Ultra tender flesh and super crispy skin smothered in a thick savoury sauce with vegetables. This Chicken Stew is slow cooked in the oven to develop deep, incredible flavours. The smell that fills the house when it’s in the oven is simply wonderful!
More chicken stew recipe options: Faster Chicken Quick Stew (using bite size chicken pieces), Coq au Vin and Chicken Fricasée (creamy French Chicken Stew, reader favourite!).
Chicken Stew – with crispy skin!
Anyone else here not a fan of slimy chicken skin??
I don’t care how long it’s been slow cooked. And whether it’s a stew, in soup or Hainanese chicken.
No chicken skin comes near my mouth unless it’s crispy or caramelised.
When my mother reads this, I know she’s going to roll her eyes and think”she’s so childish!!”
I don’t care. I love crispy skin. I want crispy skin. Give me all the crispy skin!!! 😂
Slow cooked in the oven for crispy skin!
Because I’m so anti-slimy chicken skin, I like to make my Chicken Stew in the oven rather than on the stove. And unless someone knows a magic trick, the only way to get crispy skin for a stew is in the oven.
Cook it covered for part of the time, then uncover it to let the sauce thicken, make the chicken flesh super tender, the surface of the veggies and edges of the stew caramelise, and – most importantly in my world – to get that chicken skin super crispy!
Don’t have the time to slow cook?
Try my speedier Chicken Stew – made with boneless chicken thighs, this is on the table in an hour but tastes like it’s been cooking all day!
OK, I think I’ve babbled on enough about the chicken skin. Let me move on.
Under the crispy skin -> tender flesh.
Smothering the crispy skin -> thick savoury gravy sauce.
Around the crispy skin -> tender soft vegetables.
😇😇😇
I’m lucky enough to have a big, shallow casserole pot / dutch oven which is absolutely perfect for these kind of stews that go from stove to oven. But if you don’t have one, don’t worry, just tip it all into a baking pan before popping it into the oven.
And – confession time. The reason I cropped out most of the bowl in the photo below is because I ate the chicken before I took this photo. The side you can’t see just has bones, picked completely clean.
I couldn’t resist! Don’t judge me! 😂 – Nagi x
More Stews
Faster Chicken Stew – when you need a rich stew on the table in under an hour!
Classic Beef Stew – fall apart beef in a deep rich sauce
Irish Beef and Guinness Stew – an incredible dark, rich sauce with incomparable flavour
Slow Cooked Beef Stroganoff – fall apart beef in a creamy Stroganoff sauce!
Braised Beef Short Ribs in Red Wine Sauce – truly exceptional, restaurant quality!
Browse all Stew recipes
Classic dinners we’ll love forever
Meatloaf – a family favourite forever and ever!
Chicken Stew
Watch how to make it
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Chicken Stew
Ingredients
- 1 tbsp olive oil
- 1.5 kg / 3lb bone in, skin on chicken thighs and drumsticks (6 to 8 pieces)
- Salt and pepper
- 2 onions , halved and cut into wedges
- 2 garlic cloves , minced
- 3 large carrots , cut thick end into 1.5cm / 3/5″ pieces, thin end 2.5cm/1″
- 4 celery stalks , cut into 2cm / 4/5″ chunks
- 1/2 cup (125 ml) white wine (or water)
- 3 tbsp (35g) flour
- 3 cups (750 ml) chicken broth , low low sodium
- 2 tbsp tomato paste
- 2 tsp Worscestershire sauce
- 3 sprigs thyme , or 1 tsp dried thyme (or other herb)
- 2 bay leaves (dried or fresh)
- 600 g / 1.2lb baby potatoes , halved (quarter large ones)
Serving (optional):
- Fresh thyme or parsley (chopped)
- Warm crusty bread
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 180C/350F.
- Heat oil in a large pot over high heat. Brown chicken on both sides until light golden, sprinkling with salt and pepper. Remove from pot. (Do in 2 batches if pot not big enough).
- If there’s too much oil in the pot, discard some. Add onion and garlic. Cook for 2 minutes until onion is translucent.
- Add carrots and celery, cook for 1 minute.
- Add wine. Stir, scraping the bottom of the pan to dissolve the brown bits into the liquid. Cook for 1 minute until liquid is mostly gone.
- Sprinkle flour across surface, stir.
- Add broth, tomato paste, Worcestershire sauce, thyme and bay leaves. Stir to dissolve tomato paste.
- Place chicken on top, keeping the skin above the liquid level as much as you can.
- Bring to simmer then cover. Bake for 45 minutes.
- Remove from oven, remove lid. Add potatoes, pushing them into the liquid and rearranging chicken so they sit on top (for lovely crispy skin).
- Return to oven without the lid for a further 40 minutes until the chicken skin is deep golden and super crispy, the potatoes are soft and the sauce is thickened.
- Taste sauce and adjust salt and pepper to taste.
