Chicken Stew

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A hearty Chicken Stew with fall-apart-tender chicken, sweet carrots, smoky bacon, and more, all served in a deeply savory, thick, and luxurious gravy.

Course Main Course, Soup

Cuisine American

Keyword Chicken Stew, Chicken Stew recipe, chicken stew recipes, stew chicken

Prep Time 45 minutes

Cook Time 55 minutes

Total Time 1 hour 40 minutes

Servings servings

Calories 864kcal

Author Chelsea Lords

Cost $15.43

Ingredients

4 slices bacon chopped
2-1/2 up to 3 pounds bone-in, skin-on chicken thighs (Note 1)
1-1/2 cups chunked large carrots (2 large or 1-1/2 cups baby carrots)
2 cups chopped yellow onion (1 large)
1 cup sliced celery (2-4 stalks)
2 teaspoons minced garlic (2 cloves)
1 tablespoon tomato paste
4 cups chicken broth, separated
1-1/4 cups dry white wine, divided (or use 1 cup additional chicken broth plus 1-3 tablespoons white wine vinegar)
2 teaspoons Worcestershire Sauce
2 bay leaves
3 tablespoons unsalted butter
1/3 cups all-purpose, white flour
2 teaspoons each: dried thyme and dried rubbed sage
1 teaspoon smoked paprika
Fine sea salt and black pepper
1-3/4 cups baby Yukon Gold potatoes, washed and quartered/cut into 1-inch pieces (3/4ths pound)
Optional: 2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley (or 1 tsp dried parsley)

US - Metric

Instructions

BACON: Dice bacon and cook in a large cast iron pot (or Dutch oven) over medium heat until bacon browns and fat is rendered. Use a slotted spoon to remove bacon to paper-towel-lined plate, leaving the fat behind.
CHICKEN: While bacon is cooking, pat chicken dry with paper towel. Season lightly with salt & pepper (I add 1/2 tsp of each). Increase heat to high. Add chicken, skin side down, to the pan and sear on each side, browning well (about 3-4 mins per side or until chicken releases without resistance from the pan). Once seared, remove chicken to a bowl. Cover with foil and set aside for now.
VEGGIES: Reduce heat to medium high. Add the carrots, celery and onion to the pan and cook until starting to soften, about 3 minutes. While stirring, add in the tomato paste and minced garlic. Cook for 30 seconds.
BROTH: Increase heat to high. Add 1 cup broth, 1 cup wine (or 1 cup extra broth), Worcestershire sauce, and bay leaves. Keeping heat at high, bring to a rapid simmer and cook, stirring occasionally, until liquid reduces to about 1/3 cup (about 10-15 minutes).
THICKEN: Cut the butter into 3 chunks, add to the pan, and stir to melt. Sprinkle the flour over top of the veggies and stir until smooth, about 1 minute. Gradually whisk in the remaining 3 cups of chicken broth, along with the thyme, sage, and paprika, stirring until smooth. Add in the potatoes and mix through. Return the chicken to the pot (along with any liquid left behind in the bowl). Press under the liquid as much as possible. Simmer, stirring occasionally and scraping the bottom of the pot so it doesn't catch, until chicken registers 165 degrees on a thermometer-- about 20 minutes.
DICE OR SHRED CHICKEN: Remove the chicken and set on a cutting board to cool. Back to the pan: give it a good stir and reduce the heat to low, simmering until potatoes are fully tender. Once chicken is cooled enough to handle, remove and discard skin. Cut the meat into small chunks or shred it with two forks. Once potatoes are fork tender, return chicken to pot along with the remaining 1/4 cup wine (or 1 up to 3 tablespoons white wine vinegar -- add to taste preference) and the bacon. Stir through. Taste and add additional seasonings if needed (we typically add another 1/2 teaspoon each of salt & pepper). Remove and discard bay leaves.
SERVE: Serve in shallow bowls, garnished with parsley, if desired. Serve with some hot, crusty bread. Enjoy!

Video

Notes

Note 1: Chicken thighs: This is about 4-6 thighs (or 3 bone-in, skin-on breasts). To get the richest possible flavor we want bone-in, skin-on chicken thighs. Not only do the bones provide nutrition, they also provide so much flavor. Bones also keep the meat from drying out (juicier chicken!) and help to insulate the meat during cooking. The rich flavors of the marrow seep their way into the meat during the cooking process which enhances the flavor of the entire chicken stew.

Nutrition