This Slow Cooker Garlic Parmesan Chicken Stew is bound to be your new favorite winter comfort food! It’s hearty, creamy, cheesy and loaded with vegetables! The crockpot makes it an easy weeknight meal.
You guys.
I love hearty, creamy, winter comfort food. I can’t get enough.
I’ll eat soup and stew all year round, but there is just something so perfectly cozy about a big bowl of stew on a cold day. Especially one that cooks itself in the crockpot when you’re out in the cold!
If you love a cozy crockpot full of soup, stew, or stoup as much as I do, you’ll also love this Crockpot Potato Soup, this Slow Cooker Creamy Chicken Noodle Soup and this Spinach Tortellini Soup.
Ingredients and substitutions for this Chicken Stew:
- Chicken breasts: we always have a big stash of chicken breasts in the freezer so that’s what I use in most of my soups and stews. You can swap these for boneless, skinless chicken thighs or even precooked, chopped chicken if you have some on hand (maybe you made a big batch of this Crockpot Shredded Chicken?)
- Vegetables: I stuck with classic vegetables in this stew, but you can leave some out if your family doesn’t enjoy them, or add in extra! The only thing you need to keep in mind is that some are best added at the beginning (the ones that take a long time to cook) and some are best added at the end, like green beans, frozen vegetables, chopped spinach or kale.
- Seasoning: I kept my seasoning simple, but you can always scan your spice drawer for something that inspires you. Just keep your herbs and spices to things that go well with that tangy, salty Parmesan flavor.
- Cream: Heavy cream will give you the thickest stew and richest flavor, but you can swap this out for any cream you have on hand (it will just be a little thinner, and not quite as rich). One of my favorite swaps for heavy cream in soups is evaporated milk, because I can stash a few cans in the cupboard and it is still thick and creamy.
- Parmesan: If you’re concerned about the flavor of the Parmesan in this stew (first, who are you?!? Kidding 😉 ), start by adding a little, or leave it out of the stew and add it to each bowl individually. We love the flavor, but everyone has their preferences!
More cozy soups and stews!
Slow Cooker Garlic Parmesan Chicken Stew
Ingredients
- 1 lb Little Potatoes (quartered)
- 3 boneless skinless chicken breasts cut into 1″ pieces
- 1 rib celery chopped
- ½ medium onion finely chopped
- 3 large carrots thinly sliced
- 1 teaspoon minced garlic
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon dried parsley
- 1 teaspoon dried thyme
- ¼ teaspoon black pepper
- 2 cups chicken or vegetable broth
- ⅔ cup heavy cream
- 2 tablespoons corn starch
- ⅓ cup shredded Parmesan cheese
Instructions
- Add potatoes, chicken, celery, onion, carrots, garlic, salt, parsley, thyme, pepper, and broth to a 4-6 quart slow cooker.
- Cover and cook on low for 4 hours or until chicken is cooked through and potatoes are tender (this could take up to 6 hours depending on the temperature of your slow cooker — cutting them smaller will speed up cooking time).
- Set slow cooker to high. Stir together cream and corn starch and stir into slow cooker, along with Parmesan cheese. Cover and cook another 30-60 minutes or until thickened slightly.
- Serve immediately with crusty bread for dipping (the best way!).
Notes
Nutrition Information
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Chaser says
This recipe needs flavoring. Bland. I made in crockpot as directed. Creamy texture, but slightly watery. I put over pasta and added more cheese. That helped, but dish itself lacks a full
Yummy taste to me. I will remake but tweak recipe a lot.
Ashley Fehr says
Thanks for your feedback!
Katie says
I made this for the first time tonight . It was absolutely delicious!! The only thing I changed was I added 4 cloves of garlic instead of the 1 tsp (we love garlic in this house.) I will make this again for sure!
Ashley Fehr says
Thanks Katie!
Leslie Stansfield says
This was delicious. I will definitely make it a regular addition. Soup verses stew is a matter of preference on thickness. I will probably make it thicker. The big take away is that the flavors blend well. I loved it. Thank you!
Ashley Fehr says
Thanks Leslie!
Micheline Menard says
Tasty recipe, but I would call it a soup, not a stew.
