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
Amanda says
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?
Nagi says
It goes beyond that to super tender 🙂 Literally falling off the bone under that crispy skin!
Melody says
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
Nagi says
That’s so great to hear Melody! I’m so happy to hear that! N x ❤️
Joyce says
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. 😀
Nagi says
That’s so great to hear Joyce! I’m so happy to hear that! N x ❤️
Pat says
I made this dish for supper last night and it was so delicious it will now be a regular in our home. thank you for sharing your recipes I will be looking for more recipes
Nagi says
I’m so pleased you enjoyed this Pat! Thank you for taking the time to let me know! N xx
Susan says
Amazing stew Nagi, chicken came out crisp & sauce was yum. My husband polished the dish, testament to your crisp instuctions. Thank you so much for this gem of a recipe – my go to for stew.
Krystal says
Hi Nagi
I LOVE your recipes! I made this one last week and my family have requested I make it for our extended family dinner, which will be 8 adults & 3 kids. Can I double and a half it all in the one pot (I have a huge one) but use skin off chicken as obviously a lot will not be able to be on the surface to get crispy.
Thanks, not just for this but all your amazingly yummy receipes
tg says
Hello Nagi, this recipe was easy and delicious .Thank you for sharing.
KWay says
I’ve been cooking some of your recipes for a few months now, and this one takes the cake. I spent a couple of days preparing for it and made it slightly differently, making my own chicken stock after cutting out the bones in advance. It made some of the skin fall off but the chicken still crisped up in the oven. I also pre-roasted my potatoes during the first 45 minutes of the stew baking before popping them in because I only had soup potatoes and was worried they would fall apart otherwise. The gravy is just something else, so packed with flavour. I can’t wait for the reheats tomorrow.
Tania says
Oh my goodness…… this is divine!
If I wasn’t so full from shoveling this into my mouth I would of licked the bowl!
In the end I feel like I can’t breath from being such a piggy!
Everyone loved this! Another winner….. Jeez woman u make me look in in my house!
xxx Loving everything u do xxx
Rebecca Mason says
Hi Nagi…. got to agree with Kerry’s comments! Love your recipes – always turn out as you say they will! Your extra recipe notes make all the difference. The Chicken Stew was delish…. lamb shanks with red wine sauce tonight :-).
Nagi says
Thank you Rebecca, that’s so kind of you to say! Oooh… lamb shanks …. now you’ve got me with a hankering!
Kerry says
Hello Nagi, LOVE LOVE this one, super easy and yes Ide have to agree you are the queen of all things gravy!! This flavour is one you can devour, the chicken stayed so crispy ( I love your tips ) I love your blog! I love cooking and I especially love it when the family eat everything you cook for them. Everything I try from your recipes always works out perfect. It’s so easy to try new things when it’s explained as us humans think 🤔 and with a video. I wish I could post up a photo (cause I get a bit proud) when it looks so dam good. Thank for making life a little easier. Tonight it’s Char Sui Pork with garlic Butter rice with kale. Yum.
Vera G says
Love THIS ! Perfect timing, one pot metal on Cold night is a Winner. Will BE doing Quinces sweet, about 03 kg, and useing Peel to make liquer, Big, Big job But love IT. Prep is the HARD pat But slow cooking for 03 hrs is soooo worth IT.LOTS OF JAR Washing AS Well . THIS Sunday am going to Italian Food Festival!! Hope to find Fresh bergomont, plenty chesnuts Inc dry and fluor. HAPPY w/End!! Hope Yours is Just AS good.hugs to DOZER?.
Miklos says
I made this recipe is so good.
i love chili so i did made a litle change
i used the ”Spirit of Attila chili sauce instead the fresh chili. The teast even better. i get this sauce from my frends from Hungary. He order it from http://www.worldofchili.com
i highly recommend this recipe
DEFENETLY 5 STAR!!!
Shirley Salerno says
Hi Nagi, could you please advise if the chicken broth used is stock or consommé? Love your recipes and look forward to your emails & blog.
Kym says
Cuddles to Dozer during his post operative and rehab period hope all goes well
Gail says
Hi Nagi, unfortunately she died two years ago 😢. She got 8 months of good living after the surgery, but it came back to her lungs. She was 12 years old – Belgian Shepard/Doberman .
Lee says
I love how you have “notes” with your recipes . Not only are the hints for success helpful, you often have substitution suggestions in case a person doesn’t have, or can, use the listed ingredients. “Cone of shame” – you were warned Dozer! Don’t look so unhappy. You are getting the best care and love any dog could wish you.
Nagi says
I’m glad you find my recipe notes helpful Lee! And just wait until you see Dozer’s current situation… 😂
Kelly Cooper says
Hi Nagi, want to make this camping in the camp oven but alas crispy skin would not be happening. Could I therefore just use skinless cutlets? It’s a long 4 months, particularly when Dozer starts feeling better and wants to breakout…. Our black lab has just got the all clear and finally running around again. Poor Dozer.
Nagi says
Hi Kelly! Is the camp oven like a dutch oven set over a fire?? If so, I’m afraid that’s effectively like cooking it on the stove so the skin won’t get crispy 🙂 It needs to be in an oven – N x
Samantha says
I made this tonight and it was delicious! Great recipe and really simple. I used a mix of potato/sweet potato for a bit of variety. Thanks for another wonderful recipe.
Nagi says
Wow, that was quick! So glad you enjoyed this Samantha!! N xx
Danielle says
I’m with you on the chicken skin. It gots to be crispy. That slimy, gelatinous chicken skin is a total no-go! I love to go get yakitori and order the chicken skin with all it’s crispy goodness. My mom is appalled that I eat chicken skin period. She’s crazy though. It’s the best. And I love that you ate the chicken before taking the photos! I shot some corn the other day that was supposed to have 4 pieces, but it ended up with only 3 because I couldn’t wait.
Nagi says
HA HA HA!!! You and me both!