Simple Chicken Stew Recipe

This simple chicken stew is packed full of vegetables and is easy to make. There are no real fancy ingredients; this is back to basics, old fashioned cooking at its best.

It’s the perfect warming meal to have on a cold day, or any time you may be in need of some extra nourishment. It can either be made on the stove top, or in a slow cooker.

Table of Contents:

• Why You’ll Love This Recipe
• Ingredient Notes
• Ingredients
• How to Make a Simple Chicken Stew
• Recipe FAQs
• Recipe Card

Why You’ll Love This Recipe

• This simple chicken stew is packed full of vegetables and is easy to make.
• There are no real fancy ingredients; this is back to basics, old fashioned cooking at its best.
• It’s the perfect warming meal to have on a cold day, or any time you may be in need of some extra nourishment.
• It tastes even better the next day.
• A family friendly meal that is both healthy and filling.

Ingredient Notes

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Bone Broth or Stock

I use homemade chicken bone broth for this recipe, but if you don’t have any bone broth to hand then you can use chicken or vegetable stock instead. Just make sure you check the ingredients label on any store bought stock, if you want this recipe to remain gluten and dairy free.

Making your own bone broth is easy and will add extra nutrients to this meal. Learn how to make chicken bone broth.

Chicken

This recipe tastes best with chicken thigh or leg meat, as it’s more tender than chicken breast. You can however use any type of chicken meat that you have available. I like to use the leftover meat from a roast chicken. You only need between 200 – 450g (0.5 – 1 pound) of meat for this recipe.

Dijon Mustard

Including Dijon mustard in this recipe adds a huge depth of flavour to the stew. It tastes quite different to English and American mustard, so if you were to use these instead then it would alter the flavour quite significantly. Stick with using Dijon mustard if you can.

Swede (Rutabaga)

Swede is a root vegetable, which is called Rutabaga if you are in the US. This needs to be peeled and chopped into bite size chunks.

Additional Ingredients

I like to keep my stews quite simple with the ingredients below, but you can add any additional vegetables or herbs that you fancy using.

Broccoli, peas or green beans all work really well in this stew. If you are using frozen vegetables, add these to the pan about 20 minutes after you have added the bone broth (or stock). They can then cook for the remaining 20 minutes or so.

Fresh herbs such as coriander (cilantro), parsley or thyme can also be added towards the end of the cooking time, or sprinkled on top as a garnish before serving.

Ingredients

• 4 tablespoons olive oil
• 2 stalks celery
• 2 onions
• 4 medium size carrots
• 3 cloves garlic
• 1 medium size potato
• 1 swede (rutabaga)
• 1 litre (4 cups) bone broth or stock
• 3 bay leaves
• 1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
• 450g (1 pound) chicken thigh meat
• Salt and pepper to taste

Equipment

• Cast iron Dutch oven or large saucepan
• Chopping / cutting board
• Sharp knife
• Wooden spoon

How to Make a Simple Chicken Stew

Step 1

Chop up all of your vegetables. That’s the onions, carrots, celery, potatoes, swede (rutabaga) and garlic.

Step 2

If you are using leftover chicken that has previously been cooked, then you can skip this step.

Cut your chicken thighs into bite size pieces. Add 2 tablespoons of olive oil to your Dutch oven or large saucepan.

Over a medium high heat cook your chicken thighs until they are sealed (no longer raw on the outside). Then remove from the pan and place to one side on a plate.

Step 3

Add 2 tablespoons of olive oil to your Dutch oven or large saucepan. Cook your chopped onions, carrots and celery on a high heat for roughly 5 minutes, until the onions start to become translucent.

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Step 4

Reduce the temperature to a medium heat and add the potato, swede (rutabaga) and garlic. Cook for another 5 minutes, stirring at regular intervals.

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Step 5

Add 1 tablespoon of Dijon mustard, 3 bay leaves and 1 litre (4 cups) of bone broth or stock to the pan and mix well. Cook on a high heat until the liquid starts to boil.

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Step 6

Place the chicken thighs that you sealed earlier (or at least 200g/ half a pound of chicken leftovers) back in to the pan and cook on a medium high heat for roughly 40 minutes.

The cooking time may vary depending on how small you have chopped up your vegetables. Carrots and potatoes take the longest amount of time to cook. Once they feel soft enough to easily pierce with a fork then the stew is ready.

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Step 7

Taste the stew and then add some salt and pepper if needed. Remove the bay leaves and serve.

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Recipe FAQs

How can I thicken my chicken stew?

If you want to thicken this chicken stew then you can do so by removing a couple of large spoonfuls of the stew and blending it. Once blended into a smooth consistency, return it to the stew and give it a good stir. This will thicken the liquid and make it more of a gravy like texture.

Alternatively, you can whisk together a tablespoon of flour with a tablespoon of cold water in a separate bowl to form a “slurry”.

Once smooth, you can add the mixture to the stew and boil for a few minutes whilst giving it a good stir. If you want to keep this recipe gluten free then be sure to use gluten free plain flour or cornflour.

Can this chicken stew be made in a slow cooker?

Yes. Simply add all of the ingredients into the slow cooker and set to cook on a high heat for 4 hours or low heat for 6 hours. You can leave out the olive oil if you are using a slow cooker, as this is only needed for the browning process (which you won’t be doing).

How do I make my own bone broth?

Bone broth is surprisingly easy to make at home. I make mine using the leftover chicken bones from a roast dinner. Check out my bone broth recipe HERE.

How to store and reheat

This stew can be made ahead of time and kept in the fridge for up to 3 days. It can also be frozen in a suitable container for up to 3 months.

Allow the stew to cool completely before placing it in the fridge or freezer.

You can reheat this stew on the hob in a saucepan, or in a microwave.