Creamy Chicken Stew in 30 Minutes (stovetop recipe)
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This Creamy Chicken Stew is a great stovetop soup recipe for a cold winter night. Loaded with chicken, it’s thick, creamy, and full of flavor. It’s so easy to make and tastes amazing! (Slow cooker instructions are included as well.)
Creamy Chicken Stew Recipe
Nothing warms you up like a big bowl of creamy chicken stew! The first time I made this recipe, it was an instant hit with the family and is now in our permanent meal rotation. I love making a double batch so I can have leftovers for lunch all week long.
Why Make this Creamy Chicken Stew Recipe
- Quick and Easy – It takes just about 30 minutes to make!
- It Tastes Amazing – This chicken stew is so creamy and flavorful that it’s hard to eat just one bowl. (You’ll definitely want a second bowl, even though you will be stuffed from that first bowl.)
- Ultimate comfort food dish – I love soups and stews when the temperatures start to dip. This creamy chicken stew is the ultimate comfort food, oh-so-filling, and perfect for cold winter nights!
- Versatile – It’s so easy to change up this stew and make it your own. Double the veggies, add potatoes, noodles, or dumplings. (You may want to increase the broth if adding potatoes noodles or dumplings.) You can even swap the chicken out with leftover turkey or ground beef.
- One-Pot Meal – This chicken stew is made in one pot, so only one pot to wash.
Ingredients in Creamy Chicken Stew
(Ingredients at a glance, find the full printable ingredient list, and instruction card at the bottom of the post.)
- Butter | You could use olive oil, but you can’t beat the flavor of real butter for sauteing the veggies.
- Veggies | Carrots, celery, onions, garlic cloves (you can use minced garlic if desired. 1 teaspoon of minced garlic = 1 clove of garlic.)
- Pre-cooked chicken | I have been using the already pulled rotisserie chicken for most of my recipes lately. (It is just so convenient. If you have a Costco membership, you can get 42 oz of fresh hand-pulled rotisserie chicken for around $15.)
- Spices | Cumin, thyme, salt, pepper.
- Chicken broth | If you are trying to watch your sodium, be sure to go with a low sodium broth.
- Better than bullion | Don’t leave this out! Better than bullion in my secret to better-tasting everything. If you haven’t tried it, add it to your cart and give it a try! (You could use regular bullion but the Better than Bullion has no added MSG, and 1/3 less salt most bouillons.)
- Cornstarch | to help thicken the stew. You could also use flour if you prefer. (You’ll need two times the flour as cornstarch for thickening purposes.)
- Cheeses: Shredded yellow cheese and cream cheese. Make sure your cream cheese has come to room temperature. Cold cream cheese will not dissolve into the soup as easily as warm cream cheese.
- Optional: Fresh parsley for garnish.
How to make Creamy Chicken Stew Step by Step
- Over medium heat, melt butter in a dutch oven or large soup pan. Add carrots and saute for about 2 minutes. Add celery and saute for another two minutes. Add onions and saute for about a minute and finally, add garlic.
- Continue sauteing veggies for about 3 more minutes or until the onions are cooked, but not brown. Stir frequently to keep the onions and garlic from burning.
Reduce heat and add thyme, cumin, and pepper.- Add chicken. Stir until coated with spices and the leftover butter.
- Add broth and the better than bullion to chicken stew mixture.
- Thoroughly mix cornstarch into a small amount of cool water or broth. Stir the cornstarch slurry into the stew. Turn the heat back to medium and bring the stew to a boil.
- Once boiling, reduce heat. Add both kinds of cheese, gently stirring around until the cheeses are fully melted and incorporated into the creamy chicken stew.
- Add additional salt and pepper to taste.
- Simmer for about 5 more minutes. (Simmer longer, uncovered if desired. This will help the spices infuse into the stew and will cook off a bit more liquid for a thicker stew.) Add additional salt and pepper to taste.
- Garnish with fresh parsley if desired.
Recipe Tips
- Take care when sauteing the onions and garlic – do not let them over brown. The soup will still taste great, but the stew will change from golden yellow to a darker brownish color.
- Don’t be tempted to leave the bullion out! Also, the Better than Bullion brand bullion is my secret flavor ingredient in almost all my recipes. You could use regular bullion, but the Better than Bullion has no added MSG and 1/3 less salt than most bouillons. (In fact, even if you’re just browsing, go ahead and add some to your cart right now, lol. Here it is on Amazon.)
- If you don’t have cream cheese, you can use evaporated milk or cream.
Variations
- Switch out the chicken with turkey or ground beef.
- Add potatoes or white beans.
- Add dumplings or egg noodles.
- Add green beans, mushrooms, or other veggies.
Storage Suggestions
Store in an airtight container and refrigerate for up to 3 days or freeze for up to 3 months.