Tara Madden says
Hey! I tried out this recipe and I’m loving how it’s turning out so far. Was just wondering, what is the serving size? It says 255kCal but how much is it? i presume around a cup or 2. We have a strict diet in my household, so let me know!
Ashley Fehr says
Unfortunately I don’t know the serving volume but the recipe feeds 6, so a serving is 1/6.
Meeko says
Followed it perfectly, but it is watery 🤔
Ashley Fehr says
It is not an incredibly thick stew, but you are always welcome to thicken with corn starch if you would prefer
Jen says
Delicious! I left out the salt and onions and cooked it on high for 4 hours. I added 4 heaping TBSP of corn starch with half and half cream and it was nicely thickened after 15 minutes
Ashley Fehr says
Thanks Jen!
Jaqi says
I’m adding some Rao’s creamy garlic Alfredo sauce to this at the end instead of just cream. I’m also topping it with biscuits in the last half hour that bake right on top. Comes out amazing! Love this recipe
Ashley Fehr says
that sounds delicious!
Linda says
Omg this stew was quite a hit in my house! Perfect for a cold snowy day and the aroma while cooking made us want it even more! Great addition with the cream and parmigiana cheese ! Will definitely make this again!
Ashley Fehr says
Thanks Linda! I’m so glad you liked it!
Anna says
If I set the crockpot to low, will this take 8 hours to cook?
Ashley Fehr says
It really does depend on your slow cooker and how full it is. A full slow cooker will take longer to cook, and some are naturally hotter than others. Mine does not take 8 hours, but some might.
Sarah says
Really lovely recipe, thanks for sharing it! I left the chicken out as I’m vegetarian, and reduced the broth to 650 ml to account for this. I’ve found it cooks best if I cut the veg (including potatoes) into 1-2cm square chunks, then sauté the vegetables in a little olive oil for about 10 min until they start to go soft, then I add the other ingredients and cook on medium in my slow cooker for about 5 hours before adding the cream etc. and cooking for another 30min on high as you advise. The stew is warm and hearty with lovely flavour. I’ve already made it twice in one week, as it’s perfect for a chilly autumn/winter evenings!
Ashley Fehr says
Thank you so much Sarah, and thanks for sharing tips on making it vegetarian as well!
Melissa Rasmussen says
I just put this in the crockpot for dinner! Accidentally added the cream now instead of later with the cornstarch. Will it still turn out? Should I just miz the cornstarch with a little cream and parmesan cheese at the end?
Ashley Fehr says
I think it will be fine! Cream tends to be okay at higher heats because of its high fat content. If you want it thicker you can always add some more with corn starch later.
Eve says
I used 4 cups of Chicken Stock instead of broth (Stock seems to make things richer and the extra cup of liquid was the perfect amount.) I used left over rotisserie chicken, which shredded beautifully. Didn’t add salt, used died Italian seasoning for the herbs and half and half for the cream. It might be my favorite crock pot soup I’ve ever made! I have another batch in right now.
Ashley Fehr says
I’m so happy to hear you enjoyed it!
Katia says
I followed this recipe exactly, and the end result was not what I expected. After reading all the gloating reviews, I looked forward to a delicious chicken stew dinner and having more to last me a few days. The recipe was a disappointment. The soup was thin and barely thickened even with the added starch. The seasoning was off; perhaps it was the thyme. You couldn’t ignore the offness of the taste with each spoonful, which gradually made the meal worse. This was a mediocre recipe, and tastes similar to canned chicken stew. If you are looking for a chicken stew to make for the first time, you’ll be surely disappointed. I honestly cannot believe all of the good reviews, as I have (excuse my lack of modesty) excellent taste buds.
Ashley Fehr says
I’m sorry you didn’t like it! The flavor is not really that of a traditional chicken stew — perhaps it’s the Parmesan you did not enjoy, and as you can see in the video it is a little thinner, which is easily remedied with some additional corn starch.
Kathie James says
I made this stew and it was fantastic! You must have done something wrong ? I had plenty left over and I’ll be making it again this weekend. Why not try it again!
Ashley Fehr says
Thanks Kathie!
