Slow Cooker Chicken, Veggie, and Quinoa Stew
This simple recipe for Slow Cooker Chicken, Veggie, and Quinoa Stew is healthy, hearty and so delicious!
I hear from many of you requesting more healthy slow cooker recipes. I know why you want them; simple, healthy slow cooker recipes are actually hard to find.
I rely heavily on slow cooker meals myself to get dinner on the table, especially on hectic weeknights, so I’m happy to develop and share these recipes with you.
I’ll admit that testing slow cooker recipes can be a bit tricky. Once all the ingredients go in the pot there’s not much I can do in the way of tweaking or tinkering until the cooking time is finished.
Sometimes the end result is less than stellar, and at that point there’s not much I can do other than to start over with a new version a different day.
This recipe for Slow Cooker Chicken, Veggie, and Quinoa Stew definitely took a few attempts to perfect, but the final version I’m sharing today is worth the effort.
The stew is packed with chicken, veggies, and quinoa, making it a hearty and satisfying meal on its own.
Leftovers are fantastic for lunch later on as well. The quinoa continues to soak up the broth making for an even thicker stew the next day.
For a vegetarian version of this stew simply omit the chicken, use vegetable stock instead of chicken stock, and add an extra can of beans.
For a paleo version, double the chicken and omit the beans and quinoa. Serve the soup with a few fresh sprigs of parsley, and a healthy drizzle of extra virgin olive oil. A sprinkling of parmesan is also tasty if you go for cheese.
RECIPE & KID-FRIENDLY ADAPTATIONS
1 | If he or she refuses to eat green vegetables, try peeling the zucchini before adding it to the soup.
2 | Soup can be a bit difficult for little ones to eat. Serve the veggie pieces and chicken on a plate and allow her to sip the quinoa broth out of the bowl.
THIS RECIPE IS . . .
Slow Cooker Chicken, Veggie, and Quinoa Stew
Ingredients
- 1 medium yellow onion, chopped
- 3 garlic cloves, minced or finely grated
- 3 large carrots, chopped
- 1 teaspoon Italian seasoning
- 2 teaspoons salt
- 1 15- oz can tomato sauce
- 1 15- oz can chickpeas, drained and rinsed
- 1 pound boneless, skinless chicken breasts or thighs
- 32 ounces chicken stock
- 2 cups water
- 1 cup fresh or defrosted frozen corn kernels
- 1 medium zucchini, chopped
- ½ cup quinoa, rinsed
- 1/4 cup fresh parsley for serving, optional
Equipment
Instructions
- Add the onion, garlic, carrots, Italian seasoning, salt, tomato sauce, chickpeas, stock, and water to a slow cooker, stirring to combine. Add the chicken and stir again.
- Cover and cook on high for 3.5 hours.
- Remove the chicken. Shred with two forks and set aside. Add the corn, zucchini, and quinoa. Cover and continue to cook on high for an additional 30 minutes, or until the quinoa is cooked through. Add back the shredded chicken, sprinkle with parsley and serve.
Notes
Nutrition Information:
Nutrition disclaimerThis post contains affiliate links
Do you think I could set this to cook on low for 7 hours while I’m at work? My crock pot switches to warm when it’s done–would this mess up the recipe?
Lisa, I think this would work. The veggies and chicken might be a little more well-done but it should still taste fine. You might want to kick it back up to high when you add the quinoa so that it cooks faster (it might take a little longer)–or you could add pre-cooked quinoa. Let us know how it goes!
Have you ever tried to freezer this after cooking to warm at a later date?
Becky, yes, I have frozen the stew (once cooled). It thickens a bit since the quinoa absorbs additional liquid, but it still tastes delicious once defrosted and reheated.
I absolutely love your ideas for getting kids to eat new foods! This is exactly what I need. I am hooked!
Jeanette, so glad you’re finding the tips helpful. Thanks so much for following along!
I am making this for dinner tonight! Let’s see what the family thinks!! http://www.facebook.com/dwellinbeingwell
Hi hope it’s a hit Diana!
Is it supposed to be more like soup in consistency? Just made this tonight and its not really thick like a stew….tasty though!
Sarah, yes, should be more like a stew, though every slow cooker is different and some veggies give off more water than others. If you let it sit a bit, the quinoa should absorb some of the liquid and make it more stew-like. Hope you enjoyed!
Robyn, I made this dish last night. My family loved it. Thank you for your amazing recipes and your beautiful blog.
That’s wonderful, Claudine, I’m so glad you all enjoyed. And you’re more than welcome! 🙂
Can/have you adapted this to an Instant Pot? My slow cooker broke & I replaced it with an Instant Pot and love the quick cook times in the IP. This is one of my very picky son’s favorite dinner recipes and I’d love to make it this week.
Amanda, I’m still pretty new to the IP, so I’m afraid I don’t know enough quite yet to give instructions for adapting this one. I do have one now, though, and will work on adapting old recipes in the coming months!
Have you had a chance to convert this to an instant pot? If you haven’t, do you have any suggestions? Thank you.
I haven’t tired it yet, but try 8 minutes on high pressure, quick release, add the zucchini, corn and quinoa, 1 minute high pressure, quick release. Give that a try and let us know how it turns out! I’ll work on testing it as well.
Hello Robyn,
I want to make a chicken stew but cannot seem to find a recipe where I can add all sorts of veggies, mushrooms, peppers, courgettes, carrots, parsnips, spinach cauliflower, new potatoes, sweet potatoes all in proportion of course, and also perhaps add some red lentils and or quiona. My worry is whether I add all the vegetables at the beginning or in stages as some cook quicker than others. I am not too sure how long quinoa or red lentils take to cook so don’t know whether to add this at the beginning or towards the end of cooking time. What are your thoughts on this please. Thank you.
Jenny, are you wanting to try something like this in a slow cooker?
This was great! Easy to make and relatively quick. Loved the ingredients. They were all very mild veggies so my kids even ate it and said it was really good! Another recipe I will definitely make again.
Jodi, yay, so happy to hear this was a hit with you and your crew! Thanks for leaving a review! 🙂
This is one my favorites! Have you tried it in the InstaPot? I’d love to speed up this recipe!
Hi Sandra, I haven’t, but I can add it to the list of recipes to test in the IP. I think you could try high pressure for 8 minutes with a quick release and see what happens? If you give it a try before I have a chance to test it let us know how it goes!
I tried it last night in the insta pot! 8 minutes on high pressure then 1 minute after adding zucchini, quinoa, and corn (left chicken out). It turned out great! The zucchini was a bit mushy and over all it turned out thicker then when I make it in the slow cooker. Start to finish it took almost two hours though!!
Great to know, Sandra, thank you! So not a huge, huge time saver, but quicker than the slow cooker and at least hands off for most? I do find tender veggies like zucchini can get pretty mushy in the IP, but still tastes yummy. Thanks again!
Delicious, wholesome & straightforward recipe – I made this for my 10 month old but found it delicious as a whole family meal too. Thank you for sharing!
Joan, love this recipe description! So happy to hear you and your fam enjoyed this one, and thanks so much for taking the time to leave a review!