Cozy up with this easy Slow Cooker Chicken Stew. Packed with tender chicken, hearty vegetables, and rich flavor, it’s the perfect comfort food with minimal effort!
I’ve teamed up with Dandy® to share today’s slow-cooker recipe. I love to use their celery sticks for extra crunch and flavor. Bonus: they’re pre-washed making for easy ingredient prep!
When I’m craving comfort food, the first thing I usually want is my mom’s beef stew recipe, but the next thing I need is this chicken stew in the crockpot. Tender chicken thighs in a creamy, thick broth with all the veggies. What’s not to crave?
Want more soup recipes? Make this Ham and Potato Soup using Dandy® celery next!
ingredients in this stew
This slow cooker chicken stew is a gluten-free recipe using coconut aminos and tapioca starch, and a gf chicken broth. Substitutions and simple swaps are listed in the recipe card below.
- chicken thighs: you can also use chicken breasts.
- chicken broth: adds a rich flavor to this stew.
- coconut aminos: a nice layer of umami flavor.
- veggies: Dandy® celery, carrots, onions and potatoes. Hearty and filling with lots of texture.
- herbs and spices: minced garlic, salt, pepper, oregano, rosemary and thyme.
- slurry: to thicken we use almond milk and tapioca starch.
how to make the best chicken stew in the slow-cooker
- Season and brown the chicken: This helps sear the chicken for ultimate flavor. If you don’t have time, or don’t want to dirty another pan, you can add whole chicken pieces and shred at the end.
- Add to crockpot: add seared chicken, broth, coconut aminos, veggies, herbs and spices to the slow-cooker. Stir to combine everything together and mix well.
- Cook: LOW for 6-8 hours or HIGH for 4-6 hours.
- Make your slurry: mix almond milk and tapioca starch and pour into slow-cooker. Cook on LOW, uncovered for 30 minutes to allow stew to thicken. Serve and enjoy.
How to make in the Instant Pot
To make this chicken stew in your electric pressure cooker, brown the chicken on all sides using the sauté function and 1 tablespoon of olive oil. Then you can add the veggies, herbs and spices, and cook until fragrant, 1-2 minutes. Add the broth and coconut aminos.
Cook on Manual High pressure for 10-minutes, allowing a 10 minute natural release. Release the remaining pressure via manual release, if needed (use a wooden spoon to open valve)
Press the sauté function and stir in the almond milk slurry and simmer for 4 to 5 minutes until thickened.
How to make on the stovetop
To make this recipe on the stove top, brown the chicken in a large pot or Dutch oven with 1 tablespoon of olive oil. Remove from the pot and set aside on a plate.
Then add the celery, carrots and onion to the same pot and sauté until vegetables are tender, about 3 to 4 minutes. Add in minced garlic and spices and saute for 1-2 minutes, until fragrant.
Add the potatoes, chicken broth and coconut aminos. Bring to a boil, reduce heat and simmer, covered for 30-minutes, or until veggies are tender.
Stir in the almond milk slurry and add to the pot. Simmer for an additional 10-minutes, uncovered.
Can I use chicken breasts instead of thighs?
- You can substitute chicken breasts for thighs. However, chicken thighs tend to be more flavorful and stay tender during slow cooking, while chicken breasts might be a bit drier. But if you’re looking to cut fat, and want to use breast, I suggest cutting the breasts into larger chunks to prevent overcooking.
- You can also add whole breasts and shred when the stew is cooked through.
- Alternatively, you can add in leftover rotisserie chicken or leftover chopped chicken if you have it at the end with the slurry to heat through.
STORAGE TIPS
- To Store. Refrigerate chicken stew leftovers in an airtight storage container in the refrigerator for up to 4 days.
- To Reheat. Rewarm leftovers in a large saucepan on the stovetop over medium-low heat until warm.
- To Freeze. You can freeze chicken stew in an airtight freezer-safe storage container for up to 3 months. Let thaw overnight in the refrigerator before reheating on the stovetop.
what to serve
As-is, this chicken stew is a complete meal, but to stretch it out, feel free to serve with my simple side salad, einkorn cornbread muffins or over mashed cauliflower.
slow cooker chicken stew
Ingredients
- 1 1/2 lb boneless skinless chicken thighs, cut into 1 inch pieces - can also use chicken breast: cut into larger chunks to avoid overcooking if using breast
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- salt and pepper
- 2 ribs Dandy® Celery, diced
- 3 large carrots, diced
- 1 yellow onion, chopped
- 1 lb yukon gold potatoes, diced into ½ inch cubes - can also use Russet or red potatoes
- 6 garlic cloves, minced
- 1 teaspoon salt - plus more to taste
- 1 teaspoon black pepper - plus more to taste
- 1/2 teaspoon dried oregano
- 1/2 teaspoon dried rosemary
- 1/2 teaspoon dried thyme
- 1/2 teaspoon dried sage
- 2 1/2 cups chicken broth, low-sodium
- 2 tablespoon coconut aminos - 1 tablespoon soy sauce or worcestershire sauce (check labels to keep gluten free)
- 1 cup almond milk (unsweetened) - can use any nut milk (unsweetened), cow's milk or heavy cream if not dairy-free.
- 2 tablespoon tapioca starch - or can use arrowroot, cornstarch or flour (if not gluten free)
Instructions
- To a large skillet, add 1 tablespoon olive oil to a large skillet on medium high heat. Add chicken pieces and generously season with salt and pepper (about 1 teaspoon of each) and brown the meat until nicely seared, about 5-6 minutes. You do not need to cook all the way through, just browned to keep juicy. Transfer chicken to crockpot.
- To the slow-cooker, add diced celery, chopped carrots, diced onion, diced potatoes, broth, coconut aminos, minced garlic, dried spices and salt and pepper. Stir to combine everything together and mix well.
- Cover and cook on LOW for 6-8 hours or on HIGH for 4-6 hours.
- Make your slurry: mix almond milk and tapioca starch and pour into slow-cooker. Cook on LOW, uncovered, for 30 minutes to allow stew to thicken. Serve and enjoy.
Notes
- You can substitute chicken breasts for thighs. However, chicken thighs tend to be more flavorful and stay tender during slow cooking, while chicken breasts might be a bit drier. But if you’re looking to cut fat, and want to use breast, I suggest cutting the breasts into larger chunks to prevent overcooking.
- You can also add whole breasts and shred when the stew is cooked through.
- Alternatively, you can add in leftover rotisserie chicken or leftover chopped chicken if you have it at the end with the slurry to heat through.
- To Store. Refrigerate chicken stew leftovers in an airtight storage container in the refrigerator for up to 4 days.
- To Reheat. Rewarm leftovers in a large saucepan on the stovetop over medium-low heat until warm.
- To Freeze. You can freeze chicken stew in an airtight freezer-safe storage container for up to 3 months. Let thaw overnight in the refrigerator before reheating on the stovetop.
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Made this for dinner and served with saltines and some parm cheese. We loved it