This is the faster way I make Chicken Stew – using boneless chicken thigh fillets cut into large pieces, simmered with vegetables until tender in a rich, dark stew sauce. It’s a Chicken Casserole made in an hour, but tastes like it’s been simmering all day!
More chicken stew options: Slow Cooked Chicken Stew, Coq au Vin and Chicken Fricasée (creamy French Chicken Stew, reader favourite!).
Chicken Stew – faster!
I feel like the word “stew” conjures up visions of slow cooked goodness that’s been simmering on the stove all day. And our patience is always rewarded with the deep flavours you can only achieve through slow cooking. Beef Stew, Guinness Stew, slow cooked Chicken Stew and Pot Roasts.
This speedier Chicken Stew is for all the days when you want the slow cooked flavour – fast! It takes under an hour to make, and it’s loaded with plenty of veggies and potatoes swimming in a rich stew sauce!
This speedier Chicken Casserole tastes like it’s been simmering all day… look at that rich sauce!!
Flavour Tricks
Here are the things in this recipe that ups the flavour quota even without slow cooking for hours:
boneless chicken thigh fillets which are juicy enough to withstand the simmering time needed for the sauce to develop beautiful flavours, but cook quicker than using bone-in chicken pieces;
beef broth (stock) instead of chicken broth – beef broth has deeper flavours than chicken stock AND it gives the sauce a deeper brown colour without having to slow cook for ages;
red wine – a good slug adds depth of flavour and again, adds to the rich brown colour of the sauce; and
BACON. Need I explain this point? 😂
There’s a decent amount of veggies in this, so you can serve it as a meal without extra veg sides
How to make Chicken Stew
The total simmering time here is 40 minutes, compared to 1.5 hours for classic Chicken Stew made using bone-in chicken pieces.
Nothing tricky or unusual with this speedier Chicken Stew – we start off browning the bacon and chicken to get all those tasty brown bits on the bottom of the pan which will form part of the flavour base for the sauce.
Then cook off the veggies, add all the stew sauce ingredients, simmer for just 30 minutes until the chicken is tender, then lastly add the mushrooms and greens which don’t take long to cook.
And this is what comes off the stove:
juicy pieces of chicken;
soft vegetables that have sucked up the flavour of the sauce;
little pops of bacon (the BEST bite!);
loads of thick, rich, dark, savoury, herb infused stew sauce.
Seriously. Just tell everyone you’ve been slaving away all day. They’ll totally believe you! – Nagi x
Watch how to make it
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Chicken Stew (Casserole)
Ingredients
- 0.5 tbsp olive oil
- 150g/5oz bacon , chopped
- 750g/ 1.5lb boneless skinless chicken thighs , cut into 3cm / 1.25″ pieces (Note 1)
- 1/2 tsp salt and pepper , each
- 3 garlic cloves , minced (1 tbsp)
- 1 onion , sliced
- 3 carrots , peeled, halved lengthwise, sliced 1cm / 1/3″ thick
- 2 celery stalks , sliced 1cm / 1/3″ thick
- 1 1/2 cups (375ml) red wine (Note 2)
- 4 tbsp flour
- 3 cups (750ml) beef stock/broth , low sodium (or chicken, Note 3)
- 400g/ 14oz crushed tomato , canned
- 2 tsp Worcestershire sauce
- 1/2 tsp salt and pepper , each
- 1 1/2 tsp dried thyme
- 2 dried bay leaves
- 350g/ 12 oz baby potatoes , halved
- 200g/ 6oz mushrooms , halved (large quartered)
- 150g/ 5 oz green beans , trimmed and halved
Instructions
- Place oil and bacon in a large heavy based casserole pot over high heat.
- When the oil is heated and bacon releases some fat, add chicken.
- Sprinkle with salt and pepper and cook, until chicken and bacon is browned.
- Add garlic and onion, cook 1 minute.
- Add celery and carrot, cook 2 minutes.
- Add red wine, allow to simmer rapidly 2 minutes until the winey alcohol smell is gone.
- Add flour, mix until incorporated.
- Slowly pour in half the beef broth while stirring, then pour the rest in.
- Add tomato, Worcestershire, thyme, bay leaves, salt, pepper.
- Stir, add potato.
- Cover, simmer 30 minutes.
- Remove lid, add mushrooms and green beans. Simmer without lid* for a further 10 minutes.
- Serve with crusty bread, sprinkled with parsley if desired!
Recipe Notes:
Nutrition Information:
Life of Dozer
I’m so grateful that food doesn’t move…..😂😂😂
Hi Nagi, can this be done in the oven please? if so what temperature? Love your recipies! Thank you.
Hi, I made this tonight. I followed the instructions on the hob and then transfered to the oven to cook for 30 mins at about 170°. I returned to the hob to add the mushrooms and simmered until the potatoes were cooked and the sauce had thickened. Hope this helps.
