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This Southern Stewed Chicken is pure homemade comfort food with tender chicken, hearty potatoes and Cajun seasoning all stewed together in a savory broth! You’ll be craving a bowl of this for dinner tonight!
It may take a little extra time to cook this dish (like this amazing veal stew we love), but I promise, it’s worth it!
When it comes to southern comfort food, I have many loves. This crispy sous vide fried chicken is a favorite, especially for picnics and potlucks with friends. And a bowl of this Instant Pot gumbo or this creole chicken is just heavenly after a long day.
And let’s not forget these crispy Cajun wings. They make the best game day snack or party appetizer along with this air fryer garlic bread.
But lately, this southern stewed chicken has been our go-to for cozy meals. It’s warm and filling, with big flavor and hearty ingredients.
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Why this recipe works
- There’s no need to pre-season or marinate the chicken. You still need to brown it for flavor, but the chicken seasons and tenderizes in the broth as it cooks, so you can save the marinating for another recipe!
- It’s a one pot meal. That’s right! For the best flavor, the same pot is used for browning the chicken, cooking the veggies and stewing everything together. No need to dirt up multiple pans or pots!
- Leftovers store well, so this stewed chicken is great for meal prep. Just make a batch on Sunday for dinner during the week, or pack up some leftovers for workday lunches.
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What is stewed chicken?
Stewing is similar to braising in that the meat or poultry is browned on both sides and then slowly cooked in liquid until tender. In the case of stewing, the cooking liquid or broth normally covers the meat or poultry.
This stewed chicken is submerged in a flavorful broth and cooked low and slow until tender. It’s similar to smothered chicken recipes, where the chicken is cooked in a rich cream sauce or gravy.
Ingredients
The following are a few key ingredients for southern stewed chicken. For the full list of ingredients, please see the recipe card below.
You’ll need 2 pounds of chicken thighs (or about 4-6 thighs depending on their size). I recommend using boneless, skinless thighs as it makes this dish a little less greasy (compared to bone-in, skin-on thighs), and the skin tends to get soggy as it stews anyways, so I prefer to remove it or buy skinless.
To make the stewing broth, the recipe calls for 3 tablespoons of flour and 4 cups of chicken stock. I usually go with homemade chicken stock, but you can also use store-bought for convenience. If you’re using a low-sodium broth, you may wish to add some salt to the broth as the chicken cooks.
The primary flavor for this stewed chicken comes from the Cajun seasoning. You’ll add 1 full tablespoon to the broth mixture. While you can use store-bought, this homemade Cajun seasoning is so much better and so easy to make!
What makes this stewed chicken a little heartier than some other recipes is the addition of potato. Just 1 russet potato is chopped into cubes and cooked with the chicken. The starch from the potato also helps thicken the stewing liquid.
Step by step instructions
Heat the avocado oil in a Dutch oven over medium heat. Add the chicken thighs and brown for about 2-3 minutes per side. **You'll need to do this in 2 batches.
Remove the chicken and set aside.
With the heat still on medium, add the butter and let it melt. Then add the onion, green pepper and celery and cook for about 2-3 minutes, until softened.
Sprinkle in the flour and mix to coat the vegetables well.
Slowly stir in the broth, whisking constantly. If you add it too fast without stirring, it can become clumpy.
Add the Cajun seasoning, black pepper, bay leaf and chicken and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat and simmer, uncovered, for 50 minutes.
Stir in the potato cubes and cook for an additional 20-25 minutes, or until the potatoes are tender all the way through.
Add salt to taste, if desired, and serve over rice or pasta. You can also just enjoy with some crusty bread!
Expert tips
- If you don’t have a Dutch oven you can use another heavy-bottomed pan or pot. You’ll just want to make sure it’s large enough to fit all of the ingredients.
- Instead of boneless chicken thighs, you can use bone-in thighs. Just make sure you’re using skinless chicken.
- For even browning, make sure you don’t overcrowd the chicken. Depending on the size of your pan/pot, you will need to brown the chicken in at least two batches.
- If you use other cuts of chicken for this recipe like drumsticks or breasts, just note that they have different cooking times.
- If you’re using low sodium chicken broth, you may wish to add some salt to the stewed chicken.
- If you like your food a little spicier, feel free to add a little extra Cajun seasoning or cayenne pepper.
- For additional flavor, add some minced garlic when cooking the onion, pepper and celery.
- Green pepper is more traditional in stewed chicken, but for a sweeter taste, you can substitute with red, yellow or orange pepper.
Common questions
Yes! While the chicken may not stay crispy as it stews, the browning adds colour to the chicken and rich flavor to the stewing liquid. You only need to brown the chicken for 2-3 minutes per side, so please don’t skip this step!
