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Chicken Stew with Sweet Potatoes

This scrumptious Chicken Stew will leave everyone cozy and happy. It’s healthy AND delicious comfort food at its best. It just so happens to be dairy-free, gluten-free, and compliant for whole30 and paleo eaters...but tastes luxurious!

chicken stew with sweet potatoes in a bowl
This healthy chicken stew is loaded with sweet potatoes and only the good stuff. Gluten-free and dairy-free.

Chicken Stew with Sweet POTATOES

We call 30F warm in this crazy neck of the woods. Because that’s about 30F warmer than it often is. Why we decided to move here is partly a mystery and a different story for a different time.

Our group sledding plans for the weekend are shot, but it’s great for walking the bulldog and getting him out of his stir-crazy winter plight. I sloshed through freezing puddles with him for four miles, and he still came home with the zoomies.

Our wintry weather medley reminds me of today’s hearty, healthy Chicken Stew. This cozy chicken stew is a mixed pot of deliciousness: savory chicken, healthy sweet potato, and fragrant coconut all marry together into the most healthy-delicious chicken curry stew.

chicken stew with sweet potatoes in a dutch oven
This healthy chicken stew is packed with aromatic spices that taste amazing.

Healthy Chicken Stew: Key Ingredients

An aromatic combination of flavors merge together to make people super hungry, so get ready to add this healthy chicken stew to your dinner rotation.

  • Coconut milk and shredded coconut help thicken the stew and give it a satisfying texture. Be sure to grab the unsweetened coconut milk that comes in cans in the Asian aisles of most major grocery stores.
  • Healthy sweet potatoes are highlighted in this chicken curry stew, as sweet potatoes lend a subtle sweetness, nutrition, and heartiness.
  • Aromatics like onion, garlic, and ginger lend their succulent fragrance to the chicken curry stew. Not to mention antioxidants and nutrients.
  • Boneless skinless chicken thighs are our protein of choice, as chicken thighs are famous for retaining tenderness and flavor.
  • Fabulous spices such as tumeric and paprika provide golden color and deliciously earthy flavors.
  • Freshly squeezed orange juice combines with the seasonings to provide a bit of tangy sweetness.
chicken stew with sweet potatoes in dutch oven and garnishes
This chicken stew is a whole meal-in-one, with sweet potatoes and tomatoes combined.

Pro tips for Best Chicken Stew:

  • A dutch oven or heavy large pot works best and allows for quick and even cooking.
  • Cut the sweet potatoes into 1/2″ cubes, as small sized cubes will allow faster cooking. If you can find fresh, peeled, and pre-cut sweet potato cubes in your grocery store, feel free to use them as long as they are small-ish cubes.
  • Do brown the chicken pieces, which seals in the juices and brings out great flavor. Use chicken thighs for tenderness.
  • Be sure to include the juices of diced tomatoes; don’t throw the liquids away.
  • Garnishes are excellent in chicken curry stew recipes; freshly chopped cilantro, roasted chopped cashews, or crispy coconut flakes are all great choices.
  • Bonus: This beautiful stew happens to be Whole30, Paleo, and clean-eating. But anyone and everyone gobbles this yummy stew up, regardless of those labels. Here’s to healthy-delicious comfort food all season long.

Love chicken stew? Try my Moroccan Chicken Stew with its rich seasonings and spices for something a bit different!

Try this One-Pot Beef Stew, Too:

Did you make this?

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Chicken Sweet Potato and Coconut Stew

Chicken Stew with Sweet Potatoes

4.80 from 49 ratings
This supremely satisfying Chicken Stew will leave everyone full and happy. It's healthy AND delicious comfort food at its best. It's also Whole30, Paleo, and perfect for clean-eating – though nobody would ever guess.
Prep Time: 30 minutes
Cook Time: 30 minutes
Total Time: 1 hour
Servings: 8
Author: Amy Dong

Ingredients  

For the Spice Mixture:

For the Stew:

  • 3 TB coconut oil
  • 1 large onion, chopped
  • 2- inch ginger, fresh, peeled and minced
  • 8 cloves garlic, chopped
  • 15 oz diced tomatoes, with juices
  • ½ cup coconut milk, from a can, shake well (found in ethnic aisles of grocery stores.)
  • 2 cups chicken broth, regular strength
  • 1 lb sweet potatoes, peeled and cut into 1/2 inch pieces
  • 2 lbs chicken thighs, boneless/skinless, towel-dried, and cut into bite size pieces
  • kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
  • Garnishes: chopped cashews, unsweetened coconut flakes (garnishes highly recommended for texture and depth of flavor.)

Instructions

  • In a bowl, combine all ingredients of Spice Mixture together until well incorporated. Set aside.
  • In a Dutch Oven or large/heavy pot, add 2 TB coconut oil and heat until hot. Add onions and cook/stir over medium heat until softened, 4 minutes. Add ginger and garlic, continuing to stir another 2 minutes. Add the Spice Mixture that was set aside. Stir well for 1 minute.
  • Add tomatoes plus their juices and coconut milk. Stir frequently 2-3 minutes. Add broth and 1/2 tsp kosher salt. Bring to a simmer for 10 minutes. Add sweet potatoes, stirring occasionally; cook until tender, 20 minutes. Taste stew; if needed, add more kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper.
  • Meanwhile (while stew is cooking) heat 1 TB coconut oil in a large saucepan over medium high heat. Sprinkle chicken with 1/2 tsp kosher salt and 1/4 tsp freshly ground black pepper. Place chicken in a single layer in saucepan and let brown for 4 minutes on first side. Flip with tongs for 3 minutes of browning on second side. Do this in 2 batches if needed to avoid overcrowding (if crowded, chicken won’t brown.) Add browned chicken to the hot stew; stir to combine.
  • Serve stew with garnishes, over rice or just as is.

