Slow-Cooker Italian Chicken Stew

crockpot Italian chicken stew in the white bowls with cauliflower rice next to a red and white striped towel and cherry tomatoes, all on a wooden table

5 from 14 votes

This chicken stew is a hearty mix of protein and veggies, plus it includes stovetop and Instant Pot instructions. It's great to add to your weekly meal prep and have it ready to eat all week.

Prep Time15

Cook Time25

Slow cooker time4

Total Time4 40

Course: Breakfast, Main Course

Cuisine: Italian

Servings: servings

Calories: 333kcal

Author: Don Baiocchi

Ingredients

1 tablespoon avocado or olive oil, plus more if necessary
8 oz. sliced mushrooms, such as button, baby bella or cremini
1½ teaspoon fine sea salt, divided, plus more as necessary
4 cloves garlic, minced
1 medium yellow onion
2 bell peppers, color of your choice
6 oz. jar pitted kalamata olives (or your favorite olives), drained
2 teaspoons dried thyme
1 teaspoon dried sage or oregano
freshly ground black pepper, to taste
2 cups chicken broth
2-2½ lbs. boneless, skinless chicken breasts or thighs
6 oz. cherry tomatoes, halved

Instructions

Heat 1 tablespoon oil in a large skillet over medium heat.
Add the mushrooms and ½ teaspoon salt. Saute, stirring occasionally, for 5 minutes. Stir in the minced garlic and saute for another 5 minutes, until the mushrooms are deeply browned. If the mushrooms start to release water, continue cooking them until most of the water has evaporated, about 3-4. (Depending on the type of mushroom, they might not release much or any water.)
As the mushrooms are cooking, peel and chop the onions and core and chop the peppers. Once the mushrooms are ready, stir in the onions and peppers to the skillet, plus 1 teaspoon salt and freshly ground pepper.
Transfer the veggie mixture to your slow cooker insert. Stir in the drained olives and dried herbs and pour in the broth. Nestle the chicken into the stew - it won't be totally submerged and that's okay. Season the chicken with salt and pepper.
Set the slow cooker to low for 4 hours. When it's done, use two forks to shred the chicken into bite-sized chunks (if your slow cooker has a nonstick insert, you might want to pour the stew into a bowl to do this so the forks don't scrape the nonstick coating), or move them to a cutting board and cut into bite-sized chunks.
Add the halved cherry tomatoes to the veggies and stir everything together. Stir the chicken back in and taste for seasoning, adjusting as necessary. Serve warm, refrigerate for up to 5 days, or freeze for up to 3 months.

Notes

If using boneless, skinless chicken thighs, set the slow cooker to low for 5 hours.

See the post for ways to serving/meal ideas.

Does it seem weird to cook all those veggies first thing in the morning so the stew is ready for dinner? Cook all the veggies the night before. Pour everything into an airtight container and refrigerate overnight. Then add it your slow-cooker, add the broth and chicken and proceed with the recipe. Check the chicken to make sure it's cooked through; if not, add another 30 minutes to the cooking time (it might need that extra 30 minutes since everything went into the crockpot fridge-cold).

If you'd rather cook this on the stove, make sure to use a skillet large and deep enough to accommodate all the ingredients. Once you add the chicken, cover and cook over medium heat, 25-30 minutes for breasts and 35-45 minutes for thighs. Proceed with the rest of the recipe.

For the Instant Pot: hit the Saute button and heat the oil in the insert. Proceed with the recipe and after you add the chicken, put the lid on and secure it, making sure the seal on top is set correctly. Press Cancel/Keep Warm, then pressure cook 7 minutes for breasts and 10 minutes for thighs. Release the steam as soon as the time is up and proceed with the recipe.

Nutrition