Jill says
I had the same result. I doubled the cream and cornstarch after trying it because it wasn’t doing anything and still didn’t get a creamy result. The taste was bland except for something that just tastes off. I was hoping this would last me a few days and I could freeze some for later but I don’t even want to eat it at this point. And before anyone blames the crockpot lol, my crockpot is just fine.
Ashley Fehr says
If you are looking for a traditional chicken stew, this is not going to be it and, yes, the flavor will seem off because it doesn’t taste like a traditional chicken stew. There are lots of factors that can lead to a different taste: the brand of chicken broth, the brand and type of Parmesan cheese, how long spices have been sitting in the cupboard, etc. It is not a very thick stew, and it does take some time to thicken in the crockpot after adding the corn starch.
Robina says
I did this stove top. I only had half an onion and zero celery so I subbed them with leeks, which worked brilliantly. Also, I used chicken thighs and when the carrots and potatoes were tender I removed the skin and bones and shredded them.
I also upped the garlic and added some white wine. I will definitely be making this again, thank you for your inspiration.
Ashley Fehr says
Thanks Robina! And thank you for sharing your adjustments!
Sandy Quinn says
Wonderful! Tried twice to thicken the stew with corn starch, it didn’t work . Other than that it was great.
Ashley Fehr says
Thanks Sandy, and thank you for your feedback!
Bob Hubbard says
I came across this recipe and had to try it. I enjoy cooking soups. This was awesome. I even added the seasoning packet which came with the potatoes. It is definitely a keeper. My only problem, I will need to double the recipe next time.Since I am salt sensitive I left out the salt. No one noticed. Thank you for this great recipe.
Ken Kim says
Thank you for the recipe!
I’m new to cooking and when I do cook, I’m the type of person to burn water. I bought a crockpot recently and this is the first recipe I ever made. Turned out pretty great but the only thing is that mine took about 8ish hours to cook the chicken which I found strange because chicken cooks fast.
Ashley Fehr says
Thanks Ken! That does seem strange, but it could happen if the slow cooker is very full and on the lower heat side
Jamie says
Can you refrigerate the leftovers and if so are they still going to be good the next day?
Ashley Fehr says
They’ll be perfect the next day!
mandy says
Can you freeze this recipe , after it’s cooked?
Ashley Fehr says
I have, yes! You just have to use high fat dairy (cream) as low fat dairy doesn’t freeze well.
Larry Potts says
A great meal on a cold winters night at Champion Corner. I upped the garlic a bit, added some other root veg that I had and used sour cream for the dairy (I wasn’t running out for milk or cream) and it turned out AWESOME. Served with fresh baked multi-grain bread warm from the oven. My hus loved it, and its healthy too! Thanks for the inspiration!
p.s. for lunch the next day (today) it was equally good.
Ashley Fehr says
I’m so happy to hear that Larry! Thanks for the tip about using sour cream!
Kristen says
Can you cook this in the crockpot on high? Not sure how long for though
Ashley Fehr says
Yes definitely! Generally I will cook on high for half the time as on low.
Karla says
Attempted to make this awesome looking recipe. Mine doesn’t quite look the same.
Wish I knew how to send you a pick of it.
Ashley Fehr says
I’m sorry to hear that! I hope it was still tasty 🙂
Jocelyn says
What a great comfort food soup for these cold winter days!
Ashley Fehr says
Thanks Jocelyn!
Erin says
I am drawn to anything with Parmesan and garlic in the title. This is so easy and so comforting!
Ashley Fehr says
Thanks Erin!
lauren kelly says
This is the perfect comfort food for this freezing cold day!
Ashley Fehr says
Totally!
Rachael Yerkes says
This is just what I need on a cold winter night!
Ashley Fehr says
Me too!
Stephanie says
Slow cooker meals are the best and this one was so easy to make!!
Ashley Fehr says
Thanks Stephanie!
