One can’t ever go wrong with a chicken stew. When in doubt, throw everything together into the pot and make a chicken stew! It’s warming, pretty effortless to make, delicious, and versatile to serve. The Rosemary Chicken Stew is one of our firm favourites. But if we fancy something with a stronger kick, then this Spicy Chipotle Chicken Stew is the one for us. Oh, and the best part? This one’s got potatoes & vegetables in it that soak up all the glorious flavours from the stew. Make a big batch and the leftovers will taste even better, I promise!
Quite similar to the Chipotle Lamb Stew, this chicken stew features a richly smoky and earthy flavour. This is then balanced with a swirl of balsamic vinegar added towards the end of the recipe, which lightens the dish up and also adds a perfumy touch of flavour. For the stew’s base, I roasted the tomatoes with an air fryer for extra flavour depth before blending it with chicken broth. Then it’s all about letting the stew bubble away and allowing the flavours to develop! To serve, I like to have it with a side of coconut rice, or it goes absolutely fantastic with crusty bread as well.
How to make Spicy Chipotle Chicken Stew
Ingredients List
- Olive Oil
- Chicken – thigh, legs, or drumsticks would be ideal
- Garlic, Onion – the aromatics
- Red/Green Chillies – optional. For the extra heat.
- Paprika, Cumin Powder, Salt, Black Pepper – the seasoning
- Chipotle Paste
- Tomato Paste
- Fresh Tomatoes
- Chicken Broth
- Carrots, Potatoes – peeled, washed, and cut into chunks
- Frozen Peas
- Balsamic Vinegar – a little touch of acidity to cut the savouriness
- Fresh Coriander Leaves – for garnish
Recommended Tools You Need
- Heavy bottom pot/casserole pot – this distributes heat more evenly to better cook the stew
- Air Fryer (OPTIONAL) – I used an air fryer for roasting the tomatoes
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Recipe Notes
- We prefer using chicken thighs, legs, or drumsticks for the recipe instead of chicken breast.
- Roasting the tomatoes with an air fryer saves you a lot of time compared to roasting them in the oven. If you don’t have an air fryer, I’ve included the oven-roasted method in the recipe as well. But I’d highly recommend getting an air fryer as there are so many different types of recipes you can play around with it!
- The extra step of roasting the tomatoes first helps to extract a more concentrated flavour from the tomatoes and enhances the overall flavour profile of the dish.
Looking for more easy dinner recipe inspo? Check these out too:
Spicy Tomato Chicken Stew
Equipment
- 1 Large Heavy-Bottomed Pot
Ingredients
- 2 tbsp Olive Oil
- 450 g Chicken (thigh/leg/drumsticks)
- 2-3 cloves Garlic finely chopped
- 1 large Onion sliced
- 1 tsp Cumin Powder
- 1 tsp Salt
- 1 tsp Black Pepper
- 2 tbsp Tomato Paste
- 2 heaped tsp Chipotle Paste
- 4 medium Tomatoes halved
- 300 ml Chicken Broth
- 2 Bay Leaves
- Carrots chopped
- 400 g Potatoes chopped
- 1 cup Frozen Peas
- 2 tbsp Balsamic Vinegar
- 2 tbsp Fresh Coriander chopped, for garnish
Chicken Seasoning
- 1 tsp Cumin Powder
- 1 tsp Paprika
- 1 tsp Salt
- 1 tsp Black Pepper
Instructions
- Season the chicken with all the chicken seasonings. Set aside while you prepare the other ingredients.1 tsp Cumin Powder, 1 tsp Paprika, 1 tsp Salt, 1 tsp Black Pepper
Roasting tomatoes with an air fryer
- Place the tomato halves into the air fryer basket. Do not overcrowd. Season with a pinch of salt and lightly brush with olive oil.4 medium Tomatoes
- Roast the tomatoes in the air fryer at 200°C for 15 minutes. Blend together the roasted tomatoes with the chicken broth until combined. Set aside.300 ml Chicken Broth
Roasting tomatoes in an oven
- Preheat oven to 220°C. Place the tomato halves onto a baking tray. Do not overcrowd. Season with a pinch of salt and lightly brush with olive oil.
- Roast the tomatoes in the oven for 30-35 minutes. Blend together the roasted tomatoes with the chicken broth until combined. Set aside.
Cooking the stew
- Heat olive oil in a large pot over medium-high heat. Sear chicken for 5 minutes on each side until browned. Remove from pot and set aside.2 tbsp Olive Oil, 450 g Chicken (thigh/leg/drumsticks)
- Turn the heat down to medium heat. In the same pot, add more oil if needed, and saute the chopped onions, garlic, and chillies (if using) for 5-7 minutes until golden.2-3 cloves Garlic, 1 large Onion
- Season with cumin powder, salt & black pepper. Stir in tomato paste and chipotle paste.1 tsp Cumin Powder, 1 tsp Salt, 1 tsp Black Pepper, 2 tbsp Tomato Paste, 2 heaped tsp Chipotle Paste
- Add the chicken back into the pot. Stir until fully coated.2 Bay Leaves
- Add bay leaves and the roasted tomato chicken broth mixture to the pot.
- Bring to a boil then turn to low heat, cover the pot, and allow to simmer for 40 minutes.
- Add in the chopped carrots, potatoes, and frozen peas. Cover again and simmer for 15-20 minutes until the vegetables are tender.Carrots, 400 g Potatoes, 1 cup Frozen Peas
- Stir in the balsamic vinegar and toss in fresh coriander leaves. Let bubble for another 5 minutes. Taste and adjust the seasoning with more salt and/or black pepper if need to. Serve hot.2 tbsp Balsamic Vinegar, 2 tbsp Fresh Coriander
Notes
- We prefer using chicken thighs, legs, or drumsticks for the recipe instead of chicken breast.
- Roasting the tomatoes in an air fryer can save you a lot of time compared to using the oven.
- Roasting the tomatoes first before blending them with the chicken broth extracts a more concentrated flavour for the dish.
- Perfect to serve with rice and/or crusty bread.
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