I love rainy or snowy days! It could be because we almost always have sunny weather where I live, but cloudy and cold days are honestly my favorite. Add that rain or snow, and it’s the perfect weather for me. Even though it is now Spring, the weather where I live has been cold, rainy, and snowy… so I have been loving it!
With that wonderful weather, I crave a nice bowl of soup. I must confess that I actually make soup all year, though, no matter the weather. Unfortunately, I am the only one in my family who likes soup that much. My daughter is learning to enjoy it, but my son is just not a fan. My husband hasn’t quite been converted either, although he is always a great sport about it.
In an effort to find a nice hearty soup for everyone in my family to enjoy, I stumbled across quite a few stew recipes online. Now don’t get me wrong, I love stew just as much as I love soup, but I never realized how many types of stews there are. The thought of making chicken stew had never even occurred to me. I have always made beef stew or chicken noodle soup, so the idea of combining what I enjoy about both into one dish sounded amazing. So, this recipe was born.
To begin this recipe’s development, I thought about how making anything in the Crockpot is always a win for me. I knew using the slow cooker was absolutely necessary for me. I then loaded my chicken stew with chicken and vegetables. I used chicken tenderloins because I really like how easily they shred into small pieces for dishes like this, but chicken breast or even another cut of chicken would work really well too! (Side note: I love buying those giant bags of frozen chicken tenderloins and chicken breasts at Sam’s Club, and this recipe is a perfect use for those.)
This chicken stew can simmer all day in the slow cooker, making it perfect for any night of the week… whether they are those awesome cold days, or not. I added a roux (a thickener for sauces made with flour and butter) with milk during the last hour of cooking to thicken the stew and to add a little richness. You could certainly test out using a cornstarch slurry to thicken the stew instead, but I always prefer the taste of a roux when thickening sauces and soups.
Serve this chicken stew with bread and maybe even a side salad, and you have a complete meal in no time. This delicious chicken stew is sure to be a hit! Enjoy!
Chicken Stew
Ingredients
- 5 to 6 chicken tenderloins, or 2 chicken breasts
- 1 large russet potato, peeled and diced
- 1½ cup carrots, diced
- 1 cup celery, diced
- 4 cups chicken broth
- 1 small onion, diced
- ½ tsp minced dried garlic
- ¼ tsp dried parsley
- ¼ tsp dried oregano
- ¼ tsp dried thyme
- ¼ tsp dried basil
- ¼ tsp dried rosemary
- 2 tbsp butter, unsalted
- ¼ cup flour
- 1½ cups milk
- salt and pepper, as needed
Instructions
- Add all of the ingredients, except the butter, flour, milk, and salt/pepper, to the slow cooker. (You may want to use a liner for easier cleanup.)
- Place the lid on the slow cooker and cook on low for 6 to 8 hours.
- One hour before serving (after the stew has cooked for 5 to 7 hours), take out the chicken from the slow cooker and shred it.
- Place the shredded chicken back into the slow cooker.
- In a small saucepan, add the butter and flour. Whisk the butter and flour together over medium heat until the butter is fully melted and the flour has mixed fully with the butter. Continue to whisk together for 2 to 3 minutes to cook the flour.
- Add the milk to the saucepan, whisking the entire time to avoid lumps.
- Continue cooking over medium heat for several minutes, until the roux has thickened to a thick, pudding-like consistency.
- Pour the roux into the slow cooker with the stew and mix well.
- Place the lid back on the slow cooker and allow the stew to cook for the final hour.
- Taste the stew before serving – add any additional salt or pepper to taste.
- Serve and enjoy!
Notes
- If the stew isn’t thick enough for you, you can double the butter and flour to make a thicker roux (you may need a little more milk too so it’s not too thick).
- If you are using a low-sodium chicken broth, you may need to add more salt at the end than if you are using a chicken broth with more salt already in the broth.