- Serve with warm crusty bread on the side to dunk in the sauce – or go all the way with Garlic Bread! Optional: garnish with extra fresh thyme leaves or parsley.
Recipe Notes:
Originally published May 2018. Updated for housekeeping matters – no change to recipe.
Life of Dozer
Flashback to May 2018 when this recipe was first published when he tore his ACL and had to have a knee operation. Shaved rump, permanent “help me up” harness, and trapped in a play pen for weeks.
Adding a Cone of Shame was just rubbing salt into the wound, isn’t it?
I told him not to scratch the stitches. I warned him about the cone. He did not obey!!😂
Happy to report he is back to normal, chasing birds, leaping off jetties and generally living the high life!❤️ N x
Another win! Fantastic recipe with SUCH great flavor :-). Your recipes have such a command of the ingredients. My husband kept trying to guess “all the complicated ingredients” to create the delicious sauce… he wouldn’t believe me when I gave him the short list haha. New staple in our house for sure!
I LOVE HEARING THAT!!!!!! N xx
Can I serve it over rice?
Yes of course! 🙂
Hey Nagi!
If I use skin off boneless thighs, can I do the whole cooking time on the stove top with a lid?!😋
Cheers!
Hi Jax! Those will only need 40 minutes simmering to be crazy tender so what I would do is simmer for the whole time on the stove with the lid off 🙂 If chicken gets too tender, take it out and get the sauce consistency to your taste. Hope you love it! N xx
Sounds grand, cheers muchly!😁
Can it be made a day in advance?
Yes for sure, but pop the chicken back in the oven to recrisp the skin!
Yes I cooked the chicken today and it was very good!!!
I cooked this on July 7th, this was a great receipe, my fiance almost killed himself. 🙂
😂 Best compliment EVER!!!
I going to try that chicken stew.
Hope you do!
Could boneless thighs be used?
Sure thing, please see the notes! 🙂
I’m a really new cook. The number of dishes I know to cook wouldn’t be more than 5. I tried your garlic bread a few weeks ago and loved it. Pulled up the courage and made this a couple nights ago. It was a winner. Thanks. Really easy to follow. I’m gonna make this again, and attempt your Apple crumble this sat.
This is amazing, so tasty and perfect for these winter nights leftovers tonight 😊 another one for the list yay!!
WOW! This is FABULOUS! Easy to make with ingredients I already had on hand and worth making again and again! YUM! The chicken slipped under so when it was done I took the chicken out and put it under the broiler for 5 minutes and it was perfect. My husband is raving about it!
That’s so great to hear Sarah! Thanks for letting me know you enjoyed this! N x
Can you use Chicken Breast instead? I only have that in the fridge at present.
Yes. Chicken Brest can be use in several ways, for a healthier a more economical way of cooking.
Hi Sue! You sure can, but what I would do is follow recipe as is and even sear the breast, but then refrigerate it while the stew is cooking and only return the breast into the pot for the last 20 minutes, just to cook through so it’s still juicy on the inside. 🙂 N x
If I could give this 10 stars I would! Absolutely delicious. It took me a bit longer than the recipe said but I think it’s because I have an old horrible stove 😬. No matter, the end result was amazing! This will become a staple in my home especially in the colder months. Comfort food at its best! Thank you….
Glad you enjoyed this Linda!!! Thank you for taking the time to leave feedback! N x
Awesome recipe!!! I add cilantro and chopped green and roasted red pepperswhen cooking the onions and garlic! Substitute Worcestershire sause for sweet red wine and dont use flour. Generally thicken the sause by mashing some of the potatoes. I also add petite peas. 🙂 I love to eat this over steam rice!!!!! Dynamite recipe!!!!
I’m glad you enjoyed this Enrique! Thank you for letting me know 🙂 N x
I made this tonight, and it is AMAZING. My new fave.. thank you for recipe.
I’m glad you enjoyed this Cricket! Thank you for letting me know 🙂 N x
Crispy Chicken is the only way to eat it…. can’t wait to make this …
Hope you do try it Pam! N x
I’m trying this today. It looks amazing! We’ll let you know.
Hope you love it BJ! 🙂
Just curious. You said to place the stew in the oven for 45 with the cover on then another 45 with the cover off, wouldn’t that over cook the chicken?
It goes beyond that to super tender 🙂 Literally falling off the bone under that crispy skin!
Nagi
Another success, I’m thoroughly enjoying your recipes, well this is the 2nd recipe I’ve cooked from yours and certainly won’t be the last.
Thanks for sharing your recipes.
All the best
Melody
That’s so great to hear Melody! I’m so happy to hear that! N x ❤️
Greetings from Scotland NAGI!! This was delicious- thanks for the recipe. I’m just about to make it again for my nieces and nephews and they are fussy wee besoms so I’ll let you know the verdict. 😀
That’s so great to hear Joyce! I’m so happy to hear that! N x ❤️