Slow-cooked chicken stew recipe

Slow-cooked chicken stew is an ingenious way to cook a whole chicken and makes a lovely alternative to a traditional Sunday roast.

If you have a slow cooker, you can prep this meal quickly and then simply leave it to summer in the slow cooker for around 6 hours. By then, the meat will be so tender and juicy it will just slip off the bone. We've started with a whole chicken, jointed into 8 pieces. This is a really economical way to buy chicken, though if you prefer you can buy leg or thigh pieces instead. You can also cook it in the oven and the results are just as delicious. This is recipe serves four hungry people. Serve with mash or roast potatoes, or just with big chunks of bread. 

Ingredients

• 1.5kg (3lb 3oz) chicken, jointed into 8 pieces
• Salt and freshly ground black pepper
• 4 tbsp olive oil
• 1 onion, chopped
• 4 garlic cloves, finely chopped
• 1 sprig of rosemary
• 1 bay leaf
• 4 tbsp dry white wine
• 120ml (4fl oz) hot chicken stock
• 2 heads of chicory trimmed, leaves separated, and roughly chopped

Method

• Season the chicken all over with salt and pepper. 
• Heat half the oil in a large flameproof casserole over a medium heat, add the thighs and drumsticks, skin-side down, and cook for about 5 minutes until they begin to brown. Add the breast pieces and cook gently for 10–15 minutes until very brown. turn and brown the other side. Lower the heat.
• Add the onion and garlic, stir, and continue cooking gently for 3–4 minutes until they are soft. Season with salt and pepper, then stir in the rosemary, bay leaf, wine, and stock, and bring to the boil. 
• Transfer everything to the slow cooker, cover with the lid, and cook on auto/low for 5–6 hours or on high for 3–4 hours.
• Add the chicory for the last 15 minutes of cooking. Discard the bay leaf and rosemary from the sauce, taste, and add seasoning if needed. Spoon out into warmed bowls and serve with crusty bread.

Top tip for making slow-cooked chicken stew

If you don't have a slow cooker, you can cover the stew with a tight fitting lid and leave it to simmer on the hob on the lowest possible setting, for 1½ - 2 hours. Alternatively, if your dish is ovenproof, you can cooked it for 2 - 2½ hours in a very low oven. Add the chicory 5 minutes before it's ready. 

If you are cooking ahead and want to freeze the stew, freeze before adding the chicory, for up to 3 months.

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