Oliver’s Chicken Stew
Updated December 10, 2025
Jim Wilson/The New York Times
- Total Time
- About 1 hour
- Rating
- Comments
- Read comments
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Ingredients
1 3 ½ - to 4-pound chicken, rinsed
8 cups chicken stock
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
5 medium carrots, thickly sliced
4 medium leeks, tender white part only, thickly sliced
4 celery stalks, thickly sliced
4 cloves garlic, smashed
1 teaspoon chopped thyme
1 bay leaf
3 sprigs flat-leaf parsley
½ cup stellini (tiny star pasta)
3 tablespoons unsalted butter
1 tablespoon lemon juice
1 tablespoon chopped tarragon
¼ cup chopped flat-leaf parsley
6 slices toasted Italian bread
¼ cup extra-virgin olive oil
½ cup grated Parmesan cheese
Nutritional analysis per serving (6 servings)
49 grams carbs; 246 milligrams cholesterol; 1085 calories; 29 grams monounsaturated fat; 12 grams polyunsaturated fat; 20 grams saturated fat; 66 grams fat; 5 grams fiber; 1964 milligrams sodium; 71 grams protein; 12 grams sugar
Note: The information shown is Edamam’s estimate based on available ingredients and preparation. It should not be considered a substitute for a professional nutritionist’s advice.
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Preparation
- Step 1
Place the chicken in a 6-quart pot, breast side down. Add the stock, lightly seasoned with salt and pepper, and bring to a boil, skimming often. Add the carrots, leeks, celery, garlic, thyme, bay leaf and parsley and simmer. After 15 minutes, flip the chicken and cook for 25 minutes more. Remove the chicken and let cool.
- Step 2
Discard the bay leaf and parsley. Strain the vegetables, reserving the vegetables and the liquid. Return the stock to the pot; bring to a simmer. Pull the chicken meat off the bones. Add the pasta to the stock and cook for 3 minutes, then whisk in the butter, lemon juice, tarragon and parsley. Add the chicken and vegetables; heat through.
- Step 3
To serve, place a piece of toast in the bottom of each of 6 bowls, then drizzle with olive oil and sprinkle with Parmesan. Top with stew.
Private Notes
Comments
Hey I'm from India.. I added a dash of garam masala and 2 spoons of coconut milk.. to suit my palate. And it is yum!!!!!
Delicious recipe! I made it as is, although in the morning I did step 1 (and strained vegetables), put in fridge then finished remaking steps at dinner time. Loved the addition of the herbs and lemon at the end so they stay nice and bright. Not to mention the tiny stellini, which thickens the stew ever so slightly, perfect!
Would this freeze well?
Would have preferred to use maybe 3/4th or half the amount of chicken to get a more soupy consistency and let the vegetables shine
I can see that part of the point of this recipe is that it’s relatively easy, so adding complication might be at cross purposes. However, I also see many folks recommending using chicken broth, not water, for depth of flavor. I learned a quick broth method from Cook’s Illustrated that is worth employing here, without adding that much fuss: - use a combination of chicken parts. brown salted/peppered chicken pieces on both sides in soup pot. - remove to a bowl. - sauté one chopped onion in pot for about 3 minutes, scraping off as much fond as you can. - put chicken back in, adding bay leaf. Turn heat to low and sweat for 20 minutes. - add your broth water. Being to a boil, then simmer 20 minutes. Remove chicken, proceed with recipe. -
Yes! Wonderful! I had 6 bone-in chicken thighs, and It was plenty of meat!