Slow cooker Tuscan chicken stew is healthy, hearty, and so easy to prepare in the crockpot! Rosemary, fennel seeds and balsamic vinegar give this stew a ton of flavor.
When it comes to comfort food, stew is pretty much at the top of my list...I just want to cozy up with a bowl of Slow Cooker African Peanut Stew, Slow Cooker Spanish Chicken Stew, or this slow cooker Tuscan chicken stew! Perfect to warm you up, and excellent for bread dunking.
This Tuscan chicken stew slow cooker recipe is one of the most popular recipes on Sweet Peas and Saffron because of the amazing flavor you can get for very little effort!
It's perfect for busy weeknights, lazy Sundays, or anyone who wants to stock the freezer for easy meals.
Reasons you'll ♡ this slow cooker Tuscan chicken stew
- it's hearty, healthy and delicious
- no sautéing means you can get it cooking quickly and it requires very little work!
- it works great for meal prep!
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Chicken Stew Ingredients
For this Tuscan chicken stew, you'll need:
- boneless skinless chicken thighs- I love using thighs as they stay nice and juicy in the slow cooker, however you could swap for chicken breasts and reduce the cook time to 3-4 hours.
- carrots, celery and onion- chopped
- tomatoes- swap for a can of diced tomatoes in a pinch
- potatoes- I recommend baby potatoes, halved
- fennel seeds- crush them with the side of a knife before adding to the stew
- rosemary- fresh if possible
- stock- I used homemade bone broth but regular chicken stock works great
- balsamic vinegar- to add a tangy aftertaste
- cornstarch- to thicken; you may also use arrowroot starch
Can I cook this in the Instant Pot?
Yes, you absolutely can! Find the directions in this Instant Pot Tuscan Chicken Stew post.
How do you thicken crockpot chicken stew?
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Thickening your stew is optional, but it really helps give it that comfort food texture...velvety and smooth and just a little more substantial than an un-thickened stew. It also helps the delicious broth stick to the chicken, bringing it even more flavor.
For this crockpot chicken stew, I simply mixed a bit of cornstarch with some water, add it to the pot 30 minutes before serving, and turn up the temperature to high. You can also use arrowroot starch.
Ingredient swaps
This Tuscan chicken stew is a great as written but you can totally change it up depending on what you have on hand in your fridge or pantry!
- chicken thighs- chicken breasts may be used (adjust the cook time to 3-4 hours on low), readers Karen and Aletta added browned Italian sausage, and reader Dani added ½ a cup of lentils
- potatoes- sweet potatoes would go well with the flavors in this stew (although they may end up quite soft by the end of the cook time). You could also leave the potatoes out and increase the other veggies to make up for them.
- fennel- fresh tarragon may be a good alternative (add at the end of the cook time). Fresh thyme is great in this stew with the rosemary.
- other add ins- reader Yae added 1 teaspoon of turmeric, and I personally think adding in some roasted garlic would be fantastic!
Meal prep tips
This is the perfect recipe to add into your meal prep routine! You can meal prep it in two different ways:
- cook ahead and reheat- cook a big batch of this stew on the weekend and reheat for easy lunches or dinners.
- store in the fridge for up to 4 days or the freezer for up to 3 months
- I like storing the cooked stew in a 2 cup glass meal prep containers or a meal mug
- assemble ahead but don't cook- as a crockpot freezer meal (find 34 more crockpot freezer meals here!)
- combine all ingredients in a large freezer bag, a large meal prep container or a reusable silicone bag
- freeze for up to 3 months
- when you are ready to cook, thaw completely and cook as directed
find my favorite meal prep containers & freezer equipment in my shop!
More slow cooker chicken recipes
- Crockpot Whole Chicken and Veggies
- Thai Slow Cooker Chicken & Wild Rice Soup
- Crockpot Chicken Noodle Soup
- 7 No Sautee Slow Cooker Chicken Recipes
- Slow Cooker Lemon Garlic Chicken Thighs
Recipe Video
Watch the video below to see how easy this recipe is to prep! Watch this 1-minute video! You can find more recipe videos on my YouTube channel.
This recipe was originally posted in 2014. It has been republished with fresh photos, tips and a new video in 2020.
Did you make this? Tag me on social @sweetpeasandsaffron and be sure to leave a comment and rate the recipe!
