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Slow Cooker Chicken Stew

Slow cooker chicken stew with fall-apart chicken thighs and a thick, gravy-like finish. It cooks low for hours with chunky potatoes and carrots, then thickens with a quick cornstarch slurry.
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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
  

bone-in chicken thighs
  • 2 lb bone-in chicken thighs
baby potatoes
  • 1 lb baby potatoes halved
carrots
  • 3 carrots cut into thick rounds
celery
  • 3 celery sliced
onion
  • 1 onion diced
garlic
  • 4 cloves garlic minced
chicken broth
  • 2 cup chicken broth
cream of chicken soup
  • 1 can (10.5 oz) cream of chicken soup
tomato paste
  • 2 tbsp tomato paste
dried thyme
  • 1 tsp dried thyme
dried rosemary
  • 1 tsp dried rosemary
bay leaf
  • 1 bay leaf
cornstarch and water slurry
  • 3 tbsp cornstarch
  • 3 tbsp water to thicken
parsley
  • 0.25 cup fresh parsley for serving (chopped)
salt and pepper
  • salt and pepper to taste

Equipment

  • 1 slow cooker

Method
 

Load the slow cooker
  1. Add the baby potatoes, carrots, celery, and onion to the bottom of the slow cooker in an even layer, so the vegetables cook through uniformly.
  2. Nestle the bone-in chicken thighs on top, then tuck the minced garlic around them.
  3. Pour in the chicken broth, and add the cream of chicken soup, tomato paste, dried thyme, dried rosemary, and bay leaf.
Slow cook
  1. Cover and cook on Low for 6-8 hours until the chicken is very tender and easily pulls apart.
  2. If you’re short on time, cook on High for 3-4 hours until the chicken is very tender.
Shred and thicken
  1. Remove the chicken thighs to a plate, discard the skin and bones, and shred the meat into bite-size pieces.
  2. Remove the bay leaf from the stew, then stir in the cornstarch slurry (cornstarch mixed with water).
  3. Cook on High for 20 minutes, stirring once, until the stew turns thick and gravy-like.
Finish and serve
  1. Return the shredded chicken to the stew and season with salt and pepper to taste.
  2. Garnish with fresh parsley and serve hot.

Notes

For best texture, shred the chicken while it’s warm, then return it and cook just long enough to heat through after thickening. Refrigerate leftovers in a sealed container up to 4 days; freeze up to 2 months (thicken with the cornstarch slurry before freezing for easiest reheating). For a lighter option, use reduced-fat cream of chicken soup or swap with a lower-sodium cream soup to reduce sodium while keeping the same thick consistency.