Chicken Stew

My chicken stew is an extra comforting one-pot meal, filled to the brim with lots of rich flavor. Prepared with tender chunks of paprika-spiced chicken, plus carrots, yellow potatoes, diced tomatoes, spinach and a little kiss of white wine, this hearty chicken stew recipe is the perfect warming and saucy meal to cozy up with!

A Warming, Nourishing, and Extra Cozy Chicken Stew

Whenever I go into my kitchen to work on a new soup or stew recipe, my hubby and I become a bit like kids, excited with the anticipation of enjoying a super comforting meal that’ll warm our bellies later that evening...

We both absolutely adore rich, hearty stews with their rustic ingredients, and find them slightly “romantic” in their beautiful earthiness, their simplicity, and their ability to be so very comforting with a slice or two of our homemade sourdough bread, courtesy of my hubby.

The idea of a big, steaming hot bowl stew at the end of a long work day is utterly pleasurable to us, and I very often find myself imagining new flavor combinations to put together for us to be nourished by.

This delicious and easy chicken stew recipe is our latest favorite love-in-a-bowl meal, prepared with very simple ingredients that have just the right amount of rich flavor with a bit of brightness, perfect to ladle up and find some pleasure in.

Tender chunks of chicken are seasoned with a hint of both sweet and smoked paprika for a little zesty-ness, and I also add in baby yellow potatoes, carrots, and onions, a small hint of wine, plus finely diced tomatoes and some baby spinach leaves at the end.

The result is a delectably aromatic and lightly spiced chicken stew, perfect as a healthy-yet-satisfying dinner any night of the week!

How to Make Chicken Stew

I find that soups and stews always taste better as their ingredients and flavors mingle together a bit, not to mention there’s the added convenience of having a hearty and comforting meal on hand to simply ladle up and reheat after a long day!

For my chicken stew recipe, I opt for skinless and boneless chicken thighs, as these remain mouthwateringly juicy and flavorful when simmered in a stew such as this, as opposed to skinless and boneless chicken breast which would tend to become a bit dry after a slightly longer cooking process.

As far a veggies go, I love the combination of buttery, yellow baby potatoes, carrots, and onions, and add in a can of finely diced tomatoes (drained of juices) as well. Some chopped baby spinach is added in at the end, and allowed to simply wilt into the stew.

Then, of course, there are the aromatic ingredients, which provide so much flavor! I like to use a combo of sweet paprika and smoked paprika, a bay leaf, garlic, ground caraway seeds, and a touch of white wine.

Here's a glance at how I make my chicken stew: (or just jump to the full recipe...)

1. To begin, I season and sear my chicken in a medium-large or large soup pot until golden; then, remove the chicken and add in my aromatics, and cook those for a few minutes.
2. Next, I add a touch of flour and some chicken stock, followed by the wine, the seared chicken, carrots, potatoes, and bay leaves. The chicken stew is then gently simmered for roughly 45 minutes, or until the potatoes and carrots are tender.
3. To finish, I add in the baby spinach, allowing it wilt into the hot stew, followed by the fresh parsley, just before serving.

Recipe

Chicken Stew

by Ingrid Beer

Print Recipe

This warming chicken stew, brimming with hearty vegetables and savory spices, is complete coziness in a bowl!

Category: Entree
Cuisine: American

Yield: Serves 6

Nutrition Info: 449 calories per serving

Prep Time: 30 minutes
Cook time: 55 minutes
Total time: 1 hour, 25 minutes

Ingredients:

• 1 ½ pounds skinless, boneless chicken thighs, cut into medium-large chunks
• Salt
• Black pepper
• 1 tablespoon plus 1 teaspoon sweet paprika, divided use
• 2 teaspoons smoked paprika, divided use
• 1 teaspoon granulated onion
• 1 teaspoon granulated garlic
• 6 level tablespoons all-purpose flour, divided use
• Olive oil
• 2 tablespoons unsalted butter
• 1 onion, chopped
• 4 cloves garlic, pressed through garlic press
• 1 teaspoon ground caraway seeds
• ½ teaspoon ground white pepper
• 6 cups chicken stock or broth
• ¼ cup dry white wine
• 2 bay leaves
• 3 large carrots, peeled and cut into chunks (about 1”)
• 1 pound baby yellow potatoes, halved or quartered
• 1 (15 ounce) can finely diced tomatoes, drained of juices
• 1 cup (packed) baby spinach leaves, roughly chopped
• 1 tablespoon chopped parsley

Preparation:

1. Begin by gathering and prepping all of your ingredients according to the ingredient list above to have organized and ready for use.
2. Place the chicken thigh chunks into a large bowl. Sprinkle over a couple of good pinches of salt and black pepper, 1 teaspoon of the sweet paprika, 1 teaspoon of the smoked paprika, all of the granulated onion and garlic, plus 2 tablespoons of the flour, and toss well to coat the pieces.
3. Next, place a large Dutch oven or soup pot over medium-high heat, and drizzle in about 3-4 tablespoons of the olive oil; once hot, add about half of the seasoned chicken thigh chunks and allow them to sear for a few minutes until slightly golden. Remove from pot and repeat with the remainder of the chicken thigh pieces, then remove those from the pot as well, and set aside for a moment.
4. Reduce the heat under the pot to medium now, and add the butter to the pot; once melted, add in the chopped onion along with a couple more pinches of salt and black pepper, and allow it to saute for about 5 minutes, until softened.
5. Next, add in the garlic, the rest of the sweet paprika and the smoked paprika, the caraway seeds and the white pepper, and stir until the mixture is aromatic, about 30 seconds to 1 minute.
6. Sprinkle in the remaining flour (4 tablespoons), and stir to incorporate it into the mixture for a moment; then, slowly whisk in the chicken stock (or broth) until smooth.
7. Add in the white wine, the bay leaves, the carrots, potatoes and diced tomatoes, along with the browned chicken thigh pieces, and bring the mixture to a vigorous simmer; then, reduce the heat and allow the stew to gently simmer, uncovered, for about 45 minutes, or until the carrots and potatoes are tender, stirring occasionally.
8. Finish the chicken stew by adding the chopped baby spinach and the parsley, allowing the spinach to just wilt into the stew; ladle into bowls and serve with bread, if desired.

Tips & Tidbits for my Chicken Stew:

• Skinless, boneless chicken thighs for flavor: Nothing beats chicken thighs when it comes to a rich flavorful chicken stew. What's great about them is that they remain nice and tender, more forgiving, even if cooked for an extended period of time.
• Baby potatoes, yellow or red: I opt for waxy potatoes in my chicken stew, because I appreciate their slightly more buttery flavor. Russets can be substituted in a pinch, but they are starchier and will have a different texture than the waxy. You can use either yellow or red, and if available, choose baby potatoes. Otherwise, cut larger potatoes into smaller chunks.
• Aromatic seasoning for some zip: The combo of both sweet and smoked paprika is really nice here, and these even add some reddish color. I also sprinkle in ground caraway seeds (these are not fennel seeds, but do look similar), and add a couple of bay leaves for a mellow earthy note.
• A kiss of white wine, or leave it out: I'm using just a ¼ cup of white wine in this stew, but if you prefer to leave the alcohol out, feel free to do so. You can sub ¼ cup more of the chicken stock or broth in that case, and perhaps add a teeny squeeze of lemon into the stew at the very end for some very mild “zip”.

Hungry for more cozy stew and soup recipes? Check out this Pork Stew, this Lentil Chili, this Chili Verde, this Philly Cheesesteak Stew, or this Harvest Stew with Smoked Sausage!