time.
Here are the easy steps for making gluten-free chicken stew in the CrockPot.
- Prep the Ingredients
- Slow Cook in the CrockPot
1 - Prep the Ingredients
Using a sharp chef's knife, begin by mincing two cloves of garlic and dicing the onion. Set aside.
If you are using chicken bouillon cubes or powder, make the chicken broth so you have 3 cups.
For everything you cut, make sure they are the same size for best cooking results. Dice the boneless skinless chicken breast into bite-size chunks.
Cut the potatoes into chunks and carrots into slices (medium-sized) like seen here. I leave the skin on the potatoes but peel the carrots (peel on or off is ok)
2 - Slow Cook in the Crock-Pot
Once everything is diced up. Dump all the chopped ingredients into the crock of your slow cooker (not the peas!). Sprinkle on all the spices & cover with the white wine and chicken broth. Stir to combine.
Set the slow cooker temperature to low for 8 hours. At the 7 hour mark it should look like this.
In the final hour ladle out ¼ cup of the broth and set aside in a small bowl. Let it cool for a few minutes & then whisk in the cornstarch to form a paste.
Add it back into the stew along with the frozen peas. Stir and cook for the final hour - when the potatoes & carrots are fork tender it is ready.
Hint: this stew is pretty forgiving. It can be ready in 4 hours on high or it can be left to "stew" for up to 10 hours on low and still come out great. Ideal for either a fast weekend last minute supper or a long busy workday.
Serving, Storing & Reheating
Taste test the soup and season with salt & pepper if needed. Ladle into individual soup bowls or mugs. Enjoy!
Store leftovers in the fridge for up to 3 days in an airtight container. Reheat in the microwave or stovetop, see notes in the recipe card below.
This stew freezes well for up to a month since there is no cream or milk. Defrost in the fridge for 2 days and then reheat.
What to Serve with Chicken Stew : This a complete meal on its own with carbs, protein, & veggies. Enjoy as is or serve with some homemade no knead bread or a salad.
Here are a few side dish recipes I recommend:
Substitutions & Variations
Here are a few ways to customize this traditional stew into something your whole family will love. Including is a few dietary substitutions if needed as well.
- Chicken - use boneless skinless thighs or turkey tenderloins dices instead of the breast meat.
- Spicy - turn up the heat and add 1 tablespoon of your favorite hot sauce or Thai chili garlic sauce to the stew.
- Low-Sodium - use low sodium broth if needed for health reasons.
- Creamy Chowder - add ½ cup heavy cream along with the peas in the final step
- White Wine - don't cook with or have alcohol, ok to omit it.
Recipe Tips & Behind the Scenes
Here's my recipe for success - including what I learned when testing, fun stories, recipe history, and more.
- #1 Tip - cut the chicken & vegetables in uniform sizes so they are the same & cook evenly.
- A medium-sized Crockpot is needed. Make sure yours is at least 4 quarts. I recommend a 6 quart CrockPot for best results.
- I love to buy mega packs of meat when on sale & cook 2-3 chicken breast recipes in one day for meal planning all week. the ultimate time & money $ saver!
- For a quicker version, cook on high for 4 hours and add the peas & slurry in the final 30 minutes.
- The first time I made this I used 4 cups of broth, it was too "soupy". I prefer it with 3 cups for a chunkier "stoup" - the term Rachael Ray used often for between a soup and stew.
- Enjoyed this recipe? Try my recipe for Slow Cooker Chicken Corn Soup.
LOVE THIS RECIPE & WANT TO SEE MORE?
FAQ
It is typically based on the liquid to ingredient ratio. Soups are more broth or liquid-based with small diced ingredeitns where stews are heartier with bigger chunks and less stock or liquids. Stews also are often thickened (almost gravy-like coating the meat & veggies) in the final stages like this recipe.
Though it has chunks of potatoes, it is not considered a chowder. Typically chowders are defined as stews that are cream or tomato based - similar to clam chowder as an example.
Slow Cooker Chicken Stew
Equipment
- Slow Cooker 6-quart size works best
Ingredients
- 1.5 pounds boneless skinless chicken breasts cut into chunks
- 1.5 cups carrots ½" thick slices
- 2 cups Yukon gold potato ½" chunks
- 1 medium onion diced
- 3 cups chicken broth
- ¼ cup white wine
- ¼ teaspoon black pepper
- ¼ teaspoon thyme
- ¼ teaspoon sage
- 2 cloves garlic minced
- 1.5 tablespoons cornstarch
- ¾ cup frozen peas
- salt & pepper to taste
Instructions
- Begin by prepping the meat and veggies. When cutting try and make sure the pieces are similar in size for even cooking and easy eating. (you want them to fit on a spoon easily!)
- Using a sharp chef's knife cut the chicken into bite-sized pieces.1.5 pounds boneless skinless chicken breasts
- I recommend peeling the carrots but leaving the skin on the potatoes. Also cut the carrots, potatoes, & onion. Mince the peeled garlic cloves too.1.5 cups carrots , 2 cups Yukon gold potato, 1 medium onion, 2 cloves garlic
- If using bouillon powder or cubes, make the broth so you have 3 cups.3 cups chicken broth
- To the CrockPot insert add the chicken, potatoes, carrots, onions, garlic, & spices. Pour the broth and white wine over everything, stir to combine.¼ teaspoon black pepper, ¼ teaspoon thyme, ¼ teaspoon sage, ¼ cup white wine
- Set the temperature to low and the time for 8 hours. Let the stew cook for 7 hours.
- For the final hour, remove ¼ cup of the broth and place in a small mixing bowl. Let it cool for a few minutes then whisk in the cornstarch. Add the slurry and the frozen peas to the stew, stir to combine. Let it cook for the final hour.1.5 tablespoons cornstarch, ¾ cup frozen peas
- The stew is ready when the carrots and potatoes are fork tender. Taste and season with salt & pepper if needed. Ladle into individual soup bowls or mugs, enjoy while hot.salt & pepper
Notes
- Store leftovers for up to 3 days in the fridge or freeze for 30 days. (freezes well since it is dairy-free).
- Reheat a serving of soup in the microwave for 2 minutes or on the stovetop over medium heat for 5-7 minutes.
- Boneless skinless thighs can be used instead of breast meat.
- Try other thin skinned potatoes such as white or red instead of yukon gold.
- For a creamy chowder variation, add ½ cup heavy cream along with the frozen peas in the final step.
Nutrition
More Slow Cooker Chicken Recipes
Want more ways to cook chicken in the Crock-Pot? Try these other CrockPot Recipes:
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