Description
This hearty Chicken Stew (Casserole) is a comforting dish featuring juicy boneless skinless chicken thighs simmered in a rich tomato and beef broth sauce with aromatic vegetables and herbs. Enhanced with garlic, Worcestershire sauce, and thyme, this stew is perfect for a satisfying main meal especially served with crusty bread for dipping.
Ingredients
Scale
Meat and Protein
- 0.5 tbsp olive oil
- 750 g boneless skinless chicken thighs, cut into 3 cm pieces
Vegetables
- 3 garlic cloves, minced (1 tbsp)
- 1 onion, sliced
- 3 carrots, peeled, halved lengthwise, sliced 1 cm thick
- 2 celery stalks, sliced 1 cm thick
- 350 g baby potatoes, halved
- 200 g mushrooms, halved (large quartered)
- 150 g green beans, trimmed and halved
Liquids and Sauces
- 3 cups (750 ml) beef stock, low sodium
- 400 g canned crushed tomato
- 2 tsp Worcestershire sauce
Dry Ingredients and Seasonings
- 4 tbsp flour
- 1/2 tsp salt and pepper, each (plus 1/2 tsp salt and pepper each added later)
- 1/2 tsp salt and pepper, each (added later)
- 1 1/2 tsp dried thyme
- 2 dried bay leaves
Instructions
- Heat oil and brown chicken: Place olive oil in a large heavy-based casserole pot over high heat. Add chicken pieces, sprinkle with 1/2 tsp salt and pepper, and cook until browned on all sides.
- Sauté aromatics: Add minced garlic and sliced onion to the pot, cooking for 1 minute until fragrant.
- Add vegetables: Stir in sliced celery and carrots, cooking for 2 minutes to soften slightly.
- Add flour and broth: Sprinkle flour over the mixture and stir constantly to incorporate. Slowly pour in half the beef stock while stirring to avoid lumps, then add the remaining stock.
- Add tomatoes and seasonings: Mix in crushed tomatoes, Worcestershire sauce, dried thyme, bay leaves, and remaining salt and pepper. Stir well to combine.
- Simmer with potatoes: Add halved baby potatoes, cover the pot with a lid, and reduce heat to a simmer. Cook for 30 minutes until potatoes and chicken are tender.
- Add mushrooms and green beans: Remove the lid and stir in mushrooms and green beans. Simmer uncovered for an additional 10 minutes to allow the sauce to thicken and vegetables to cook through.
- Serve: Remove bay leaves before serving. Serve the stew hot with crusty bread on the side and optionally sprinkled with fresh parsley for garnish.
Notes
- Do not cover the pot during the last 10 minutes when mushrooms and green beans are added to help thicken the sauce.
- Boneless chicken thighs are preferred for juiciness; chicken breast can be used but should be added only in the last 5 minutes of cooking to prevent drying out.
- Using bone-in chicken requires longer simmering and is better suited for slow cooked oven methods.
- Red wine or stout beer can be added for deeper flavor; alternatively, create intense fond by browning bacon, mushrooms, and chicken in stages if avoiding alcohol.
- Beef stock gives a richer, deeper brown sauce color compared to chicken stock but both work well.
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 serving
- Calories: 510 kcal
- Sugar: 8 g
- Sodium: 1231 mg
- Fat: 20 g
- Saturated Fat: 5 g
- Unsaturated Fat: 14 g
- Trans Fat: 0 g
- Carbohydrates: 29 g
- Fiber: 5 g
- Protein: 40 g
- Cholesterol: 162 mg
