Spanish Chicken Stew [Hearty & Easy 60 Minute Recipe]

Are you wanting to cook Spanish chicken stew?

You're in the right place. 

This hearty and easy recipe only takes 60 minutes.

It's comfort food to the max. 

Let's dive in. 

When was Spanish stew invented?

You may say that people always ate stew and you wouldn’t be far away from the truth. We cannot tell precisely when mankind started mixing ingredients in a pot to create a delicious and nutritious meal but researchers believe that this happened sometimes after the discovery of fire.

This event of great magnitude lead people to learn the secrets of cooking just after they discovered how to boil water. Boiled foods tasted better and had different flavors as the raw ones. So humans learned to boil meat and combine them with whatever vegetables they had at hand back then.

Later on, when people started to cultivate cereals, they discovered that the starch in them breaks down during the cooking process and begins to thicken the cooking liquid. The same happens when you boil some root vegetables. Combine these with meat and you have a healthy stew.

Archeologists found evidence which show that Europeans throughout the Middle East enjoyed stew as a common food in their diet. Even Vikings had stews on their tables but this is not something that surprises us since they were known for their love for meat. Both rich and poor ate stews and Europeans carried their recipes to the New World. Stew travelled across the Great Plains all the way to the Pacific Ocean. Cowboys relied on this dish when they were driving cattle. People who suffered from famine during the Great Depression combined any ingredients they had at hand to cook some stew. Basically, stews have been a part of our diet for millennia.

To put it simple, any combination of two or more ingredients which are simmered in cooking liquid (called “broth”) is a stew. During the centuries, many countries (or regions) developed their own stew recipes. You can find Irish Stew, Paella, Beef Stroganoff, Coq au vin, Puerto Rican chicken stew, Hungarian goulash, Spanish stew and many more. They contain ingredients specific to each country but the basic principle of creating them is the same.

Spanish Stews

Meat is one of the main ingredients in Spanish diet. For example, they use all parts of the pork, nothing is wasted, not even the ears, snout or trotters.

During the years, Spanish became experts in adjusting their way of cooking to their economy. They used bread crumbs to prepare migas, a traditional dish made out of leftovers; combined any leftover ingredients to cook stews. Bottom line, they managed to adapt to whatever conditions they had. But you must not think they would through everything in a pot and wait to see what happens. Spanish know exactly how to cook certain foods or how to create a certain texture for their dishes.

There are some ingredients which cannot miss from any Spanish kitchen: meat, olive oil, peppers and pimento (dried and ground sweet peppers), garlic, onions, tomato paste, Spanish chorizo, olives, ham, sherry vinegar, Spanish cheese, herbs, saffron. If most of these are to be found in your cupboards and fridge, you can relax and start to cook a Spanish dish.

What do you need for Spanish chicken stew with potatoes?

The best thing about all the stews, and this one in particular, is that the list of ingredients is flexible. If you are planning to use sweet potatoes for it but you are out, just replace them with any kind of potatoes you have at hand like I did. Or omit the potatoes. A zucchini will work out just find. Pumpkin cubes will give a delicious sweet taste to the stew. The list can go on with such substitutes.

Here is the list of ingredients you will need for this recipe:

If you want to spice up things a little bit, try preparing Spanish chicken stew chorizo. This means adding the chorizo while cooking the stew. You will get a hot dish to savor.

How to make Spanish chicken casserole?

Basically, you cook the same recipe. The only difference is that, after simmering all the ingredients for a while, you transfer everything to a casserole dish and take it to the oven to cook for at least one hour or until the chicken is completely done.

How to make Spanish chicken stew?

The first step when cooking a stew is to fry the meat a little bit. The taste is definitely better when you perform this step prior to simmering. Heat the olive oil and add the thighs. Let them cook for 3-4 minutes on each side. This is the first thing to do when cooking a Spanish chicken casserole too.

Remove the chicken from the pot and cook the veggies together with the herbs, onion and garlic. This will take around ten minutes.

Stir in the potatoes, tomatoes and broth. Simmer for about fifteen minutes.

Bring in the chicken and olives. Simmer again until the meat is cooked through and is falling off the bones.

There is also the option of Spanish chicken stew slow cooker. I strongly suggest to brown the meat first for this recipe too. The next steps are easier, as you just through everything into the slow cooker and set it on Low for a few hours.

How to serve Spanish chicken stew?

There are multiple options to choose from.

You can enjoy Spanish chicken stew with rice. Basmati rice is always a good choice but if you don’t like its flavor, go for regular or brown rice.

Another appropriate side dish for Spanish casserole recipes is quinoa.

Cauliflower rice fits perfectly in the décor if you desire a low-carb alternative.

Salads can successfully accompany any Spanish chicken stew slow cooker or stove cooked.

Bread is the ultimate choice when digging into a stew. Sourdough bread, naan, pita bread, all these varieties are good to dunk into the delicious sauce of a Spanish chicken stew with rice or potatoes.

Alternatively, you can try one of these other recipes that will complement this stew: oven-pan baked chicken and potatoes, 100 winter recipes that you must absolutely try, homemade potato chips, 21 healthy recipes for really busy people.

Check Out Other Lunch Recipes