Chicken is cooked when it reaches a safe internal temperature of 165F degrees. For this recipe, you’ll know the chicken is cooked because it will be fall-apart tender!
Yes, you can substitute other cuts of chicken but just keep in mind that different cuts of chicken are juicier than others (such as thighs), and therefore, impart more flavor. They also have different cooking times, so you may need to adjust the length of time the chicken stews.
If you like the broth a little thicker, you can make a roux or you can mix together a flour or cornstarch slurry and stir it in. If the broth ends up too thick, just stir in a little bit of water or more chicken stock to thin it out.
You can enjoy it on its own with some crusty bread, air fryer biscuits or air fryer cornbread. Or serve it over noodles, white rice, or dirty rice. A serving of southern green beans with this chicken would also be amazing!
Storage and freezing instructions
Leftover stewed chicken stores well, so it’s great for meal prep. Just place it in an airtight container, store it in the fridge and enjoy within 3-4 days. You can reheat it in a saucepan on the stovetop or in the microwave.
You can also freeze this stewed chicken, but if you intend to do this, I recommend leaving out the cubed potato as it’ll get mushy once defrosted and reheated.
To freeze, just let the stewed chicken cool in the fridge and then store in the freezer for up to 3 months. Defrost in the fridge overnight before reheating.
More favorite Southern dishes
- Southern Peach Cobbler
- Mock Turtle Soup
- Yaya Gumbo
- Instant Pot Collard Greens
- Jalapeno Hush Puppies
- Easy Homemade Crawfish Pie
- Homemade Cheese Grits with Sausage
If you love this recipe, please leave a star rating and a comment below and let us know your favorite thing about it. We'd also love to connect on Instagram! Follow us at @went_here_8_this for awesome recipes and all sorts of fun food stuff 🙂
Recipe
Southern Stewed Chicken
Ingredients
- 2 pounds chicken thighs boneless/skinless
- 1 tablespoon avocado oil
- 4 tablespoons unsalted butter
- ½ onion diced
- 1 stalk celery chopped
- 1 green pepper chopped
- 3 tablespoons flour
- 4 cups chicken stock
- 1 tablespoon Cajun seasoning
- 1 bay leaf
- ½ teaspoon ground black pepper
- 1 russet potato peeled and chopped in ½-1" cubes
- steamed white rice optional - for serving
Instructions
- Heat the avocado oil in a Dutch oven over medium heat. Add the chicken thighs and brown about 2-3 minutes per side. (You'll need to do this in 2 batches).
- Remove the chicken and set aside.
- With the heat still on medium, add the butter and let it melt. Then add the onion, green pepper and celery and cook about 2-3 minutes, until it starts to soften.
- Sprinkle in the flour and mix to coat the vegetables well.
- Slowly stir in the broth, whisking constantly. If you add it too fast without stirring, it can become clumpy.
- Add the Cajun seasoning, black pepper, bay leaf and chicken and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat and simmer, uncovered, for 50 minutes.
- Stir in the potato cubes and cook an additional 20-25 minutes, or until potatoes are tender all the way through.
- Add salt to taste, if desired. Serve over rice or pasta, or enjoy with crusty bread.
Expert Tips:
- If you don’t have a Dutch oven you can use another heavy-bottomed pan or pot. You’ll just want to make sure it’s large enough to fit all of the ingredients.
- Instead of boneless chicken thighs, you can use bone-in thighs. Just make sure you’re using skinless chicken.
- For even browning, make sure you don’t overcrowd the chicken. Depending on the size of your pan/pot, you will need to brown the chicken in at least two batches.
- If you use other cuts of chicken for this recipe like drumsticks or breasts, just note that they have different cooking times.
- If you’re using low sodium chicken broth, you may wish to add some salt to the stewed chicken.
- If you like your food a little spicier, feel free to add a little extra Cajun seasoning or cayenne pepper.
- Green pepper is more traditional in stewed chicken, but for a sweeter taste, you can substitute with red, yellow or orange pepper.
Nutrition
Toni
This is really perfect!! Thank you! A new favorite at my house!
Danielle
Thanks Toni!
Claudia Lamascolo
The flavors in this are fantastic and everyone will love it cant wait to get into the kitchen to make it !
Danielle
Thanks!
Beth
Nothing better than stewed chicken. My Aunt used to make this recipe and yours looks just as good. I can't wait to try it!
Danielle
It total comfort food!
Gina
Love an easy one pot meal and this is great because it's hardly any ingredients at all! Amazing how comforting something so simple can be!
Danielle
Totally! Thanks Gina.