This Crock Pot Guinness Chicken Stew is a new twist on a traditional favorite. If you’re looking for a delicious St. Patrick’s Day dinner that is easy and tasty, but not the typical Guinness beef stew, you’ve found your solution!
You won't believe how easy it is to make this delicious Crock Pot Guinness Chicken Stew!
When you make this Guinness chicken stew in your crock pot, you’ll love the way your house smells and everyone will be clamoring for dinner time.
Slow cooker Guinness stew is like comfort in a bowl on a cold, windy day. It’s also the perfect way to get your Irish on and celebrate St. Patty’s Day! But what if you don’t want beef? Well, try some simple Guinness crock pot stew with chicken instead.
Start this Guinness stew in your crock pot in the morning, and by evening you’ll have the scent and flavors of an Irish countryside pub throughout your home.
Have you ever used beer in a recipe before? It adds a depth of flavor and enhances the savory nature of stew beautifully. And Guinness more so than most, because it’s such a dark, rich one all on its own. Plus beer makes your meat even more tender.
The cooked bacon, garlic, onion, and Guinness combine to make a savory treat that everyone is going to love. The time they spend merging together in your slow cooker will create a rich, savory gravy that will be completely unique to anything you’re used to - you’re going to really enjoy it!
Crock Pot Guinness Chicken Stew is a great alternative to your typical beef stew!
What to Serve with Slow Cooker Guinness Chicken Stew
Unlike many other similar hearty recipes, this slow cooker Guinness chicken stew is not made with potatoes, so you’re free to pick your favorite way to serve them up on the side.
Roasted potatoes with some olive oil, rosemary, and sea salt would pair beautifully with this rich Irish stout based stew. Other options are your favorite rustic mashed potatoes or whipped and creamy potatoes puree. Even baked potatoes could work.
A roasted root vegetable medley including potatoes, sweet potatoes carrots, and radishes would be a colorful side dish that would complement this hearty stew, as well.
And of course, tender meat, flavor soaked vegetables, and warm goodness always pair well with a flaky sourdough bread or other doughy favorite to soak up the gravy.
You might enjoy making cheesy whole wheat biscuits or some easy crockpot garlic parmesan bread to go on the side if you haven’t bought some sourdough ahead of time.
Tips for the Best Slow Cooker Guinness Stew
This Irish stout has a malty flavor and creamy texture that works beautifully with savory dishes. If you’ve never cooked with Guinness, you’re in for a treat.
In fact, it’s a very versatile recipe ingredient and you may want to peek at these ways to cook with Irish stout for even more ideas.
(Pssst...you can even bake with it! Check out this super easy recipe for Crock Pot Guinness Chocolate Cake! It will knock your socks off!)
Using chicken still on the bone is part of what will make this Guinness chicken stew so rich, too. You get the deeper flavors of the meat when you keep them bone in, as it enhances the broth that you’ll use as your gravy foundation.
Also, you’ll add your frozen mixed veggies at the end instead of the beginning so they don’t get lost in the stronger flavors of the other ingredients that will have been simmering together all day. This is a great way to keep the vegetable flavors more distinct, yet still let them blend with the rest of the ingredients.
Steps for making Guinness Chicken Stew
Step 1.
Place the chopped onion in the bottom of the slow cooker. You can use fresh onion, but feel free to take a shortcut and use frozen - that's what I usually do!
Step 1 - Add onion to the crock pot
Step 2.
Place the chicken on top of the onion.
Step 2 - Add chicken to the crock pot
Step 3.
Distribute the bacon and mushrooms on top of the chicken.
Step 3 - Add mushrooms and bacon to the crock pot
Step 4.
Combine the Guinness, chicken broth, minced garlic, pepper, salt, and dried thyme.
Step 4 - Combine Guinness, broth, and spices
Step 5.
Pour the mixture into the crock pot, and cook on low for 6-8 hours.
Step 5 - Add the Guinness mixture to the crock pot
Step 6.
About 20 minutes before serving, mix together the flour and water and slowly pour into the crock pot, stirring constantly. This will give you a thicker, creamier sauce.
 Step 6 - Slowly pour the flour and water mixture in the crock pot, while stirring |
 Step 6 - Yummy, creamy, thickened sauce! |
Step 7.
Stir in the mixed vegetables, and cook for about 20 more minutes.
 Step 7 - Add frozen veggies to the crock pot |
 Step 7 - mix veggies in and cook another 20 minutes |
Shortcuts for making Guinness Chicken Stew
- As I mentioned above, you can use frozen chopped onion. It's so much easier than fresh and you can always have it on hand in your freezer.
