This delicious creamy slow cooker chicken stew is a hearty dish perfect for chilly nights! Made with chicken breasts or thighs, carrots, potatoes and peas this is a family favorite recipe that couldn’t be easier to make.
Slow-simmered stews are so flavorful and delicious, and worth the time they take to cook. Often I’ll use my oven or the stovetop to cook a stew, but I think you can get equally delicious results using a slow cooker, giving you the freedom to be away from home while it cooks.
I also love to make Instant pot chicken stew, but that definitely requires you to be at home. I’d aim for at least once stew per month from November through January.
Why this recipe works
This is one of those dump-and-go slow cooker recipes, simply throw everything into the slow cooker and walk away! The vegetables and chicken will cook in the same amount of time (stews are very forgiving), and then you’ll finish it off with a little heavy cream and thicken with a corn starch slurry.
Ingredients you’ll need
- Boneless, skinless chicken. I’ve made this with both chicken breasts and chicken thighs and both work well, so I would just use whatever you have on hand.
- For the vegetables, this stew uses a classic base of onions, carrots and celery. I also add potatoes for some heartiness, and finish it off with some frozen peas after the stew is done cooking.
- For flavor, the stew leans on olive oil, garlic, bay leaves and dried thyme. I also use tomato paste for a little bit of umami–don’t worry, it doesn’t add any red color to the finished dish.
- For the liquid, use a combination of chicken broth, white wine and heavy cream.
- If you’d like to thicken the stew (which is optional), I use a corn starch slurry. Which is a combination of corn starch and water.
Expert tips
- Make sure to cut your vegetables, in particular the carrots and potatoes, into uniform size so that they cook evenly in the crockpot.
- I love adding a little bit of olive oil to dishes that are being made in a slow cooker because it adds a little bit of fat which helps the final dish be more satisfying.
- To thicken the stew, create a corn starch slurry by mixing together equal parts corn starch and water, stir it into the stew while it is still warm to thicken.
- Because the white wine isn’t getting cooked off in the same way it would if you were making this on the stove, you’ll only use a really little bit for this recipe. You can also omit completely.
Variations
- You can add additional vegetables like corn or green beans. I would add both of these when the stew is done cooking, they’ll cook with the residual heat.
- Try adding different herbs, you could add dried oregano or dried rosemary. You could also add fresh herbs like rosemary or thyme.
- You can omit the cream and opt for a less creamy chicken stew.
Serving suggestions
I love to serve this stew with some crusty bread on the side. Because it has potatoes directly in the dish, I don’t find that it needs starch like rice or noodles. This goes well with a bright spinach salad.
Other stew recipes
This recipe was originally published on November 3, 2014 and updated on Feb 11, 2023.
Slow Cooker Chicken Stew
Ingredients
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts, or thighs, about 1.5 lbs cut into ½" cubes
- ½ lb Yellow or white potatoes, peeled and cut into ½" chunks
- 2 carrots, peeled and sliced into half moons
- 1 celery, finely chopped
- 1 onion, finely chopped
- 3 cloves garlic, minced
- 2 tablespoon white wine
- 1 tablespoon tomato paste
- 1 teaspoon salt
- ½ teaspoon dried thyme
- 3 cups chicken broth, low sodium
- 2 bay leaves
- 2 tablespoon corn starch
- 2 tbsp water
- ½ cup peas
- ¼ cup heavy cream
Instructions
- In a slow cooker insert, toss cubed chicken with potatoes, carrots, celery, onion and garlic with olive oil. Add white wine, tomato paste, salt and dried thyme. Pour over chicken broth and add bay leaves.
- Cover and cook on low for 6-8 hours.
- Combine corn starch with water in a small bowl. When stew is done cooking, remove bay leaves and add in peas, heavy cream and slurry. Stir to chicken and cook peas.
Notes
- Make sure to cut the carrots and potatoes into similar-sized pieces so they cook in the same amount of time–the carrots should be slightly smaller than the potatoes.
- If you prefer a thinner stew, you can skip the corn starch slurry completely.
Kelly W
The instructions does not include the olive oil which is the first ingredient. What is the olive oil for and when do you use it in the recipe?
Louisa Clements
Hi Kelly, good catch. The olive oil is added in the first step. I’ve updated the recipe now!
Jo
This stew is delicious. I have made it about 10 times, sometimes with chicken breast, usually with chicken thigh and it’s great both ways. I have even blended it to make soup once after having dental work and it was an amazing soup. Olive oil is listed in the ingredients but it doesnt say what to do with it, so I just add it in at the beginning…?
Rowan
I have a medical condition and can only eat a few things. This is one of them. I’ve made this 2x and loved it. I’m making again tomorrow. It’s a lot of food for one so I freeze it. I use chicken thighs instead of chicken breast. I can’t have the tomato paste. I do add additional spices. I also add grated colby jack cheese to each serving. Man is it GOOOD!!
Deb Prentice
Looks very yummy however it is loaded with sodium which makes this an unhealthy recipe.
Louisa Clements
Hi Deb! I’d recommend using low-sodium chicken broth or water if you are concerned about sodium levels. You can also season to taste! I hope you give it a try.
Patty Gordon
Just shared this on my Facebook page Beginners Guide to Wine! Looks yummy!!!!
Lou
Thank you Patty! Much appreciated. :)
Sarah | Broma Bakery
OK, this looks fantastic. Stew is the most comforting, I’d say, going into the winter months. Yours looks perfect! Pinned!
Lou
Thank you, Sarah! Let me know if you give it a try.
Helen @ Scrummy Lane
I’m always looking for delicious winter stews, and this one sure looks and sounds like a winner! I love the sound of the beautiful strawberry-flavoured wine!
I bet this would work really well in a crock pot, too!
Lou
Thank you, Helen! It would definitely work wonderfully in a crock pot :)
Fiori
This is the best chicken stew I have ever eaten! Thanks for the recipe!
Lou
Glad you enjoyed it, Fiori! Thanks for letting me know.