Slow Cooker Chicken and Bean Stew
Easy Slow Cooker Chicken and Bean Stew simmered with garlic, onions, tomatoes, ginger, thyme, and Caribbean spices. Comfort food has never tasted so good! So pull out your slow cooker because you’ll want to make this ASAP!
My first slow cooker was an impulse purchase, and I got it because it was dead cheap. Sadly, it collected dust for MANY MANY years, and for the life of me, I can’t remember what happened to it.
This time, I’m not going to let that happen. I bought this one with the intention of putting it to WORK, and I’m getting my money’s worth. In fact, I’ve lined up a lot of recipes to try or remake in this crockpot. So be prepared!
Why Use a Slow Cooker for Chicken and Bean Stew
This slow-cooker chicken and bean stew has now been crossed off that list. And it’s quickly becoming a staple in my household. It’s definitely a crowd-pleaser and incredibly easy, with only 10 minutes of prep time.
Make it quicker with canned or leftover beans. I always make more beans than needed and freeze them for soups and stews. No preference here; any beans will suffice.
It’s the same with chicken. Boneless or bone-in, breast or thighs both work. I used leftover bone-in chicken from a previous recipe and removed the skin. Talk about a time-saving and healthy dinner for a crazy weeknight dinner.
What You’ll Need
- Chicken – Breast or thighs, marinate in seasoning blend or salt, and brown it in oil.
- Seasonings – Onion, green onion, jalapeno, garlic, allspice, cumin, thyme, ginger, smoked paprika, bay leaf, and a pinch of cayenne pepper deliver insanely good flavor.
- Stew Base – Tomatoes, chicken broth, and salt and pepper to taste deliver the stew’s base, while fresh cilantro and parsley are gorgeous garnishes.
- Beans – Added protein never hurt, and beans are tasty and economical. Feel free to use whatever you have on hand: black beans, pinto, kidney, you name it.
How to Make Slow-Cooker Chicken and Bean Stew
- Marinate – Place chicken in a large bowl and add your preferred seasoning and salt, or marinate with garlic, ginger, paprika, white pepper, and thyme.
- Sear – When ready to prepare, heat a cast iron skillet or large saucepan with about 2 tablespoons of oil. Sear the chicken for about 3-4 minutes or until the chicken is golden brown. Remove and place in the crockpot. Drain excess oil, leaving about 2 tablespoons (adding more if needed).
- Saute – Add the onions, green onions, jalapeño, garlic, allspice, cumin, thyme, ginger, and paprika. Sauté while stirring until the onions are soft and translucent, 4-5 minutes. Add to the crockpot.
- Cook – Add the bay leaf, cayenne, tomato, beans, chicken broth, bouillon powder, salt, and pepper. Cover and cook on high for 3-4 hours.
Stovetop Method
- Assemble – Put the ingredients in a large pot instead of the crockpot. Cover and simmer for 35 minutes or more until the chicken is tender and the stew is the desired consistency.
- Adjust seasonings and thickness of soup according to preference with broth and spices.
- Serve – Shred chicken if desired and serve hot with cornbread. Garnish with parsley, green onions, and cilantro.
Recipe Notes
- Since slow cookers mellow out the spices, adjusting to taste towards the end of the cooking is best.
- If you don’t have a slow cooker, making it on the stovetop is easy and practical. Follow the same instructions, and instead of adding everything to the crockpot, add a little extra stock, bring it to a boil, lower the heat, and simmer until the chicken is tender. Easy!
- Browning the chicken first and sautéing the spices before adding them to the crockpot seriously adds flavor. However, if you want to throw everything in the crockpot, set it, and forget it, that’s fine too.
Make-Ahead and Storage
Make as big a batch as your slow cooker can handle and freeze half of it for later. It freezes well for 2-3 months.
Keep it in the fridge in an airtight container for 3-4 days, and enjoy it for lunch the next day.
What to Pair With Slow-Cooker Chicken and Bean Stew
This stew is incredibly delicious with jalapeno corn muffins. A light tossed salad balances the meal perfectly so you can enjoy lemon pound cake without the guilt.
More Time-Saving Slow Cooker Recipes to Try
Slow Cooker Chicken and Bean Stew
Ingredients
- 2-2½ pounds (900-1,100g) chicken breast or thighs
- 1 tablespoon (15g) seasoning blend (pick your favorite or just use salt)
- 2 tablespoons (30ml) canola oil
- 1 onion, finely chopped
- 2-3 green onion, diced
- 1 small jalapeno pepper, seeded and minced (scotch bonnet peppers deliver more heat)
- 1½ tablespoons (22-23g) minced garlic
- ½ teaspoon (1-2g) ground allspice
- ½ teaspoon (1-2g) cumin
- 1½ teaspoons (1g) fresh thyme
- 2 teaspoons (10g) minced ginger
- 2 teaspoons (5g) smoked paprika
- 1 large bay leaf
- ¼-½ teaspoon (pinch) cayenne pepper
- 2-3 medium tomatoes, chopped
- 4 cups (920g) cooked beans or 1-2 15-ounce cans, rinsed and drained
- 2 cups (475ml) chicken broth or more
- 1 tablespoon (10g) chicken bouillon powder (optional)
- salt and pepper to taste
- fresh cilantro and parsley (optional)
Instructions
- Place chicken in a large bowl and add your preferred seasoning and salt, or marinate with garlic, ginger, paprika, white pepper, and thyme.