MaryAnn Coy says
Hi Ashley this Stew is abondanza. We loved it came out perfectly. I think the lady above may have a terminal slow cooker. I’ve had problems in the past, just like that, & death was soon after. We did this in the 8 qt & know we will Double this next time. Cooked on low overnight
about 8 hours everything was perfectly cooked, nice texture, well balanced flavor. Hubs took some to work & had nurses taking pictures & having him send them the recipe link.No chance
to get apicture here, got eaten too fast. But it was Identical to the picture on the pin. I just sent the pin link myself to a nurse friend in NJ. In need of simple quick meals. I’m Allergic To cow dairy, we used Almond milk made into a white sauce in the microwave melted the Romano (sheep cheese- Locatelli brand, imported) into it like making cheese sauce, then poured. Into the Stew, no lumps,& this incredibly flavorful creamy stew sauce, skipped the cornstarch We did pass on the salt & Used LS Chicken Broth, my HBP restricts salt, but the cheese had just the right saltiness for us. Just happened to have Chicken Breasts from our CSA normally my Cookergoto is boneless, skinless Thighs. I figure 2 Thighs to each 3-4oz Chicken Breasts. Thighs are cheaper nearly always on sale, something that never happens with boneless breasts.Again fantastic Stew totally loved & will be made often, here in Wintery Boston. Happy New Year to you. Oh & a thought , share with other bloggers. Does anyone know of a thermometer that we can use in slow cookers? That cooking temperature is vital, in this age of contaminated meats. Low can be insufficient in older pots & Hi can be way too high in new pots. Like that lady we don’t know until they die or something gets messed up.I suspect there’s a project & a blog post in that. The thermometer would need to have a probe in the pot when the cover is on to get an accurate picture, especially how long it takes to come up to cooking temp & how long to return to cooking temp when the cover is removed. I will leave you with that thought. Again great recipe‼️❤️?⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️?❤️ ❤️?⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️?❤️MA & Hubs from Boston,MA
Ashley Fehr says
Hi MaryAnn! I’m so happy to hear you liked the stew! I actually have a 6 quart Hamilton Beach slow cooker with a meat probe in it — it is great and takes a lot of the guess work out of cooking meats!
Barb Clough says
Made in my Instant Pot using instructions from another recipe and it came out great!! Add all initial ingredients like crockpot recipe & add a pinch of red pepper flakes. “Select Manual/Pressure Cook, high pressure, for 3 minutes.
Takes about 20 minutes total, including time to build pressure. Once done, do a gradual quick release.” Then add the milk (used almond milk), cornstarch & Parmesan cheese
Ashley Fehr says
I love that! I need to try this one in my Instant Pot soon!
Kelli says
Thanks! This is exactly what I was looking for – Instant Pot directions! Making it tomorrow night!
Amanda Herr says
How did it turn out in your instant pot?
Adrienne Smith says
The time is only 3 minutes to cook the chicken breasts too? Did you have to cut them first? I was just thinking I needed IP instructions for this recipe!
Sherry says
Thank you for the instant pot conversion.
Paige says
Hi, MaryAnn – this is so late I’m not sure you’ll see it, but we have a Dorkfood temperature controller usually used for Sous Vide cooking that we use to control the temperature in the crock pot. It has worked well.
Paula Kettell says
Perfect on this cold, rainy night! I didn’t have enough broth so I substituted one bouillon, a can of cream of chicken and 2 cans of water for the broth. It made it thick and delicious! Thank you for the recipe!
Ashley Fehr says
I’m so glad to hear you enjoyed it!
Shelley Maze says
Yummy yum yum!! Made this amazing stew for dinner tonight! Followed directions exactly. Don’t add canned soup, I think it would ruin all the amazing flavors. It is very different from my other crivk pot recipes! Thank you!!
Ashley Fehr says
Thanks Shelley! I’m so happy to hear you enjoyed it!
Elizabeth (George) Turney says
Made this for supper tonight. Turned out amazing! Tossed whole chicken breasts and all the veggies chopped into the slow cooker. I used chicken broth and added a stick of butter to make it richer. Before adding the cream and cheese I shredded the chicken. I used whole cream and an Italian blend cheese because that’s all I had. Turned out amazing, the whole family loved it!
Ashley Fehr says
I’m so happy to hear that! I’ve never tried adding butter before — I’m definitely intrigued by that!
