Hearty Chicken Stew (Instant Pot or Slow Cooker)

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Hearty Chicken Stew made in the Instant Pot or slow cooker with frozen chicken breasts, potatoes, carrots, and cream of chicken soup. Budget-friendly comfort food that feeds a crowd.

Some of the best recipes are born out of practicality. A freezer full of chicken breasts, a bag of potatoes, a few pantry staples — and a cool fall evening that's calling for something warm and filling. This Southern Creamy Chicken Stew is exactly that recipe. It's humble, honest comfort food that feeds a crowd without breaking the bank, and it comes together in the Instant Pot or the slow cooker with almost no effort at all.

The cream of chicken soup gives it that rich, velvety texture that feels like a warm hug in a bowl. The thyme adds just the right herbal note. And the tender shredded chicken soaks up every bit of that savory broth. It's the kind of meal that makes the whole house smell amazing and has everyone coming back for seconds.

Check out all of our soups, stews, and chilis!

Why You'll Love This Recipe

This stew checks every box for a weeknight fall dinner. It's made with simple, affordable ingredients you probably already have. Chicken breasts — especially when you buy in bulk and freeze them — are one of the most budget-friendly proteins out there, and this recipe stretches them beautifully. A pot of this stew can feed six to eight people for well under $15, which is the kind of math we love around here.

Like our Dutch Oven Beef Stew, it's also endlessly flexible. Make it in the Instant Pot when you need dinner on the table in under an hour. Toss everything in the slow cooker in the morning and come home to a ready meal. Either way, the result is the same: creamy, comforting, Southern-style chicken stew that tastes like it took all day.

Tips Before You Start

Don't worry about thawing your chicken. One of the best things about making this in the Instant Pot is that you can cook straight from frozen. No planning ahead required.

Size matters for cook time. Standard boneless chicken breasts cook from frozen in about 25-30 minutes. But if yours are large or frozen together in a solid block, go 50-55 minutes. Undercooked chicken is never worth the risk, and the longer cook time just makes it more tender and easy to shred.

Cook the chicken first, then the more fragile vegetables (like the potatoes and carrots). This is important in the Instant Pot. If you cook everything together, your potatoes will turn to mush. We do this in two stages — chicken first, then add the vegetables for a short second cook. The slow cooker doesn't have this problem; everything goes in together.

Three cups of broth is the sweet spot. More than that and the stew gets too thin, even with the cream of chicken soup helping to thicken it. If you find yourself with extra liquid at the end, a quick cornstarch slurry fixes it in minutes.

Season in the broth, not later. All the seasonings go in with the chicken during the first cook so they have time to develop and infuse the broth. By the time you're done, every bite is well-seasoned throughout.

Hearty Chicken Stew Ingredients

You will find a full printable recipe card at the bottom of this post but here's a quick peek at what you're going to need to make this delicious stew. These are simple ingredients you might already have in your pantry or refrigerator.

• 2 lbs frozen chicken breasts (no thawing needed!)
• 3 cups chicken broth (low sodium works great)
• 2 cans (10.5 oz each) cream of chicken soup
• 4 medium potatoes, peeled and cubed
• 3 large carrots, sliced
• 3 stalks celery, sliced
• 1 medium onion, diced
• 1 teaspoon garlic powder
• 1 teaspoon onion powder
• ½ teaspoon black pepper
• ½ teaspoon dried thyme
• Optional: 1-2 tablespoons cornstarch dissolved in 2 tablespoons cold water (for thickening)

Instant Pot Instructions

Cook the chicken. Place frozen chicken breasts in the Instant Pot. Add chicken broth, celery, onion, garlic powder, onion powder, pepper, and thyme. Lock the lid and set the valve to sealing. Cook on High Pressure for 25-30 minutes for average-sized breasts or 50-55 minutes for large breasts or a frozen solid block.

Natural release. Let the pressure release naturally for 10 minutes, then carefully quick release the rest.

Shred the chicken. Remove the chicken breasts and shred with two forks. Set aside.

Add the vegetables. Add the potatoes and carrots to the pot. Lock the lid again and cook on High Pressure for 4-5 minutes. Quick release.

Bring it together. Switch to Sauté mode. Add more spices if you like, then stir in the cream of chicken soup and return the shredded chicken to the pot. Stir until the soup is fully incorporated and everything is heated through.

Thicken if needed. If the stew is thinner than you'd like, stir in a cornstarch slurry (1-2 tablespoons cornstarch dissolved in 2 tablespoons cold water) and let it simmer on Sauté mode for 3-4 minutes until thickened.

Taste and adjust seasoning before serving.

Alternate Slow Cooker Instructions

1. Place chicken breasts (frozen is fine) in the bottom of the slow cooker.
2. Add potatoes, carrots, celery, and onion on top.
3. Pour in chicken broth. Spoon cream of chicken soup over the top. Add all seasonings.
4. Cook on Low for 7-8 hours or High for 4-5 hours.
5. Remove chicken, shred with two forks, and return to the slow cooker. Stir everything together.
6. If the stew needs thickening, stir in a cornstarch slurry and cook on High uncovered for 15-20 minutes.
7. Taste and adjust seasoning before serving.

Serve and Enjoy!

I ate mine with buttered bread. As we already established in the Beef Stew post, buttered bread is a staple with stew here in the south. You might choose our Texas dinner rolls, our 2-ingredient biscuits, or even our homemade Texas Toast. But this is definitely a soupy stew that calls for bread

Variations

Add a Southern twist: Stir in a cup of frozen corn or green peas in the last few minutes of cooking for extra color and sweetness.

Make it richer: Add a splash of heavy cream or a dollop of sour cream when you stir in the cream of chicken soup.

Add dumplings: Drop spoonfuls of biscuit dough on top of the finished stew and cook on Sauté mode with the lid on for 10-12 minutes until the dumplings are cooked through. Instant chicken and dumplings.

Use chicken thighs: Boneless skinless thighs work beautifully here and stay even more moist than breasts. Reduce Instant Pot cook time by about 5 minutes.

Frequently Asked Questions

Thanks for Stopping By!

If you make this hearty Chicken Stew and enjoy it please leave a comment or review. And before you go, please pin some photos to your Pinterest boards!

About the Cook

I’m Janice, a Texas home cook, baker, and recipe developer who has always had a soft spot for simple, comforting meals. I especially love recipes like this hearty chicken stew—the kind you can put together with everyday ingredients and let the Instant Pot or slow cooker do most of the work. With tender chicken, potatoes, carrots, and plenty of rich broth, it’s exactly the sort of warm, cozy supper I love serving to family and friends.