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:
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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;
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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;
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red wine – a good slug adds depth of flavour and again, adds to the rich brown colour of the sauce; and
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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:
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juicy pieces of chicken;
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soft vegetables that have sucked up the flavour of the sauce;
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little pops of bacon (the BEST bite!);
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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…..😂😂😂
Nice recipe
Thanks Nagi! The stew tastes SOOO GOOD.
I’ve made this several times and it’s been popular every time. Another recipe that turns me into a good cook.
Wow,this is so delicious!! It was easy to make and it tastes so good!! I’ll definitely make it again! Thank you for the recipe!!
Can pasatta be substituted for the crushed tomato?
Thank you!
Thank you once again Nagi! Delicious and more importantly the entire family enjoyed it. Adding this to the weekly rotation. Just the best.
Very easy and nice
Can I skip the wine? Whats the alternative for it?
OMG! Such flavor! I think I could drink that broth straight up! I would have never thought to use the beef stock rather than the chicken, but it works so well. This will become part of my regular rotation.
I was concerned as I added the red wine and watched my chicken and onion turn a pretty ugly shade of purple but something magical happened during the rest of the cooking time and somehow it all turned the right colours, smelled delicious and tasted spectacular! For full disclosure, instead of “carrot and celery” I used a bag of ready cut soup/casserole veg that had carrot and celery as the top ingredients but also some broccoli, turnip and parsley.
Seriously beyond delicious.
This was absolutely delicious! I was surprised at the depth of the flavour. I did change a couple of ingredients because I didn’t have the exact ones at home. I used 1 tbspn tomato paste with 200g canned tomatoes. I substituted a bit of white wine for red, and I used boneless thigh plus 2 drumsticks (skin on) and simmered for an hour. Thanks for the terrific recipe.
Great 👍 Receipt
Made this last night – wow, does it make a ton of food! It’s just my husband and I so I was happy to see that it’s supposed to freeze well. I used 1.5 cups of alcohol free Guinness and it was great. It did take me at least twice as long as suggested to prep, and I cooked it for more like 70 minutes, but it’s even tastier today. Will definitely make again! Thanks for a great recipe!
Brilliant! I followed the recipe to the letter, except for using fresh herbs and adding a good knob of butter at the end to give it a nice gloss. Thanks!
Fast and delicious!! Will be adding this to the rotation!
I made it and my husband rated it and wants it again tonight!😁
Easy to make and delicious.
Used fresh herbs and added finely diced rosemary,
Will be making this again!
Cooked this last night and as usual Nagi it was amazing. My husband said it’s the best stew he’s ever tasted.
I made this as per recipe it was delicious I was a bit short on the merlot well you have said in the past If you can’t drink it you can’t cook with it 😂
This went down a great on a cold, winter night. The family loved and went back for seconds and thirds. Many thanks.