MaryAnn Coy says
This is one of the times adding butter with milk to sub for heavy cream works, although the cheese mix she used would have done the job. Something restaurants do quite often.. Hubs is putting this together as we speak. Will have to use Almond Milk & Romano Cheese, I’m Allergic To cow dairy protein. It should work out. We
make the milk into a White Sauce for the thickness, the Romano is from sheep milk
so we may not need to use cornstarch. It’s a good recipe, looking forward to it. I’m with you on the bread. A big slice of homemade bread in the bottom of the bowl is how I grew up eating stew. My short experience being gluten free last year drove me crazy. This old lady can’t live without grain. Dairy turned out to be the real issue. That was tough,but ice cream was hardest. The substitutes for dairy are far better than subs for my beloved grains! Happy Holidays from Boston Ma. Where it is cold & rainy. MA & Hubs.
Adrienne Early says
Just made this today.
I cooked it high for 45 min at the start because I put in frozen chicken and wasn’t sure if it would show the cooking of the potatoes, then dropped it to low for 3.5 hours, before turning it back to high for the last part of the recipe.
I also wasn’t sure what to use for cream, so I used condensed cream of chicken soup.
It turned out good. (Picky) Kids and hubby loved it though I felt it a bit salty, so I’d probably half the salt added at the start, or use low sodium broth. Potatoes were perfectly tender.
I also added a few sliced mushrooms, but it didn’t seem to add anything of note to the soup, accept color. 🙂
Ashley Fehr says
Thanks Adrienne! I’m glad your family enjoyed it! I definitely usually purchase low sodium broths and soups, so that’s a great tip 🙂
Katherine says
Can I use an Instant Pot? Would you know the cooking time?
Ashley Fehr says
You definitely could! For cubed chicken and veggies with broth, I would do maybe 3-4 minutes. Then add the cream and Parmesan afterwards. I hope that helps!
Kelsey A says
This was delicious!! I substituted the carrots for broccoli but aside from that did everything else the same. Will definitely be making again!!
Ashley Fehr says
I’m so glad to hear you liked it!
Lisa says
I made this last night and it was delicious! I served it to my whole family and everyone liked it. We had french bread on the side and it was yummy dipped in the broth. Next time I make this soup, I am going to leave the chicken breasts whole and cook in the crockpot for 8-9 hours on low instead of 4-5…. and then shred the chicken into the soup before turning on high for that last 30 minutes. Reason being, the potatoes and the carrots do not get soft enough with only 4-5 hours. They were soft but not soft enough… they needed more time. I read another review that said the same thing so I even cut my potatoes and carrots small and/or thin hoping that would help, but it didn’t. You truly do need more time. However, the flavor of this soup was DELICIOUS!
Ashley Fehr says
Thanks Lisa for that note! It definitely does depend a lot on the size of your veggies and the temperature of your slow cooker.
Caryn says
Could I use almond milk instead of cream or regular milk?
Ashley Fehr says
I haven’t tried, so I can’t really say how it would turn out. You probably can, but there will definitely be a different taste.
Danielle says
Can you use grated Parmesan?
Ashley Fehr says
Yes, definitely!
Danielle says
Can you use grated Parmesan?
Catherine says
I made this yesterday and it’s fantastic! This will be a recipe that I make often. Thanks so much!
Ashley Fehr says
So happy to hear that!
Chelsie says
Question. . . Approximately how much chicken (oz, lbs) do you use. You say 3 breasts but I’ve purchased some chicken breasts that are gigantic. I like that you added the nutritional information, but that could change depending on the amount of chicken. Hope that makes sense, thanks.
Bhick says
When you say cream do you mean heavy cream?
Ashley Fehr says
Heavy cream works, or half and half, or anywhere in between 🙂 It just depends how creamy you want it!
Elizabeth says
Made it this morning, came home to this fantastic smelling house. SO delicious & both my kids ate it right up! The only thing I ate was a parmesan rind like another poster mentioned!! Thank you
Ashley Fehr says
Yes, that’s a great idea! I’m so glad you liked it!
Michelle says
This was delicious! I used some of the small potatoes, and then cut up some russets into small pieces to supplement. Overall the flavor was really good, it was super easy, and it was filling and satisfying.
