Pop it on to cook and carry on with your evenings. Come dinnertime you’ll have a hearty family meal ready to go.
Summary
Prep: 20 minutes
Cooking: 1 hour
Ages: Toddlers to Teens
Difficulty: Easy peasy
Makes: 4 servings
Slow cooking brings out the flavour in food. It tenderises the meat and leaves you with juicy chicken pieces and soft vegetables, all in a tasty stew sauce. It also helps that you can get on with other things while your dinner cooks itself.
What ingredients go into a chicken stew?
This veggie packed chicken stew for kids has root vegetables like parsnip, sweet potatoes, and carrots which are in season over the winter period. Root vegetables grow underground at the base of the plant. This means that they store all of the nutrients that the plant needs to stay alive and sustain growth. So they carry a lot of nutrition and fibre.
We’ve also added veggies like chopped leeks, celery, potatoes and green beans. So this chicken stew is well and truly packed with goodness.
How to cook a chicken stew
We recommend coating the pieces of chicken, potatoes and sweet potatoes in flour and browning them first. This can help thicken the stew sauce and release the flavours of each of the ingredients.
After browning them you can simply add the rest of the ingredients along with the stock. You then transfer the mixture to an oven proof casserole or slow cooker and let it simmer for an hour (or 4 hours in a slow cooker).
Seasoning for a chicken stew
We’ve kept our seasoning simple by adding some fresh thyme which has a great subtle flavour. However you can add more herbs if you like, including oregano, parsley, basil or coriander. A bay leave can be added as well for extra flavour and removed before serving.
Veggie packed chicken stew for kids
Ingredients
- 8 boneless chicken thighs
- 2 large sweet potatoes (400 grams)
- 2 parsnips
- 2 carrots
- 4 new potatoes (200 grams)
- 2 medium leeks
- 2 celery sticks
- 2 garlic cloves, crushed
- 6 sprigs of fresh thyme – leaves only
- 50 grams flour
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 1 cup green beans (150 grams)
- 600 ml vegetable or chicken stock
Instructions
- Chop the chicken thighs into small pieces about 2-3 cm wide (1 inch).
- On a separate board, peel and chop the carrots, sweet potatoes and parsnips into chunks. Dice the white part of the leeks and then also chop the celery, green beans and new potatoes. Crush the garlic cloves.
- In a frying pan heat 1 tablespoon olive oil. Coat the chopped chicken thigh pieces in flour and cook them on both sides until browned. Remove onto a plate and set aside.
- In the same pan, add the second tablespoon olive oil and cook the garlic, leeks, carrots, celery and thyme leaves for a few minutes.
- Roll the pieces of sweet potatoes, parsnips, and new potatoes around in the flour until coated. Add to the frying pan and cook for a few minutes.
- Transfer all the vegetables to an oven proof casserole and add in the chicken pieces. Sprinkle on the rest of the flour.
- Pour in the stock and green beans and bring to the boil.
- Cover and cook for 1 hour on a low heat on the hob, or move to the oven and cook at 180°C (or 350°F) for 50 minutes – 1 hour. Check the liquid level every now and then and top up with water if necessary.
- If you’re using a slow cooker, you can cook it on high setting for 4 hours or on a low setting for 8 hours.
- Serve with steamed greens and crusty bread.
Veggie packed chicken stew for kids – our step by step guide:
Prepare the vegetables
Peel and chop your carrots, sweet potatoes and parsnips into chunks. Halve your new potatoes.
Chop the leeks, celery and green beans and crush your garlic cloves.
Separate the thyme leaves from the stalks.
Brown the chicken pieces
Chop the chicken thighs into small chunks about 2-3cm wide (or 1 inch).
Now put 1 tablespoon of olive oil in a large frying pan and set on a medium heat. Sprinkle the chicken thigh pieces with flour and cook on both sides until browned.
Remove from the pan and set aside.
Add the vegetables
Add another tablespoon olive oil to the pan and cook the garlic, carrot, celery, leek and thyme.
Sauté for about 4-5 minutes.
Add the parsnips, potatoes and sweet potatoes
Roll your sweet potatoes, parsnips and potato pieces in flour until coated and add them to the pan.
Turn everything over with a spoon until the contents of the pan are mixed up.
Sprinkle on some flour
Sprinkle the remaining flour over the mixture. This is what will make your stew thick.
Transfer to a casserole dish
Transfer the vegetables and chicken to an oven proof casserole dish. Add in the vegetable stock and chopped green beans and bring to the boil.
Cover and simmer on a low heat for 1 hour on the hob. Alternatively you can place it in the oven at 180°C (or 350°F) for 50 minutes – 1 hour.
Check on the liquid levels every now and then and top up with water if necessary. Otherwise you can get on with your evening while your warming casserole is being prepared.
Enjoy this hearty chicken stew for family dinners
Veggie packed chicken stew for kids
Ingredients
- 8 boneless chicken thighs
- 2 sweet potatoes, large (400 grams)
- 2 parsnips
- 2 carrots
- 4 new potatoes (200 grams)
- 2 leeks
- 2 celery sticks
- 2 garlic cloves crushed
- 6 sprigs fresh thyme leaves only
- 50 grams plain flour
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 1 cup green beans (150 grams)
- 600 ml vegetable or chicken stock
Instructions
-
Chop the chicken thighs into small pieces about 2-3 cm wide (1 inch).
-
On a separate board, peel and chop the carrots, sweet potatoes and parsnips into chunks. Dice the white part of the leeks and then also chop the celery, green beans and new potatoes. Crush the garlic cloves.
-
In a frying pan heat 1 tablespoon olive oil. Coat the chopped chicken thigh pieces in flour and cook them on both sides until browned. Remove onto a plate and set aside.
-
In the same pan, add the second tablespoon olive oil and cook the garlic, leeks, carrots, celery and thyme leaves for a few minutes.
-
Roll the pieces of sweet potatoes, parsnips, and new potatoes around in the flour until coated. Add to the frying pan and cook for a few minutes.
-
Transfer all the vegetables to an oven proof casserole and add in the chicken pieces. Sprinkle on the rest of the flour.
-
Pour in the stock and green beans and bring to the boil.
-
Cover and cook for 1 hour on a low heat on the hob, or move to the oven and cook at 180°C (or 350°F) for 50 minutes – 1 hour. Check the liquid level every now and then and top up with water if necessary.
-
If you’re using a slow cooker, you can cook it on high setting for 4 hours or on a low setting for 8 hours.
-
Serve with steamed greens and crusty bread.