Tuscan Slow Cooker Chicken Stew
Ingredients
- 6-8 boneless chicken thighs
- 2 carrots peeled and sliced
- 2 stalks of celery sliced
- 1 small-medium onion diced
- 2 cloves garlic minced
- 2 medium tomatoes diced
- 12 baby potatoes left whole or cut in half
- 1 ¾ cup chicken stock
- 1 tablespoon tomato paste optional!
- 2 tablespoon white wine
- 1 teaspoon fennel seeds crushed with side of knife
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 1 sprig of fresh rosemary
Just before serving:
- ¼ cup water
- 2 tablespoons cornstarch (or 1 tablespoon arrowroot powder)
- 1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar
To serve
- chopped parsley
- bread
Instructions
Slow Cooker
- Toss chicken, carrots, celery, onion, garlic, tomatoes, potatoes, chicken stock, tomato paste, wine, fennel seeds, salt and rosemary into the slow cooker.
- Cook on the lowest setting for 4-6 hours.
- During the last 30 minutes of cook time, combine the corn starch with the water and mix until no lumps remain and add to the slow cooker along with the balsamic vinegar.
- Turn heat to high, and cook for 30 additional minutes, until slightly thickened.
- Transfer chicken thighs to a clean bowl and shred with two forks or an electric hand mixer. Return to the stew and mix in.
- Remove the rosemary and serve.
To assemble ahead and freeze:
- In a heavy-duty gallon sized freezer bag, combine all ingredients except the water/cornstarch/balsamic vinegar. **Make sure to leave the baby potatoes whole**
- Remove as much air as possible and freeze for up to 3 months.
- Thaw completely before cooking as directed above.
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Video
Nutrition Information
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Sara says
Hi I want to make this recipe but could you clarify if this is cooked on low or high setting ? Thanks!
Denise says
Hi Sara! The recipe cooks on the low setting for 4-6 hours. I hope you like it! 🙂
Anna says
I'm so excited to try this out today! Just finished prepping everything and it already looks amazing. Thank you so much for posting this! I will definitely be trying more of your recipes in the future. ?
Denise says
Hi Anna! I really hope you like it! Thanks so much for your kind words 🙂
Lindsay says
I made this last night, and while good, it didn't wow me. Seemed to lack flavor despite me following the recipe to a T. Also, it didn't thicken at all with the cornstarch either. =(
Denise says
Sorry to hear you didn't like it, Lindsay 🙁
Stacey @ Bake.Eat.Repeat. says
Made this stew last week and it was amazing! I'm not generally a fan of fennel, but we really enjoyed this. My daughter even took it to school for lunch the next day - and she doesn't generally like stew-type meals! 🙂
Denise says
How did I miss this? I'm so glad you guys liked the stew! I have to admit I'm not really a 'stew' person either...at least not beef stew. Thanks, Stacey!
Liz says
I'm not the most experienced cook but when my mom asked me to help out while my dad is on bed rest from knee surgery, I wanted to make something yummy. So I turned to Pinterest and found this recipe! Everyone loved it and it was SO easy to make. I added more white wine, balsamic, and salt than the recipe called for but it was a hit.
Denise says
Hi Liz! I'm SO happy to hear you all enjoyed the stew! Thanks so much for reporting back 🙂 🙂 Wishing a quick recovery for your dad!
Maria says
Looks delish? What size of crockpot do you use for this recipe ? I'm wondering if my slow cooker is too big and if I should double the recipe .
Denise says
Hi Maria! I use a 5 quart slow cooker. I believe it was at least 2/3 full. I hope this helps! I will add these details to the recipe 🙂
Catherine says
Dear Denise, this looks beautiful! What a delicious and comforting stew. Right up my alley...I wouldn't mind a bowl this morning. xo, Catherine
Ashley | The Recipe Rebel says
We finally made this recipe -- We loved it! I used boneless chicken breasts because that's what I usually have, and I actually put them in frozen and let it cook all day -- perfect! Definitely adding this to the regulars. Thanks friend!
Denise says
YAY! I'm so glad you guys liked it. Good tip about the frozen chicken breast...so convenient! Thanks Ashley 🙂 🙂
Kelsey says
This looks great! I'm a little confused about how to do the chicken....should I cook it separately then pour chickeb anf the deglazed wine juices in with everything else?
