Slow Cooker Chicken Stew
with carrots and potatoes over polenta
You’ll love how easy this hearty stew comes together when your slow cooker does the work. I use bone-in chicken for some extra flavor. Vegetarians will use dried beans which will absorb all the flavors of the stew as they cook to a creamy consistency. Even if you’re a carnivore, choose the vegetarian version if you’re looking to save some money - dried beans are an inexpensive source of protein! Spoon over creamy polenta for a rustic fall dish. Our paleo folks will be making pureed garlic cauliflower instead.
Ingredients
- Milk, cream, or half and half - 2/3 cup
- Salt - 1/2 tsp
- Polenta - 2/3 cup, dried and uncooked ((May also be known as cornmeal. You can also sub cooked polenta))
- Parmesan cheese (opt) - 1/4 cup
- Skinless bone-in chicken - 2 lbs ((I used drumsticks))
- Onions - 1, chopped
- Carrots - 1 lb, chopped
- Russet potatoes - 1, cubed
- Cooking oil - 2 Tbsp
- Diced tomatoes (14 oz / 397 g can) - 1 can, drained
- Rosemary - 2 sprigs
- Bay leaves - 2
- Tomato paste - 1/4 cup
- Chicken stock - 3 cups
- Salt - 1 tsp
- Black pepper - 1/4 tsp
Nutrition Facts
Prep
- Chicken - Season with salt and pepper and tenderize with a fork. (Can be done night before)
- Onions / Carrots / Potatoes - Prep as directed. (Can be done up to 3 days ahead)
- Sear chicken (optional but otherwise the chicken looks kinda pale and sad) - Heat up a skillet over medium-high heat. Add cooking oil and then sear on each side for 3 minutes, until golden. (Can be done night before)
- Start slow-cooking - Place seared chicken, onions, carrots, potatoes, diced tomatoes, rosemary, bay leaves, tomato paste, stock, 1 tsp.(5 ml) salt, and ¼ tsp. (1.23 ml) pepper in a slow cooker. Cook on low for 8 hours or on high for 4 hours. (Can be done night before)
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Make
- For polenta, use 3x the amount of water and the same amount of dairy as polenta. Combine water and dairy in a saucepan (or rice cooker - yes, you can make it in a rice cooker!). Add in ½ tsp. (2.5 ml) salt and then stir in polenta. Cover and bring to a boil, keeping a watchful eye on it as the dairy can easily boil over. Cook uncovered at a simmer until polenta has absorbed all the liquid. Finish with parmesan cheese if using.
- Season chicken stew to taste with salt and pepper. I added quite some hot sauce to mine for a kick as well. Fish out rosemary stems and bay leaves and serve stew over creamy polenta.
Nutrition Facts
Reviews
Ratings
25 reviews
Stew was tasty but watery, I think I'll halve the broth next time. I used half thighs and half drumsticks. Base was a disaster. Put way too much garlic (2x, seemed like a good idea at the time) in the cauliflower and the microwave didn't cook it adequately so it was basically cauliflower rice (not purée) with an overwhelming amount of raw garlic and was inedible. Next time I'll roast the cauliflower and garlic to avoid this.
0 HelpfulThis was really great! I reduced the tomato paste to just one tablespoon, used spicy red pepper diced tomatoes, and added crushed red peppers, cayenne, and garlic powder. We made the polenta with the Parmesan cheese and 1/3rd cup of whipping cream -- loved it. Ate it on the side instead of with the stew on top.
0 HelpfulThis was absolutely delicious and I love having leftovers. I replaced the diced tomatoes with a 28 oz can of crushed tomatoes and also added some corn. This is perfect cool weather eating!
0 Helpful