This looks super scrummy! If one were to make in the slow cooker, what would you advise?
Really delish, easy to make ,tasty .
We do a family supper every week and I made this yesterday for them, This was so amazing that I still have my family messaging me today saying how good this was, even my grandmother went back for seconds because she loved it so much and she NEVER gets seconds, This is getting put into my recipe box to keep. This was really amazing!! Thank you so much for such wonderful recipes!! 🙂
Yes another winner Nagi, your “stews” are simply the best EVER! Did exactly as written apart from the mushrooms but still came out fantastic. My partner had a sneaky taste with a spoon while it was cooking away and he went routing through the cupboards for his food flask so he could take some to work the day after (he never does that) had it with mini baguette (loads of butter of course) to dip into it all, 100% making this again like most of the recepis I´ve done so far from your blog X
YUM!
Hi Nagy,
Thank you for all your recipes and thoughtfulness..
Regarding your chicken casserole recipes..is it o.k to freeze any of them?
A friend is going to have surgery and I want to cook some meals and freeze them for when she is discharged.
Can you please advise me.
Thank you.
Donna Mayes😊
Hi Donna, yes this one is perfect to freeze!! N x
Got a couple of questions, made your irish beef and Guinness stew the other day and have 3 cans of Guinness left in the fridge that I´d like to use up, if I use that instead of the red wine, then do I use the same amount? Also, if I was to cook it how it says, would it be ok to transfer to a slow cooker on low for a while or would it not be the same? Thanks. X
Fantastic recipe, although I made a few tweaks:
– Didn’t have any beef broth, so used 1 beef and 2 vegetable Oxo cubes crumbled on top and added around half a pint of water.
– Felt the potatoes I used that my dad grew this year would be starchy enough to leave out the flour (thankfully I judged correctly)
– Didn’t have dried bay leaves or dried thyme. Instead I used 2 big tsp of Ragu spices (tomato based with herbs and a smoky flavour and dried garlic slices) and dried oregano.
– As well as Worcestershire sauce I added balsamic vinegar to cut through the acidity of the canned, chopped tomatoes.
– Added frozen, chopped butternut squash to also sweeten the tomato base.
– Added peas with the fresh green beans and mushrooms at the end.
I was surprised at how well this stew worked as I was worried that the tomatoes would drown out the flavours, but really didn’t! Thanks for posting the recipe 🙂
Also to add; I made it in my parents old pressure cooker, so cut the cooking time to around half an hour in total.
hi Nagi, just a quick question. Would it be possible to freeze this stew. Thanks
Hi Julie, you sure can! If you want to re-crisp the skin, just pop the chicken under a hot grill. N x
Can this be done in oven
Cooked for dinner tonight, quick easy and delicious will definitely be adding to my favourites ☺
Made this for the second time tonight served with hot crusty buns straight from the oven. It was as loved as the first time around. I didn’t add the wine (who has spare wine) or mushrooms, but delicious and really well received just the same. Thank you Nagi. xx
Hi Nagi would this be ok to make day before i want to eat it making it for party
Have made it before and it was very good
Many thanks Gillian
Yes 100% Gillian! N x
This dish was absolutely fabulous! Full of flavor. I used little steamer potatoes and Pinot Noir. Added a little cornstarch at the end to make it a thicker sauce. Great recipe!
Hi Nagi, love ALL your recipes because after so many years my daughter and I now cook together using them.
Quick question for your beef stock – what brand do you use that gives the lovely dark brown colour?
Hi Nola, I use Campbells stock 🙂 N x
Thank you very much! Trying this recipe tonight. X
I liked it. But maybe my Shiraz was too sour For my taste. So the chicken picked up some sourness, but the sauce was fine. Interesting!!:) thanks for sharing Nagi. Love all you recipes. They are so REAL!! Not pretentious!👍
Oh no Christina! A little sugar can offset that 🙂 N x
Can you kindly advise me on cook time if using beef sirloin? Thank you
Try this recipe if you have beef Sinyee: https://discountspot.info/beef-stew/%3C/a%3E%3C/p%3E
Love it!!!! I’m getting ready to try your Bake Ziti tonight 🙂
Enjoy Robbie!!! N x
Hello Nagi, First of all I saw your receipe the first time on facebook but my page was hack so it took me about 6-8 weeks before I could create my page again. I was so disappointed because I couldn’t remember your name or where I saw your receipe. So a few weeks ago your receipe pop-up again and I was so happy. I made it and Nagi the only I change was I add season salt and I used just a little and crush tomato with basil and my husband loved it!! Thank you so much I have made copies so I won’t ever loose this receipe again.
Wahoo! I’m so glad you found me again!!! N x