Denise says
Hi Kelsey. Now I'm confused (ha ha!). If you are making it in the slow cooker, you just throw everything in, set it to the lowest setting, and cook for 4-6 hours.
DLynn says
This recipe was a hit with my whole family. Thank you!
Denise says
I'm SO glad your family enjoyed the stew, DLynn! Thank-you so much for reporting back here. Have a great rest of your week-end!
Catherine says
Dear Denise, this soup speaks right to my soul! What a wonderful and delicious meal to greet the Fall with. I love the flavors and herbs..this is the definition of comfort food! xo, Catherine
Rhonda says
I made this today for my husbands birthday. Believe it or not, it is almost 90 degrees out today and my house smells so good that I don't even care this is a colder weather meal. I doubled the receipt since we have 9 coming over. Cant wait to dig in!!!
Denise says
Hi Rhonda! I hope you guys liked it, I have to say that I eat soup all summer long...we made a big batch of minestrone the other day and it was pretty hot outside 🙂
Carolyn says
I'm experimenting with "freezer meals" for the slow cooker - where you do all the chopping for several meals and divide and bag up all the ingredients and freeze together. Then you defrost and throw it in the slow cooker when you want it. Have you tried that with this? Potatoes and tomatoes seem like they may not freeze well...I've never frozen raw potatoes. I guess if it was all in the stock and wine, it might be okay. I will try it, I guess, and let you know!
Denise says
Hi Carolyn! I haven't tried freezing the ingredients first...it sounds very convenient! If you wouldn't mind reporting back here how it turns out, that would be wonderful.
Carolyn says
Do you have nutritional values for your recipes? I esp need the sodium. Tks
Denise says
Hi Carolyn, I don't provide nutritional values on my site for legal reasons, however if you put the recipe into the calculator on My Fitness Pal or Spark, you should be able to get that information!
swathi says
Delicious chicken stew, full of flavors,
Ashley says
Does the recipe call for boneless or bone-in chicken thighs? Or does it matter?
Denise says
Hi Ashley, it's boneless (I will update the recipe). I have had other readers use bone-in chicken thighs in a similar recipe with no issues...just make sure it is skinless and trim as much fat as possible. Hope you enjoy the stew!
Julie says
Made this for my sister's birthday and her whole family loved it. My sister even tilted her bowl to drink up the last drop. Amazing recipe. You have gained an enormous amount of culinary credibility with me. I feel like if you say something is good then I should try it.
Denise says
Wow, Julie, thank-you so much for such an amazing compliment! I'm so glad you all enjoyed the stew 🙂
Julie says
I made this for dinner tonight and it was delicious. I didn't use any wine and didn't miss it at all.
Denise says
Hi Julie! I'm glad you enjoyed the stew! I will have to try it without the wine...did you use chicken stock instead? Thanks for reporting back!
Julie says
Yes, I used chicken broth instead. I cooked a whole organic chicken and divided that up between 2 soup pots and doubled the rest of the ingredients. I used the cooking broth and divided it up between the 2 soup pots and added a tablespoon of Better Than Bouillon Chicken base to each pot too. I added the ingredients that I didn't think my son's fiance would eat in one pot but she tasted it and loved it and so I ended up not needing a separate pot of stew for the pickier eaters. My daughter's boyfriend is 19 and he ate a LOT. We ended up being snowed in that night and everyone wanted this for their snack and their breakfast the next day. I served it with the 1-hour home made bread from here: http://www.lafujimama.com/2009/09/simple-one-hour-homemade-bread. The combo was amazing. We had a neighbor's fresh honey and butter with the bread for dessert. This stew is just amazing. The depth of flavor is incredible. It was a huge eye-opener for me because I didn't think my family would go for some of the ingredients like the balsamic vinegar and the fennel seeds. This went over like gangbusters and they have all made me promise to put it into the favorite meals rotation. I freaking LOVE this stew!
Denise says
Sounds delicious, Julie! Good to know it is still good without the wine. And that bread sounds delicious! I will have to try it! Thanks so much for your kind comments, Julie, you totally made my day 🙂
Denise says
Hi Elizabeth! I'm so glad you and your family like the stew! I am loving my slow cooker these days, it is SO nice to get home from work and dinner is waiting for me 🙂
Denise says
Thanks for reporting back, Alice! I'm so glad you enjoyed it 🙂