Slow Cooker Creamy Vegetable Chicken Stew
This Slow Cooker Creamy Vegetable Chicken Stew ticks all the boxes for healthy comfort food. Hearty, creamy, flavorful and loaded with vegetables! Dairy-free, gluten free and Paleo/Whole30 option.
As I am typing this, I can see a Christmas tree is twinkling out of the corner of my eye. A steaming cup of herbal tea sits next to me, which I occasionally pause to warm my hand around. And my family? They left bright and early to head for the mountains in search of snow to play in (kind of a task when you live in Southern California).
Yep, we are deep in the post-holiday mode. Lots of fun to be had on the days off from school. Lots of adventures we have been saving up for this time off. And we definitely are in the need of easy, hearty, veggie-loaded meals to come home to at the end of it all.
Vegetable chicken stew
My slow cooker and Instant Pot have been permanently living on my counter during this season because they are so helpful for getting dinner made without us needing to skip a beat of fun. I am constantly making a new soup or stew that are packed with flavor, protein and (of course) veggies.
And this slow cooker creamy vegetable chicken stew is going to be warming my crew’s bellies and dazzling their tastebuds tonight when they return cold, hungry and happy from their winter adventure.
Why this healthy chicken stew is the bee’s knees
- It is rocking 5 different kinds of veggies. Getting that many veggies in to a family at any meal is the stuff mama dreams are made of.
- It’s family-friendly. This soup is creamy, flavorful and is totally going to rock your family’s socks. The vegetables in this chicken stew are classics that kids are often open to and the garlic, coconut milk and herbs really make it something to get excited about.
- You can make it in your slow cooker, Instant Pot or even on your stove top!
- It’s easy to make. Another mama dinner dream.
- It healthy comfort food.
Suggested adaptations
You know you and your crew best. And soups and stews (especially this one) can really tweaked to meet your family’s own use needs and flavor preferences. Here are a few ideas.
- Sub the coconut milk for regular milk or heavy cream. Our family likes to keep our dairy consumption to a minimum because that is how we function best. But if coconut is not your jam or you simply don’t have it on hand, you can swap it out. I suggest using a full-fat milk or heavy cream, as it will keep the soup creamy without watering it down.
- Make it vegetarian. Replace the chicken in this recipe with a can or two of cooked chickpeas! Since the chickpeas will already be ready, I suggest adding them at the end of the cooking along with the peas so that they do not become mush.
- Make it Paleo/Whole30. Simply omit the peas and keep the rest of the recipe as is!
Wondering how to store your carrots so they stay fresh as long as possible? Check out my post on How to Keep Cut Carrots Fresh and get the most out of your produce buck!
Other veggie-loaded recipes you are going to adore…
- Slow Cooker Butternut Squash + Apple Soup
- Lemon Thyme Chicken in a Slow Cooker
- Slow Cooker + Instant Pot Butternut Squash Chicken Curry
- Slow Cooker Almond Butter Beef Stew
- Slow Cooker Chicken & Butternut Squash Stew
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Slow Cooker Creamy Vegetable Chicken Stew
Ingredients
- 1 1/2 tbsp olive oil
- 1 cup yellow onion, chopped
- 1 1/2 cup carrots, diced
- 2 stalks celery, diced
- 1 tsp dried thyme
- 1 tbsp fresh parsley, minced
- 1 tsp minced garlic
- 1 tsp salt, or to taste
- 1/2 pound potatoes , diced
- 1 1/2 pound chicken thighs, boneless and skinless, cut into bite size pieces
- 2 cups broth or stock
- 1 cup full fat coconut milk , or milk if dairy-free isn't needed
- 2 cups frozen peas, omit for Paleo or Whole30
Equipment
- slow cooker
- Instant Pot
- large pot
Instructions
For slow cooker
- Heat a large skillet over medium-high heat and add the oil. Once the oil is hot, add the onion, carrots, and celery, stirring often. Cook until onions are soft. Add garlic, parsley, and thyme. Stirring constantly, cook until fragrant. This will take about 1 minute. Remove from heat.
- Pour the contents of skillet into your slow cooker. Add potatoes, chicken, salt and broth to the slow cooker and stir to combine.
- Cover and cook on high for 4-5 hours or on low for 6 hours or until chicken is cooked through.
