Easy Chicken Stew Recipe (2024)

FAQs

What's the difference between chicken soup and chicken stew? ›

Soup Uses More Liquid

In soup, the liquid is the primary ingredient. Soup can be completely liquified or it can consist of other elements (like meat and vegetables) that are fully submerged in water, stock, or broth. Stew, meanwhile, is typically "chunkier." It contains just enough liquid to cover the main ingredients.

Add spices such as turmeric, coriander and cumin at the early stage of cooking, when you are frying onions and garlic, to enhance the taste of the beef stew. Fresh herbs like coriander and bay leaves also contribute a distinct flavour without making the dish too spicy for the younger members of the family.

Whisk a teaspoon of flour in a little cold water to make a slurry, then stir into the stew as it's cooking. Don't add dry flour directly to the stew as it may clump. After adding the slurry, bring the stew to boil. This will cook out the flour taste and allow the starch to swell.

Pounding the chicken

It may be a tedious process, but you have to keep doing it until the chicken is as thin as you want it to be. Let the level of thinness be informed by the recipe you're using. Pounding the chicken is one of the greatest do-it-yourself ways to tenderize chicken before cooking.

Using Chicken Stock Instead of Beef Stock

I use chicken stock instead of beef stock, and have done so ever since an article of Cook's Illustrated gave me permission years ago. I always found that beef stock gave soups and stews an oddly tinny flavor, and the good folks at Cook's Illustrated agreed with me.

If were talking while it's being made; garlic, onion, various herbs, “horse chester sauce” tomato paste, stone ground mustard, or even a small splash of A1 sauce will all “rich up” the broth. So will sauteing the veggies in butter before adding to the stew.

Add vegetables: After 1 hour 30 minutes, carefully remove pot from oven and use oven mitt to remove lid. Add vegetables and stir gently to combine. Carefully replace lid on pot and return stew to oven to cook for an additional hour.

Adding milk or cream to a soup can balance contrasting tastes and help ingredients that don't typically mesh blend seamlessly. Plus, the extra calories in milk or cream can make for a more filling soup served solo and without any accompanying sides.

Can you overcook a chicken stew? Yes, overcooking chicken stew will cause the chicken to become tough and dry. Allow it to simmer just long enough for the ingredients to soften and cook through. Then, remove the stew from the heat.

Why is my chicken stew tough? ›

As mentioned above, overcooked chicken is the most common reason for rubbery chicken because the chicken loses moisture as it cooks. Checking the internal temperature of the chicken is the best way to avoid this.

Start by cooking your stew without the lid on for a bit longer—this will allow for more of the liquid to evaporate and let the stew reduce.

Velveting is a Chinese cooking technique to tenderize or silken chicken, beef, and other meats. There are different methods of velveting, including oil velveting, water velveting, velveting with baking soda, and using egg whites. I prefer velveting chicken with baking soda.

Marinating your chicken in something overnight can help make it all the more juicier and tender. You can use a gluten-free, acidic marinade (like olive oil and lemon juice) or something breadier (like baking soda, egg whites, and buttermilk).

Another way to look at it: Soup is any combination of ingredients cooked in liquid. Stew is any dish that's prepared by stewing—that is, submerging the ingredients with just enough liquid to cook them through at a simmer in a covered pot for a long time.

Generally speaking, if there is so much liquid that the ingredients are fully submerged, it's a soup. If the chunks dominate the dish, it's a stew.

Definitions of chicken stew. a stew made with chicken. type of: fricassee. pieces of chicken or other meat stewed in gravy with e.g. carrots and onions and served with noodles or dumplings.

Stewing is done on the top of a cooker with heat being applied directly to the underneath of the pot; while casseroling takes place inside the oven with heat circulating all around the pot. In both cases the meat is cut up fairly small and cooked in a liquid (stock, wine, water, cider or whatever).