FAQ’s
Can I Use Raw Chicken Breasts In This Recipe?
Of course, if you choose to use uncooked chicken breasts, you’ll need to make the following changes: Chop your chicken breasts into bite-sized pieces and add them to the celery, sauteing for about five minutes.
Can I add Dumplings to this Stew?
Definitely! I love to add dumplings to this creamy chicken stew recipe. I like to use a basic Bisquick dumpling recipe:
- Mix 1.5 cups Bisquick with 1/2 cup milk.
- Stir ingredients until soft dough forms.
- Drop dough by the spoonful into the stew, immediately after stirring in the cheeses.
- Cook the chicken stew uncovered for 10 minutes. Cover and cook for 10 more minutes.
Can I double This Recipe?
Yes, you can, and there are no special instructions for doubling. Another option. Instead of doubling, you can also just add a couple more cups of broth and a bit more cornstarch to make the recipe more of a soup.
Can I Make This Recipe In A Slow Cooker?
Yes, you can make the creamy chicken stew in a slow cooker. I actually prefer it on the stovetop since it is a fast recipe, but it works either way.
Slow Cooker Instructions:
- Add the veggies, raw chicken breasts, broth, bullion, butter, and spices to the slow cooker. Cook on low for 6 to 8 hours or high for 3 to 4 hours.
- Remove chicken breasts and shred. Return to the slow cooker.
- Add room temp cream cheese and shredded cheese to the slow cooker. Cover and cook for about 30 more minutes on low. Stir until cheese is incorporated, cooking longer if needed.
- If you desire a thicker stew, stir in the cornstarch slurry and cook on low for another 30 minutes.
Can I Make This Creamy Chicken Stew In The Instant Pot
You could, but I don’t recommend it. By the time you have brought the pot to pressure, let it cook, and then allow for a natural release, the stew will have already been done on the stovetop.
How Do You Thicken Stew?
To thicken your creamy chicken stew, you can do a few things. If you are using white beans or potatoes, you could just mash a few of them up a bit to increase the thickness. Or you could add a bit of cornstarch. To add cornstarch, thoroughly mix cornstarch into a small amount of cool water or broth. Stir the cornstarch slurry into the stew. Turn the heat back to medium and bring the stew to a boil for a few minutes, then reduce heat.
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More Soup Recipes You’ll Love
- Best White Chicken Chili
- No Bean Chili (stovetop recipe)
- Slowcooker Beef and Bean Chili
- Green Chile Chicken Enchilada Soup
- Slow Cooker Corn and Sausage Chowder
- Loaded Baked Potato Soup for one
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Print
Creamy Chicken Stew
- Prep Time: 10 minutes
- Cook Time: 25
- Total Time: 35 minutes
- Yield: 5 servings 1x
- Category: main dish
- Method: stovetop
Description
This Creamy Chicken Stew is a great stovetop soup recipe for a cold night. It’s thick, creamy, full of flavor, and loaded with chicken. It’s easy to make and tastes amazing!
Ingredients
- 3 tbsp butter
- 1 cup chopped carrots
- 1 cup chopped celery
- 1/2 cup diced onions
- 3 cloves garlic, finely diced
- 1.5 lbs pre-cooked chicken
- 1/2 tsp ground cumin
- 1/2 tsp thyme
- 1/2 tsp pepper
- 1/4 tsp salt
- 3 cups chicken broth
- 1 tbsp Better than bullion
- 1.5 tbsp cornstarch
- 4 oz cream cheese at room temperature
- 1/2 cup shredded yellow cheese
- optional: Fresh parsley for garnish
Instructions
- Over medium heat, melt butter in dutch oven or large soup pan. Add carrots and saute for about 2 minutes. Add celery and saute for another two minutes. Add onions and garlic.
- Continue sauteing for about 3 minutes or until the onions are cooked, but not brown. Stir frequently to keep the onions and garlic from burning.
- Add thyme, cumin, pepper, and better than bullion to broth mixture.
- Add chicken, stir until the chicken has absorbed the excess butter and is coated in the spices.
- Reduce heat and add broth.
- Thoroughly mix cornstarch into a small amount of cool water or broth. Stir the cornstarch slurry into the stew. Turn the heat back to medium and bring the stew to a boil.
- Once boiling, reduce heat. Add both cheeses, stirring around until the cheeses are fully melted and incorporated into the soup.
- Add additional salt and pepper to taste.
- Simmer for about 5 more minutes. Add additional salt and pepper to taste.
- Garnish with fresh parsley if desired.
Notes
Simmer the chicken stew for 10 to 20 minutes longer, uncovered if desired. This will help the spices infuse into the stew and will cook off a bit more liquid for a thicker stew.
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1/5 of recipe
- Calories: 470
- Sodium: 337
- Fat: 22.5
- Carbohydrates: 11.4
- Fiber: 1.5
- Protein: 49
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