This is one of those dishes that soothes the soul, and is a healthy comfort food. For those of you who are homemade chicken soup lovers, this recipe takes it up a notch into a flavorful stew, thick with shredded meat and chunks of tasty vegetables. This takes a bit of time to prepare at the beginning, but finishes cooking in the slow cooker to free you up for hours before dinner time. If you are getting tired of beef stew as the only stew you make in the slow cooker, give this chicken one a try! I serve it in a big shallow bowl, with warm bread and butter on the side.
TIPS: Using the boneless chicken thighs in the recipe ensures the chicken stays moist, and the results with boneless chicken breasts would not be nearly as good. This makes for great leftovers and freezes well also. If you have homemade chicken stock on hand, that will make this recipe incredible.
Chicken Vegetable Stew
Equipment
- Slow Cooker
Ingredients
- 3 lbs boneless, skinless chicken thighs
- kosher salt and pepper
- 3 Tbsp vegetable oil
- 1 large onion chopped fine
- 1/3 C flour
- 4 – 5 garlic cloves minced
- 1 Tbsp tomato paste
- 2 tsp fresh thyme minced, or 1/2 tsp dried
- 4 C low sodium chicken broth divided
- 1/2 C dry white wine
- 10-12 oz red potatoes, unpeeled, cut into 1/2 inch chunks
- 4 carrots, peeled and sliced 1/4 inch thick
- 2 bay leaves
- 1 C frozen peas
- 2 Tbsp minced parsley (optional)
Instructions
- Pat chicken dry with paper towels and season with salt and pepper. Heat 1 Tbsp oil in a deep 12 inch skillet (or dutch oven) until very hot, over medium-high heat. Brown half the chicken, on each side, about 4 minutes per side, and transfer chicken to slow cooker. Repeat with another 1 Tbsp oil and remaining chicken.
- Heat remaining oil in the now empty skillet. Add onion and cook until softened and lightly browned, about 5-6 minutes. Stir in tomato paste, garlic and thyme and cook until garlic is fragrant, about 30 seconds to 1 minute. Quickly stir in flour and cook about 1 more minute. Slowly whisk in wine first, then 2 cups of broth, scraping up any browned bits and removing any lumps. Stir in potatoes and carrots and bring to a simmer. Cover, reduce heat to medium-low, and simmer just until vegetables begin to soften on the edges, but are not cooked through, about 10 minutes. Transfer mixture to slow cooker, on top of chicken.
- Stir remaining 2 cups of broth and bay leaves into the slow cooker. Cover, and cook on LOW for about 4 hours, until chicken is tender and cooked through.
- Transfer chicken to a cutting board, and shred into large chunks using 2 forks. Discard bay leaves.
- Add chicken back into slow cooker and add the peas. Stir, and then leave until heated through and peas are cooked, about 5-10 minutes. Stir in parsley if using, and add salt and pepper to taste. Serve hot.
- Enjoy!