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Elin's Slow Cooker Chicken & Vegetable Stew

A hearty fix-it-and-forget-it slow cooker chicken stew with boneless chicken breasts and thighs, cremini mushrooms, carrots, celery, and sweet peas in a sage and thyme herb-infused broth deepened with tomato paste.
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Prep Time 15 minutes
Cook Time 6 hours
Total Time 6 hours 15 minutes
Servings: 6 servings
Course: Dinner, Main Course
Cuisine: American
Calories: 340
Ingredients Equipment Method Notes

Ingredients
  

  • 1 lb boneless skinless chicken breasts cut into bite-sized pieces
  • 1 lb boneless skinless chicken thighs cut into bite-sized pieces
  • 2 cups cremini or baby bella mushrooms halved
  • 1.5 cups carrots thinly sliced
  • 1 cup celery sliced into 1/2-inch pieces
  • 1 cup frozen small pearl onions or 3/4 cup chopped yellow onion
  • 2 cups frozen green peas added in the final 30 minutes only
  • 14 oz chicken broth
  • 6 oz tomato paste whisked into the broth before adding to the slow cooker
  • 2 cups water
  • 1 tsp paprika
  • 1 tsp dried rubbed sage
  • 0.5 tsp dried thyme
  • 0.5 tsp salt
  • 0.5 tsp black pepper
  • 3 tbsp cornstarch for the thickening slurry
  • 0.5 cup cold chicken or vegetable broth must be cold for the slurry to work properly

Equipment

  • 6-quart Slow Cooker
  • Large measuring cup or bowl for mixing liquid
  • Small bowl for cornstarch slurry
  • whisk

Method
 

  1. Add the chicken pieces, halved mushrooms, sliced carrots, sliced celery, and pearl onions to a 6-quart slow cooker.
  2. Whisk together the chicken broth, tomato paste, water, paprika, sage, thyme, salt, and pepper in a separate bowl until the tomato paste is fully dissolved.
  3. Pour the liquid mixture over the chicken and vegetables. Cover and cook on LOW for 6 hours or HIGH for 3 to 4 hours. Do not lift the lid during cooking.
  4. About 30 minutes before serving, whisk the cornstarch into the cold broth in a small bowl until completely smooth.
  5. Stir the cornstarch slurry and the frozen green peas into the slow cooker. Replace the lid and switch to HIGH if on LOW.
  6. Cook on HIGH for 30 more minutes until the broth has thickened to a stew consistency and the peas are tender.
  7. Taste and adjust salt and pepper. Ladle into bowls and serve immediately.

Notes

Do Not Lift the Lid: Each time the lid is lifted during the cook, approximately 20 minutes is added to the required cook time. Leave it sealed until the final 30 minutes. Pre-Mix the Tomato Paste: Whisk the tomato paste fully into the liquid before adding to the slow cooker. Unmixed paste can sit in a concentrated block at the bottom rather than distributing evenly. Cold Slurry: The cornstarch slurry must be made with cold broth. Warm broth causes clumping before the slurry is stirred in. Thin Broth Fix: If still thin after the final 30 minutes, make a second slurry with 1 tbsp cornstarch and 2 tbsp cold water and cook 15 more minutes on high. No Frozen Chicken: Always use fully thawed chicken for food safety reasons. Flavors deepen overnight - excellent for meal prep. Storage: Refrigerate for up to 4 days. Freeze for up to 3 months. Add a splash of broth when reheating.