Babushka's Slow Cooker Root Vegetable and Chicken Stew

Prep time: 40 min
Cook time: 430 min
Servings: 10
Yield: 10 servings

Description

This hearty slow cooker chicken stew featuring a medley of root vegetables is guaranteed to be a comforting meal with plenty of leftovers.

Ingredients

2 1/2 pounds skin-on, bone-in chicken thighs
1 yellow onion, coarsely chopped
1 red onion, coarsely chopped
4 stalks celery with some leaves, coarsely chopped
4 medium red potatoes - peeled, halved, and cubed
1 rutabaga - peeled, halved, and cubed
2 medium turnips - peeled, halved, and cubed
2 medium carrots, peeled and sliced
1 1/2 cups cremini mushrooms, coarsely chopped
4 cloves garlic, peeled and crushed
2 teaspoons salt
1 teaspoon herbes de Provence
1 teaspoon onion powder
1 teaspoon garlic powder
freshly ground black pepper
1 (32 fluid ounce) container vegetable broth

Directions

1 Heat a saute pan over medium-low heat. Cook chicken thighs in batches just until skin starts to brown, 2 to 3 minutes per side. Don't overcook; the meat should still be pink and raw on the inside. Set chicken aside in a bowl, reserving juices in the pan.
2 Saute onion and celery in the pan until turning translucent and browning at the edges, about 5 minutes. Transfer to a large bowl.
3 Add potatoes, rutabaga, turnips, carrots, mushrooms, and garlic to the onion-celery mixture. Sprinkle salt, herbes de Provence, onion powder, garlic powder, and pepper on top. Stir and mix vegetables until coated.
4 Place 1/2 of the vegetable mixture in a slow cooker. Add 1/2 of the chicken. Layer remaining vegetables and chicken on top. Pour vegetable broth over the mixture in the slow cooker.
5 Cook on Low for 7 hours, gently stirring every few hours if desired.
6 Use tongs to remove chicken from the stew. Let cool. Separate skin and bones from the meat and shred meat. Stir meat back into the slow cooker.