One Pot Chicken Stew
This post may contain affiliate links. Please see our privacy policy for details.
This hearty and cozy one pot chicken stew is made with juicy chicken, tender potatoes, and all the feel-good veggies in a rich, savory broth!
Featured Comment
I made this last night for dinner, with cornbread. We loved it- followed the directions exactly as written and it was so delish! Fresh thyme, chunky veggies and meat, broth was creamy and silky…it’s going on rotation!
Why you’ll love one pot chicken stew
- A hug-in-a-bowl. This chicken stew is so hearty and so comforting, and it’s just what you need on a chilly, cold, brisk night, warming you from the inside out.
- Packed with tender chicken. Loaded with the most tender, juicy, chicken (thank you, chicken thighs), red potatoes, and all the feel-good veggies, this stew has everything you need all in one. All that’s left is a vessel for dipping – some crusty bread, biscuits, or even some cornbread. Take your pick.
- Literally comes together in one pot. The magic happens in a single Dutch oven (or a heavy pot), making prep and cleanup an absolute breeze.
What is a chicken stew?
Unlike a traditional chicken soup, a chicken stew features a more reduced, thicker consistency made by simmering chicken and vegetables in a rich, savory broth.
Key Ingredients
- Chicken: Boneless, skinless chicken thighs or breasts
- Aromatics and vegetables: onion, carrots, celery, and garlic
- Potatoes: baby red potatoes, russet potatoes, or Yukon Golds
- Broth: dry white wine and chicken stock
- Thickener: all-purpose flour and tomato paste
- Herbs and seasonings: thyme, bay leaves, and parsley
How to make one pot chicken stew
- Prep the chicken. Dice the chicken thighs (or breasts) into uniform 1-inch chunks, then season with salt and pepper.
- Brown the chicken. Heat a splash of oil in a Dutch oven over medium heat. Sear the chicken until they are golden brown on all sides, then remove and set aside on a plate. Pro tip: avoid an overcrowded pot and work in batches or the chicken will steam instead.
- Sauté the aromatics. Stir in the onion, carrots, and celery until tender. Then stir in the garlic until fragrant.
- Whisk in the flour. Stir in the flour and tomato paste until lightly browned (to cook down the raw flour taste). The flour will serve as a natural thickening agent for the stew.
- Deglaze the pot. Pour in the wine (or chicken stock) and gently lift up the caramelized brown bits stuck to the bottom of the Dutch oven.
- Simmer. Pour in the chicken stock and add in the thyme, bay leaves, and browned chicken (along with any juices). Gently simmer until the chicken is very tender, about 20 minutes.
- Add the potatoes. Add in the potatoes and continue simmering until the potatoes are fork-tender and the stew has thickened, about 15 minutes.
- Finish. Remove and discard the thyme sprigs and bay leaves. Season the soup with salt and pepper one final time, then stir in the parsley.
- Serve warm. Ladle the soup into bowls and serve warm with crusty bread for dipping, sopping, and dunking.
How to freeze chicken stew
- Let cool. Let the stew cool completely to room temperature.
- Portion. Portion into plastic freezer bags in individual servings, squeezing out any excess air before sealing.
- Freeze. Lay the bags flat in a single layer in the freezer (this will help them freeze quickly). Label, date, and freeze up to 3 months.
- Reheat. Thaw overnight in the fridge. Then gently reheat on the stovetop over low heat, stirring occasionally, until warmed through.
what to serve with chicken stew
Tools For This Recipe
One Pot Chicken Stew: Frequently Asked Questions
Can I use chicken breasts instead?
Yes! Chicken breasts will work well in place of chicken thighs for leaner, white meat.
Can I repurpose leftover rotisserie chicken?
Absolutely! Using up leftover rotisserie chicken is a huge time-saver. Since it is already cooked, shred the chicken and add towards the very end of cooking time until it is warmed through.
What can I substitute for the white wine?
Additional chicken stock can be used for white wine as a non-alcoholic substitute.
Can I use dried herbs instead?
Absolutely! But because dried herbs are often more potent and concentrated than fresh herbs, you need less when using dry. For example, the correct ratio is 1 tablespoon fresh herbs = 1 teaspoon dried herbs.
Is this freezer-friendly?
Chicken stew is very freezer-friendly, keeping in the freezer for at least 3 months.
One Pot Chicken Stew
This hearty and cozy one pot chicken stew is made with juicy chicken, tender potatoes, and all the feel-good veggies in a rich, savory broth!
Video
Ingredients
- 2 pounds boneless, skinless chicken thighs, cut into 1-inch chunks
- Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 1 medium sweet onion, diced
- 3 carrots, peeled and diced
- 2 ribs celery, diced
- 3 cloves garlic, minced
- 3 tablespoons all-purpose flour
- 1 tablespoon tomato paste
- ½ cup dry white wine
- 2 ½ cups chicken stock
- 4 sprigs fresh thyme
- 2 bay leaves
- 1 pound red potatoes, cut into 3/4-inch chunks
- 2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley leaves
Instructions
- Season chicken with 1 teaspoon salt and 1/2 teaspoon pepper.
- Heat olive oil in a large stockpot or Dutch oven over medium heat. Working in batches, add chicken, and cook, stirring occasionally, until evenly browned, about 6-8 minutes; set aside.