Ashley Fehr says
I’m glad to hear you liked it!
heather says
Just made this last night and I thought it turned out great! I used fresh thyme and dried Italian seasoning in place of the spices. I also added frozen green peas when the cream/cornstarch mixture was added. My husband doesn’t like meals from the slow cooker and he was impressed!
Ashley Fehr says
I’m so happy to hear that! Thanks for sharing!
Iris says
I’d toss a parmesan rind in this as well, it makes SUCH a good savory foundation that you can’t get with anything else!
Ashley Fehr says
Oh, yum! Great idea!
Annette lyday says
What is a parmesan find?
Ashley Fehr says
A Parmesan rind is just the end of a chunk of Parmesan — the tougher part that you wouldn’t eat. You can add it in for extra flavor and then scoop it out before serving.
Dawn Slagle says
I made this tonight intisipating a good dinner. Oh, was I wrong. The vegetables weren’t fully cooked, cornstarch did not thicken at all. When you have to microwave the potatoes in order to eat the dish, you totally loose interest. I had it in for 5 hours, and as I am typing having to cook it on the stove, hopefully not having to throw away. I will tweek recipes but not sure how I can change this one. Have had better, lots better.
Ashley Fehr says
I’m sorry to hear that Dawn! Every slow cooker is different so it’s really hard to say, and all potatoes are a little different size. I’ve had a ton of positive comments on Facebook so I’m surprised that you didn’t like it!
Tara says
can i cook this for more than 4 hours in the slow cooker, or will everything be too soupy and soggy?
Ashley Fehr says
You can cook it on low for up to 8
Pam R says
One of my favs growing up was my mom’s ham and bean soup. We always had it right after Christmas. My mom would use the ham bone leftover from the Christmas ham. She would soak the beans over night. She would start the pot on the stove in the morning and the house would smell so amazing! I just couldn’t wait for supper. She would make corn bread to go with the soup. Butter would melt on the warm corn bread!! My mom would put a splash on vinegar in her soup, so I had to try! To this day I always need a splash of vinegar in my bean soup!
Ashley Fehr says
Oh that sounds incredible! Bread and soup is one of my all time favorite meals!
Jan jones says
Slow cooker potato soup
Gladqa says
How much is a serving? Thanks for sharing. I can’t wait to try it.
Ashley Fehr says
It would be 1/6 of the entire recipe
Theresa Kotalik says
I believe in this case it may be 4 oz. 3 cups of fluid is 24 oz and divide this by 6 and you would get 4 oz. a 1/2 cup. If you wanted a full cup-8oz, it would be approximately and slightly over 500 calories.
Jan jones says
Slow cooker potato soup! Yumm
Debbie malcolm says
Home made potato salad
Amy Rouse says
Family recipe called Hamburger Garbage. Ignore the name, it’s selfish
Brown 1 on ground beef, drain and set aside
Slice thinly: two large russet potatoes
One large onion
Set aside
Heat 1 can cream of mushroom soup w/ 3/4 can full of milk (use soup can) in a saucepan just till warm
In baking dish layer 1/2 ground beef, top with 1/2 of sliced potatoes and 1/2 of sliced onion rings. Top with 1/2 of soup/milk mixture.
Repeat second layer, ending with soup mix covering top
Bake uncovered at 350 until potatoes are cooked thru (approx 1 hour). Stick knife through to test for potato doneness.
Enjoy.
(My dad adds a layer of canned corn, but he’s always been a rebel like that). I’m a purist with my garbage. LOL.
Amy Rouse says
Hahahaha. I meant to say ignore the name it’s delish, not its selfish. LOL.
Megan Pires says
I love potatoes roasted the best. This recipe will be made very soon!!!
Dorothy Scott says
Oh so many favorite potato dishes. Cheesy scalloped potatoes, twice baked potato, love the little potatoes to put in cast iron frying pan dinner with chicken onions and carrots. baked in the campfire. roasted on the barbecue. soup,borscht, stew, hashbrowns.
John Salvador says
Hi Dorothy,
Off subject……did you teach History at Blacktown TAFE in the Eighties ??
Best regards
John
Susan Christy says
Parmesan Potato Rounds from a Taste of Home magazine is by far my favorite potato dish.
Beverly Hauck says
Which magazine?