Flavourful Slow Cooker Chicken Stew Recipe

Name: Flavorful Crock Pot Chicken Stew Recipe
Prep time: 10 min
Cook time: 8 h
Total time: 8 h 10 min
Yield: 6 servings
Ingredients: 2 whole boneless skinless chicken breasts; 1 whole onion, diced into large chunks; 2 stalks celery, diced; 4 whole carrots, peeled and sliced into rounds; 2 medium Maris Piper or russet potatoes, peeled and diced into bite-sized pieces; 1 whole bay leaf; 2 tsp salt; 1 tsp minced garlic; 0.5 tsp dried thyme; 0.5 tsp poultry seasoning; 950 ml low-sodium chicken stock; 2 tbsp cornflour; 2 tbsp cold water; 1 tbsp fresh parsley, chopped

Source video by Eating on a Dime on YouTube. This recipe was adapted with strict source-fidelity rules.

This easy slow cooker chicken stew is a comforting twist on traditional beef stew, with chicken breasts, root veg, and a fragrant herby broth. Everything goes into the slow cooker with minimal prep, then the chicken is shredded and the sauce thickened with a cornflour slurry at the end. It's filling, family-friendly, and great served with cornbread or a simple salad. Leftovers keep well in the fridge for up to 5 days.

Slow cooker notes: Source is already a slow cooker recipe. Spelling and measurements adjusted to British English (cornflour for cornstarch, stalks for stocks, flavour for flavour). Imperial cup measure for stock converted to ml.

Ingredients

Main

2 wholeboneless skinless chicken breasts
1 wholeonion, diced into large chunks
2 stalkscelery, diced
4 wholecarrots, peeled and sliced into rounds
2 mediumMaris Piper or russet potatoes, peeled and diced into bite-sized pieces

Seasonings

1 wholebay leaf
2 tspsalt
1 tspminced garlic
0.5 tspdried thyme
0.5 tsppoultry seasoning

Liquid

950 mllow-sodium chicken stock

To Thicken

2 tbspcornflour (add late)
2 tbspcold water (add late)

To Serve

1 tbspfresh parsley, chopped (add late)

Method

Place the chicken breasts into the base of a 6 litre slow cooker.
~1 min
Add the diced celery, sliced carrots, diced onion, and diced potatoes on top of the chicken.
~5 min
Add the bay leaf, salt, minced garlic, dried thyme, and poultry seasoning to the slow cooker.
~1 min
Pour over the chicken stock, then cover with the lid.
~1 min
Cook on low for 6 to 8 hours, or on high for 3 to 4 hours, until the chicken shreds easily with two forks and the potatoes are fork tender.
Lift the chicken out and shred it with two forks, then stir it back into the slow cooker. Fish out and discard the bay leaf.
~5 min
In a small jug or measuring cup, whisk the cornflour into the cold water until fully dissolved, then stir the slurry into the stew.
~2 min
Cover and cook on high for a further 20 to 30 minutes, until the sauce thickens to a thin gravy consistency.
~25 min
Ladle into bowls and scatter with chopped fresh parsley to serve.
~2 min

Frequently asked

Can I use chicken thighs instead of chicken breasts?

Yes. Boneless, skinless chicken thighs work very well in this stew and stay extra tender. Use roughly the same total weight and shred them at the end in the same way.

Do I need to thicken the stew with cornflour?

It's optional. Without the slurry the stew will be more soup-like; with it you get a thin gravy that coats the chicken and vegetables, which is closer to a traditional stew.

Can I freeze the leftovers?

It's not recommended. The potatoes go grainy and watery once thawed and reheated. Leftovers will keep in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 5 days, and reheat best in the microwave.

What potatoes work best?

Maris Piper or other floury potatoes give the classic stew texture. Waxy red potatoes or baby potatoes also work and don't need peeling. You can swap in some sweet potato for variety.

Do I need to brown the chicken first?

No. This is a true dump-and-go slow cooker recipe. The poultry seasoning, thyme, garlic and bay leaf build plenty of flavour without browning, which keeps the prep under 10 minutes.

Extraction notes (transparency): All ingredients and quantities taken directly from the description ingredient list, which matches the transcript. Transcript mentions 2 to 3 chicken breasts; description states 2, so 2 used as the canonical quantity.