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Slow Cooker Chicken Stew

Slow cooker chicken stew with fall-apart chicken, chunky potatoes and carrots, and a thickened gravy. Cook on Low until tender, then thicken with a cornstarch slurry for a hearty, spoonable texture.
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Prep Time 20 minutes
Cook Time 6 hours
Total Time 6 hours 20 minutes
Servings: 6 servings
Course: Main Dish
Cuisine: American
Calories: 520
Ingredients Equipment Method Notes

Ingredients
  

Chicken
  • 2 lb bone-in chicken thighs
Vegetables
  • 1 lb baby potatoes
  • 3 carrots
  • 3 celery
  • 1 onion
  • 4 clove garlic
Broth and seasonings
  • 2 cup chicken broth
  • 1 can (10.5 oz) cream of chicken soup
  • 2 tbsp tomato paste
  • 1 tsp dried thyme
  • 1 tsp dried rosemary
  • 1 bay leaf
  • 0.5 tsp salt to taste
  • 0.5 tsp pepper to taste
  • 3 tbsp cornstarch
  • 3 tbsp water for slurry
To serve
  • 0.25 cup fresh parsley for serving

Equipment

  • 1 slow cooker

Method
 

Load the slow cooker
  1. Add baby potatoes, carrots, celery, and onion to the bottom of the slow cooker in an even layer with cut sides facing down where possible.
  2. Nestle bone-in chicken thighs on top of the vegetables so they contact the bottom for even cooking; tuck garlic around the chicken.
  3. Pour chicken broth and add cream of chicken soup and tomato paste, then sprinkle in dried thyme, dried rosemary, and bay leaf.
Cook until chicken is tender
  1. Cover and cook on LOW for 6-8 hours until the chicken is very tender and the vegetables are softened.
Shred and thicken the stew
  1. Carefully remove chicken thighs, discard skin and bones, and shred the meat back into the stew.
  2. Remove the bay leaf, then stir cornstarch slurry (cornstarch mixed with water) into the hot stew to prevent lumps.
  3. Switch to High and cook for 20 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the gravy thickens and clings to the chicken and vegetables.
  4. Season with salt and pepper to taste, then garnish with fresh parsley before serving.

Notes

For the thickest gravy, make the cornstarch slurry with cool water and stir it in after removing the bay leaf, then cook on High for the full 20 minutes. Refrigerate in a covered container up to 4 days; reheat gently on the stovetop or in the microwave. Freeze up to 3 months, thaw overnight in the fridge, and reheat until hot. For a lower-sodium option, use no-salt-added cream of chicken soup and reduce added salt at the end.