Stewed Chicken Recipe: A Comfort Food Classic

October ’22 update: I used to make this recipe regularly ten years ago when my teenagers were small. I’ve been meaning to make it again for years. I finally got around to it tonight, and they were circling the kitchen like vultures, with no memory of when I used to make it before. “What is this? It smells amazing!” I won’t let ten years pass again. It’s going back into the rotation.

This recipe for stewed chicken is a frequent request and a great use for those giant bags of leg quarters.

Stewed Chicken Recipe

Leg quarters on sale are a mixed blessing. I’m not a huge fan of dark meat, but with the right seasoning, I can be persuaded. My usual go-to is a recipe for garlic and soy chicken thighs, but now -when the weather is cooler- I’ll be reaching for stewed chicken.

Can you blame me?

The recipe uses the braising technique, which produces a very tender chicken dish.

Please don’t be intimidated by the number of ingredients. Almost all of them are spices.

*Notes* The 3 – 5 chicken parts can include a mix of dark and white meat, a whole chicken cut up, etc. It is important to note that this recipe requires bone-in chicken. I double the recipe to accommodate 10 lbs of leg quarters, which I stew in two pots. The extra sauce was welcome. This recipe can also be converted to a slow cooker, but this doesn’t eliminate a lot of steps.

Food safety note:
For those who may be worried about using the marinade… The difference between this recipe and a recipe where the marinade must be discarded is important. The sauce here is FULLY cooked. This is entirely different than brushing cooked chicken with a sauce raw chicken has touched after the meat has been cooked. Additionally, this is refrigerated the entire time and, other than the few minutes of preparation, is never stored outside of safe temperature zones.

And yes, when I updated the picture, I put the knife on the wrong side of the fork. You won’t need the knife.

Prep Time
20 minutes

Cook Time
1 hour 30 minutes

Additional Time
3 hours

Total Time
4 hours 50 minutes

Ingredients

3 – 5 pounds of chicken parts
1/4 cup lemon juice
4 green onions
1 14.5oz can diced tomatoes
1 onion thinly sliced
1/2 cup ketchup
1/4 cup cider vinegar
3 TBSP ground cumin
3 TBSP curry powder
1 TBSP total of the following herbs – a pinch of each- oregano, thyme, rosemary, black pepper
2 TBSP garlic powder*
2 TBSP onion powder
1/3 cup + 3 TBSP olive oil
5 TBSP sugar
salt and pepper to taste

Instructions

Combine: lemon juice, green onions, diced tomatoes, thinly sliced onions, ketchup, vinegar, cumin, curry powder,, oregano, thyme, rosemary, black pepper, garlic powder, onion powder in a bowl and stir well to combine.
Place the chicken pieces in either a shallow dish or a large zippered bag and ensure the chicken is well-coated with the marinade.
Place in the refrigerator and allow to marinate for at least 3 hours
In a large, heavy pot, combine the 1/3 cup olive oil and 5 TBSP sugar and place over medium heat.
While the oil is heating, Remove the chicken from the refrigerator and find a second dish to serve as a place to hold the chicken temporarily.
Use tongs to remove the chicken from the marinade a few pieces at a time. Brown in the oil for 2 minutes on each side and set aside.
Once each piece has been browned, return all the chicken to the pot, pour the marinade over the chicken and cover.
Bring to a simmer, cover, and cook for one to one and a half hours until the meat is slipping from the bones.
Serve over rice with your favorite vegetable