- Once soup is done cooking, keep slow cooker on. Stir in the coconut milk and frozen peas. Stir to combine and let peas cook in hot soup for about 10-15 minutes or until peas are defrosted and soup is hot again.
- Enjoy warm, topped with extra parsley if desired.
For Instant Pot
- Turn Instant Pot on Sauté mode. Add oil to the pot. Once oil is hot, add onion, carrots, and celery, stirring often. Cook until onions are soft. Add garlic, parsley, and thyme. Stirring constantly, cook until fragrant, about 1 minute. Turn off Instant Pot.
- Add potatoes, chicken, salt and broth to the Instant Pot and stir to combine.
- Lock lid on Instant Pot and make sure the valve in sealing position. Cook Manual High Pressure for 10 minutes.
- When time is up, carefully Quick Release, then stir in the coconut milk and peas. Turn on Sauté mode function again and cook for about 5 minutes or until peas are defrosted.
- Enjoy warm, topped with extra parsley if desired.
For stove top
- Heat a large sauce pan over medium-high heat and add the oil. Once the oil is hot, add the onion, carrots, and celery, stirring often. Cook until onions are soft. Add garlic, parsley, and thyme. Cook, stirring constantly, until fragrant, about 1 minute.
- Add potatoes, chicken, salt and broth to the sauce pan and stir to combine.
- Bring to a boil and the reduce heat. Let stew simmer covered for 10 minutes or until chicken is cooked through and potatoes are fork tender.
- Once done cooking, stir in coconut milk and peas. Let soup simmer for 5 additional minutes or until peas are cooked.
- Enjoy warm, topped with extra parsley if desired.
The buttery flavor of this stew combined with all the veggies is just mmmmm. My house smelled divine while this was cooking, and it did not disappoint when it came time to eat!
I know! I love the butter flavor even though its totally dairy free! It’s total comfort food!
I added a little lemon juice and turmeric. Outstanding! Thanks for this!
Oh I love that addition!
And now our 9 month old LOVES this! And I love that I can feed it to her as is, or give her individual bits of chicken, carrots, peas, or potatoes and she gobbles them up. 👌🏼
LOVE getting kids loving veggies when they are young!
Like!!
Mum of 4 kids here and just wanted to say how amazing this stew tasted. Husband and kids are never really fans of stews but I had been wanting to try this one for ages and it did not disappoint! They all raved about it and there was enough for hubby and I to have left overs for lunch today. Thank you for the recipe, will stay on my monthly meal plan
I am so glad it won over your family, Michelle! I love this stew as well!
I can see why you say this stew ticks all the boxes… It surely does – yum!
Peas are okay for Whole30 now, I believe! Will make this tonite! I already have most of the ingredients in house!
Made this for the first time today. I had minor surgery this afternoon and wanted something comforting when I got home. It took no time at all to get the stew started in the slow cooker and I had the delicious, nourishing, and comforting meal I needed while I rest. Will definitely make this again! Thanks!
I am so glad this soup was there, waiting for you, at the end of your day. Rest up and get well soon, Diane!
This looks delicious! Does it freeze well? My daughter is a busy working mom and I like to make freezer meals that she can defrost & reheat on crazy days!
This recipe is SO GOOD! I am excited for fall to come just so I can make this cozy stew again. It is the perfect comfort food in our house. I used whole milk in place of the coconut milk and it was so creamy and delicious.
I’m delighted you enjoyed it as much as we do, Marisa! I agree, it is so perfect for those cooler months and I love to put a batch of this to cook for days we are adventuring outside. Nothing like coming home to a hot meal ready to eat and warm you up. Thanks for taking the time to share.
I making for tonight using soycurls for a vegetarian dish.
Love that idea!
Soooooo I made this by not cooking the vegetables first and throwing it in the crock pot with the chicken and canned peas overnight and then throwing the broth in the next day. I forgot that peas should be put in last so I was so worried!!!’ But the soup turned out very good! I put half a can of coconut milk in at the end and it was very good thank you will make it correctly next time though I thought it was quicker to just throw all ingredients in at once and I was not dissapointed
I am so glad that you loved this soup, Lynsie. AND that it was so forgiving for you! Forgiving + delicious recipes make life and cooking so much easier!