Chicken Stew Recipe

First, take a few minutes to dice the onion, slice the celery and carrots, and mince the garlic. Halve the baby potatoes (I always find it a bit meditative slicing up veggies). Cutting everything beforehand makes the cooking process smoother, especially since things move quickly once you start.

Cut your chicken thighs into bite-sized pieces, then toss them in a couple of tablespoons of flour. This helps them get a nice golden-brown crust when you brown them in the pot. Heat the butter and olive oil together until they’re sizzling, then add the chicken in batches if necessary (you want to avoid overcrowding the pot). Brown the chicken on all sides but don’t worry about cooking it through just yet—that’ll happen later when it simmers with the broth.

Once the chicken is browned and removed from the pot, throw in your onions, celery, garlic, and carrots. Sauté until the onions soften and start to pick up the chicken’s browned bits from the bottom of the pot. Those caramelized bits are flavor gold!

Sprinkle the remaining flour over the softened veggies and stir. After a couple of minutes, the flour will coat the veggies and begin to stick to the pot, which is your cue to pour in the chicken and vegetable broth. Stir to dissolve the flour and any bits stuck to the pot, creating a thickened broth.

Return the browned chicken to the pot, along with the halved potatoes and your dried herbs. I love the way the rosemary and thyme make the kitchen smell so inviting. Bring everything to a boil, then lower the heat to a gentle simmer. Now, just let it bubble away for about 30 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the potatoes are tender, and the stew has thickened.

Once your stew is done, give it a taste to see if it needs any salt (it’ll depend on how salty your broth was). For a little pop of color and freshness, sprinkle some chopped fresh parsley over the top before serving.