- Use precooked bacon. Yes, it costs more, but so does takeout. If spending a little extra makes it possible for you to cook for your family AND keep your sanity, then it's worth it!
- Buy sliced mushrooms. Then all you have to do is rinse and use.
- I often use jarred minced garlic for slow cooker recipes. No one can tell the difference!
- To serve this with bread that tastes fresh baked, warm up a loaf of sourdough, Italian, or French bread in the oven. (Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F, wrap the bread in foil, and heat for about 10-15 minutes.)
Serve this Crock Pot Guinness Chicken Stew with a loaf of warm, crusty bread!
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Crock Pot Guinness Chicken Stew
Serve with a side salad and warm, crusty bread for a delicious, comforting family meal!
If you love this recipe, please give it 5 stars! Enjoy!
📋 Recipe Card
Crock Pot Guinness Chicken Stew
Ingredients
- 2 cups chopped onion
- 2 ½ pounds skinless chicken thighs (bone-in or boneless, whichever you prefer)
- 8 strips bacon, cooked and chopped
- 8 ounces mushrooms, sliced
- 14 ounces Guinness stout beer (1 can)
- 1 cup chicken broth
- 2 tablespoons minced garlic
- ½ teaspoon black pepper
- 1 ½ teaspoons salt
- 1 ½ teaspoons dried thyme
- 16 ounces frozen mixed vegetables (1 bag)
- ½ cup flour
- 1 cup water
Instructions
- Place the onion in the crock pot.2 cups chopped onion
- Layer the chicken on top of the onion.2 ½ pounds skinless chicken thighs
- Distribute the bacon and mushrooms over the chicken.8 strips bacon, cooked and chopped, 8 ounces mushrooms, sliced
- In a bowl or large measuring cup, combine the Guinness, broth, garlic, pepper, salt, and thyme.14 ounces Guinness stout beer, 1 cup chicken broth, 2 tablespoons minced garlic, ½ teaspoon black pepper, 1 ½ teaspoons salt, 1 ½ teaspoons dried thyme
- Pour the Guinness mixture over the chicken, cover, and cook on high for 3-4 hours or low 6-7 hours.
- About 20 minutes before you are ready to serve, combine the flour with the water, then slowly add the mixture to the crock pot while stirring. (If you prefer, you can remove the chicken first and replace it when this step is complete. But I'm a little lazy and so I usually just leave it in!)½ cup flour, 1 cup water
- Add in the mixed veggies, re-cover, and cook until they are heated through, about another 20 minutes.16 ounces frozen mixed vegetables
Notes
- Bone-in chicken thighs produce the best flavor, but honestly boneless are a really close second, and you can also use chicken breasts.
- Frozen chopped onion is a great alternative to fresh. It's easier to use and keeps for much longer in your freezer.
- You can buy packages of precooked bacon to eliminate the step of cooking it. Or, if you cooking bacon anyway, fry up some extra and save it in the refrigerator for this recipe (you may have to hide it, though, so the family doesn't eat it!)
- If you buy your mushrooms already sliced, you wil only need to rinse them quickly before using them.
- Use jarred minced garlic instead of fresh. No one will notice!
- Serve with mashed, roasted, or baked potatoes, or with warm crusty bread. (To heat a loaf of Italian, French, or sourdough bread, preheat the oven to 350 degrees F, wrap the bread in foil, and heat for about 10-15 minutes.)
Video
Nutrition
Nutritional information is an estimate. The nutritional values for your final dish may vary based on measuring differences and products used.
Looking for another unique stew recipe? This easy shrimp stew is spicy and comforting and will warm you from head to toe!
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Happy cooking!
Bonnie
Can this stew be frozen?
Kristin King
Yes, it can. Enjoy! 🙂
Sherrie
Sounds delicious. Does the alcohol cook out?
Kristin
I was brought up believing that cooking food with an alcoholic ingredient rids it of all the alcohol, but recently I have read some articles indicating that there may be remaining alcohol even after cooking. So you may want to be careful if you have anyone in your family with an alcohol sensitivity for any reason. You could certainly still make this recipe - just substitute coffee for the beer to end up with a similar result. Thanks for stopping by!
Eileen Kelly
I am drooling over this delicious stew! Guinness is one of my favorite flavors to cook with all year! I am loving making a chicken stew using Guinness! This stew is so full of flavor! I have Guinness on hand! looking forward to making this recipe for the family!
Kristin
Yay! Thanks, Eileen! I hope you enjoy it! 🙂
Christina
What a great, easy recipe! I'll be making this again and again!
Kristin
Thanks! I'm glad you like it! 🙂