- When ready to prepare, heat a cast iron skillet or large saucepan with 2 tablespoons of oil. Sear the chicken for about 3-4 minutes or until the chicken is golden brown. Remove and place in the crockpot. Drain excess oil, leaving about 2 tablespoons (adding more if needed).
- Add the onions, green onions, jalapeño, garlic, allspice, cumin, thyme, ginger, and paprika. Sauté while stirring until the onions are soft and translucent, 4-5 minutes. Add to the crockpot.
- Then add the bay leaf, cayenne, tomato, beans, chicken broth, bouillon powder, salt, and pepper. Cover and cook on high for 3-4 hours.
Stovetop Method
- Put the ingredients in a large pot instead of the crockpot. Cover and simmer for 35 minutes or more until the chicken is tender and the stew is the desired consistency.
- Adjust seasonings and thickness of soup according to preference with broth and spices.
- Shred chicken if desired and serve hot with cornbread. Garnish with parsley, green onions, and cilantro.
Tips & Notes:
- Since slow cookers mellow out the spices, adjusting to taste towards the end of the cooking is best.
- If you don’t have a slow cooker, making it on the stovetop is easy and practical. Follow the same instructions, and instead of adding everything to the crockpot, add a little extra stock, bring it to a boil, reduce the heat, and simmer until the chicken is tender. Easy!
- Browning the chicken first and sautéing the spices before adding them to the crockpot seriously adds flavor.
- However, if you want to throw everything in the crockpot, set it, and forget it, that’s fine too.
- Please remember that the nutritional information is a rough estimate and can vary significantly based on the products used in the recipe.
I made this last night exactly as the recipe reads. It was delicious!! Thank you for sharing.
I will definitely be making this again and my housemate has asked for the recipe too. It was a hit!
Wow! Thank you, Gem Louise! 🙂
Banging recipe easy to make this !
Can’t go wrong. Tasty chicken dish.
Great . Thanks
Can I use dried pinto beans?? If so would it be the same steps?
Yes, I would recommend soaking the beans overnight. However, I have not tried them that way so please let me know how it turns out.
Everything was absolutely delicious! I would add more pineapple in the muffins next time. Thanks
Awesome! Thanks for the feedback.
Fantastic dish. So much flavor. Served it over thick noodles. Thank you.
Glad you love it, Patty.
Different beans need different cooking times. Also tomatoes affect the cooking times of beans so that needs to be adjusted. I would also look at the typos in your blog. That affects things a lot as well
I don’t see anywhere what kind of beans you used, you just say beans.
Any beans would be fine. I used kidney red beans.
Holy cow this was delicious! I made it exactly how you suggested in the slow cooker and it might be my favorite slow cooker recipe of all time. I squeezed in some lime at the end but otherwise made as is. This is a keeper!
YESS!! So happy to hear this! Thank you so much!
Do you have the proportions for marinating the chicken with the ginger, thyme, etc and are you using any liquid in the marinade? I’m not as advanced as to trust myself on that.
You can start with these proportions here.
¼ teaspoon minced ginger
½ teaspoon minced garlic
½ teaspoon thyme
½ teaspoon smoked paprika
1/2 teaspoon white pepper
Thank you!
I have made this soooo many times now. My family turns up their nose while it’s cooking but somehow it magically disappears when it’s done. It is so good that I wish it were cold out again already. The only things I do differently are breasts instead of thighs, cannellini beans and we hate the ‘smoked’ paprika. Otherwise this is a favorite again and again. Thank you so much!!!
I made this and it was amazing! This is definitely going in my keeper shelf.
Thanks!
Awesome! Thanks for taking the time to let me know, Francesca.
I only have cherry tomatoes. Is it okay if I use that or should I use a can of diced tomatoes instead? Also if I need more beans can I add some butter beans?
Thank you! Looks delicious
Yes to cherry tomatoes and butter beans.
The recipe looks great and I’m preparing things now to make it, but I’m not clear about the “marinade” step. If I don’t use a seasoning salt, are the ingredients for the marinade the same as the ingredients listed for the later step, i.e. if I use the fresh thyme, ginger, paprika, etc. now, do I not add those ingredients again in step 3? Also, is there a wet component of the “marinade”?
I used dried ingredients to season the Chicken – they are optional. You can use seasoned salt . The list of fresh ingredients are for the beans.
There is no wet component to the seasoning here. However, you can use some additional wet ingredients to spice it up , if you like .
This better be good. Gonna try it tonight overnight.
This was so good. I take liberty with recipes. If I don’t have an ingredient, I leave it out or substitute. Turkey wings, no paprika. I’ll be back to Africanbites for more inspiration.
Awesome! So happy to hear this! I feel recipes are just a guide. Thank you for taking the time to provide feed back! I do appreciate you.
It tastes delicious! i dont know if its me.. but it taste the same as the Moroccan stew haha.
did i so something wrong? oke its not exactly the same but a lot of similarities.
thanks for sharing! second week i tried your stews.
My Pleasure ! You are right they do have similarities. However, the Moroccan stew has different flavor profile and has the addition of olives. Thanks for taking the time to share your thoughts.