- Add onion, carrots and celery. Cook, stirring occasionally, until tender, about 3-4 minutes.
- Stir in garlic until fragrant, about 1 minute.
- Whisk in flour and tomato paste until lightly browned, about 1 minute.
- Stir in wine, scraping any browned bits from the bottom of the pot.
- Stir in chicken stock, thyme, bay leaves and chicken. Bring to a boil; reduce heat and simmer until chicken is very tender, about 20 minutes.
- Stir in potato; simmer until potatoes are just tender and stew has thickened, about 15 minutes. Remove and discard thyme sprigs and bay leaves. Stir in parsley; season with salt and pepper, to taste.*
- Serve immediately.
Equipment
Notes
- Prep ahead of time. Save time by prepping and dicing the chicken and vegetables ahead of time (minus the potatoes as they will brown if chopped too early).
- Sear the chicken. Browning the chicken first is key here. That dark crust on the chicken will create such richer, deeper flavors in your stew (plus, the browned bits at the bottom of the pot that gets scraped adds so much flavor to the stew). Always work in batches to avoid an overcrowded pan.
- Tomato paste adds so much flavor. Tomato paste is a key ingredient in beef stew, adding body and richness in small amounts without adding too much liquid to the stew. Opt for tomato paste in a tube, using up only what you need at a time without having to open up a whole can.
- Choose a wine you will drink. A dry white wine (pinot grigio or sauvignon blanc) is great here – it does not have to be anything fancy or overpriced. Just something you don’t mind sipping on since you will have an open bottle.
- Sneak in some greens. This is an excellent recipe to sneak in leafy greens for those picky eaters. Spinach, kale, collard greens, swiss chard, or arugula are all great options, stirring in towards the end just until wilted.
- Add a creamy finish. Stir in 1/4 cup heavy cream at the end of cooking time to add body and a velvety finish.
- Adjust the consistency. If the stew is too thick, add a splash of chicken stock. If it is too thin, let it simmer, uncovered, for a few extra minutes or mash some of the potatoes against the side of the pot.
- Freeze in individual servings. Portion the stew into individual servings in freezer-safe storage bags – this will allow for quick and convenient thawing and reheating as needed.
Did you make this recipe?
Tag @damn_delicious on Instagram and hashtag it #damndelicious!
Great soup! I did some home grown dried sage leaves.
My family absolutely love this chicken stew! So good l! I will definitely make this again
Made this in advance of a severe winter storm that would leave us without power. Excellent! I also needed to add in broth (and a little more wine), as the potatoes took way longer than 15 minutes to cook. It is sooo good and I’ll make again.
Can you tell me the nutritional information for this recipe?
This One-Pot Chicken Stew recipe is absolutely amazing! The flavors are rich, comforting, and perfect for any day. Thank you for sharing!
Thank you for sharing this delicious recipe! We had leftovers and now enjoying it for lunch as well. Definitely on rotation!
None of y’all followed the recipe obviously because if you did follow it then you never added the chicken back after setting aside.
The chicken is added back in step 7. Perhaps you did not follow the recipe?
7. Stir in chicken stock, thyme, bay leaves and chicken. Bring to a boil; reduce heat and simmer until chicken is very tender, about 20 minutes.
About to make this, just checking it states to brown chicken in batches then set aside. Do I cook the onion, celery and carrot separately then add the chicken before adding the tomatoe paste?
Thank you
Please make an Instant Pot version of this soup and all your other great recipes!
We will do our very best! 🙂
Picky husband approved! This recipe had excellent flavor. I love your website and make a few of your recipes on rotation. I did add about a cup of broth at the end and subbed the Red potatoes for Russet (we prefer Russet) but I followed the rest to a T. I just added this one to the rotation. Thank you!!
This was so good, and easy! I added extra veggies (red pepper) and some diced green chiles because it was a bit bland. It needed a lot more broth, and the potatoes needed more time. (But I live at 7,000 feet.) I ended up simmering it for about 3 hours total—so chicken was super tender! Next time I’ll know. And there will be a next time!
I would like to sub in boneless chicken breasts. Does the cook time change? I would also like to sub in some sweet potatoes with the potatoes. any suggestions?
This was so delicious and easy to make! I can’t recommend this enough. My family loved it and the leftovers were superb.
So delicious! It was simple, easy to follow and oh boy everyone loved it! Thank you for this recipe, I’ll be making it again :).
I make this on a regular basis, so lovely, thighs instead of breast, give this real flavour, I half it at the potatoe stage as I’m on low carbs, so easy to do, I add a little bit of brown rice, fabulous both finished at the same time, my hubby really enjoys this. Thankyou so much for this recipe.
I made this last night for dinner, with cornbread. We loved it- followed the directions exactly as written and it was so delish! Fresh thyme, chunky veggies and meat, broth was creamy and silky…it’s going on rotation!
Made this tonight. It was great!!!!!!! I added red bell pepper because I had it. Thank you!!!!!
Made this tonight for dinner and it was delicious! The only ingredient I didn’t have on hand was the potatoes, so I served it over rice instead.
So very tasty and a great way to use up the veggies in the fridge.
This made a very delicious stew! I made it almost exactly as written, except for substituting 1/2 cup of chicken broth for the wine. I also needed to add about a half cup of broth near the end. Still, this recipe is a keeper! Everyone loved it. Thanks again, Chungah & team.