Notes

If you enjoyed this recipe, please come back and give it a rating ♡

Nutrition (per serving)

Serving: 1g | Calories: 474kcal | Carbohydrates: 29g | Protein: 26g | Fat: 28g | Saturated Fat: 12g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 5g | Monounsaturated Fat: 9g | Trans Fat: 0.1g | Cholesterol: 66mg | Sodium: 421mg | Potassium: 738mg | Fiber: 3g | Sugar: 17g | Vitamin A: 8336IU | Vitamin C: 25mg | Calcium: 169mg | Iron: 3mg
Course: Dinner, Main
Cuisine: American, Asian
Diet: Gluten Free, Low Fat, Low Lactose
Method: Stovetop

Stew-pendous

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3. Cioppino – Fisherman’s Stew

Cioppino 4

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Recipe Rating




73 comments

    • Joy
    • 5 stars

    This was so good! Could I ask what the serving size is? Thanks!

      • Amy Dong

      This can accommodate approx. 8 servings. Glad you enjoyed this!

    • Lisa
    • 5 stars

    This dish was absolutely delicious
    Thank you for the lovely recipe.

      • chewoutloud

      You’re so welcome, Lisa!

    • Michelle G.
    • 5 stars

    I forgot to pull the chicken thighs out ahead of time, so I just added them frozen with the sweet potatoes and simmered it until they were both cooked. Then, I chopped the chicken and tossed it back in. We topped with cashews, toasted coconut, and cilantro and served it over basmati rice. Very tasty and filling!

    • Martin
    • 5 stars

    This is a great idea and think it can be done vegan as well. My thing is the cocount milk split when added. I like the ingredients. Winner.

    • Melissa Lee
    • 5 stars

    This recipe was perfect for the snowy day we are having! I made it today and it was absolutely delicious! I dislike chopping sweet potatoes so I cooked those partway in the instapot last night. Thanks for another great recipe Amy!

      • chewoutloud

      YAY, Melissa! You’re an amazing cook! 🙂

    • Jane E. Yeasted
    • 5 stars

    One of the best recipes, ever. I cannot stress enough that you should make this exotic meal!

      • chewoutloud

      So happy you love it, Jane 🙂

    • Shannon Chetcuti

    This looks so good and I really want to try it! What can I use instead of orange juice please?

    • Jeanne

    This recipe sounds fabulous.. can’t wait to make it. I’m wondering… my hubby can’t tolerate orange juice… would lime juice work ok?

    • Lauren
    • 5 stars

    This has been my go-to autumn meal prep soup for the past few years! My boyfriend requests it all the time! The color of it is beautiful and warm and rich and the smell….is to die for…I literally stand by the stove inhaling while it’s simmering. The smell of it turns a house into a home. I think the addition of orange juice in the spice mix is so creative! Sometimes I add 1/4 tsp of ground cloves to the spice mixture when I’m feeling in the mood! Also to make things easier occasionally I’ll just bake frozen chicken breast tenderloins in the oven since I always have those on hand instead of pan-cooking the thighs and it works well! Thank you for this phenomenal recipe!

      • chewoutloud

      You’re welcome, and thanks for the thoughtful comments, Lauren! So glad you’re loving the recipes!

    • Linda Bess

    Hi there! What modifications would you recommend if I left out the tomatoes, I can’t do nightshades 🙁

      • chewoutloud

      Linda, I would suggest using sweet red peppers, but I’m not sure if that’s also on your allergy list. Otherwise, try upping the seasonings and perhaps a splash of lime and sugar for the tanginess/sweetness that tomatoes would have provided.

    • Jess Allaway

    I’m wondering if the chicken would actually be cooked when just described as browning then added to other ingredients with no mention of further cooking. Am I missing something? Important to make sure chicken is cooked is it not?

      • chewoutloud

      Jess, it will cook just fine, as long as the chicken is cut up 🙂

    • Kelly

    Can I substitute a can of tomato sauce for diced tomatoes?

      • chewoutloud

      Yes, Kelly, that will work just fine 🙂

    • Ramona’s Cuisine

    This dish looks incredible. All the textures, the colours and the flavours in here, I will definitely give this a try as soon as possible. Irresistible

    • Jacque Hastert
    • 5 stars

    What a great way to end winter and start spring! I love the combination of flavors in this stew and I can’t wait to make it.

    • Alexis
    • 5 stars

    Wow, this dish looks amazing. I’ll add this to our meal plan this week. Thank you.

    • Marta
    • 5 stars

    We absolutely need more recipes that use coconut- especially savory recipes! This one adds my favorite potato to it, too,so this is going into our regular meal plan.

    • April
    • 5 stars

    This sounds pretty tasty! I love the addition of orange juice! I’ve never made anything like this but I like all of the ingredients you’ve listed, so I’m going to try it out. It sounds so hearty and healthy!

    • Mon
    • 5 stars

    I wanted something different and this recipe hit the spot! I changed a couple of things. I browned my chicken during the first long simmer (10 min), and added it to the pot while the potatoes cooked. I more chicken broth and cooked it for 10 min longer. It was great. I think it will taste even better tomorrow. I also used russet potatoes since my boys aren’t a fan of sweet potatoes. Great recipe!!

      • chewoutloud

      So happy you liked this stew, Monika! 🙂 Thanks for coming back to let us know!

      • Nicole

      I love flavor packed comfort food like this!

    • Jacqui DeBono
    • 5 stars

    We have so many sweet potatoes from the garden in the later part of the summer, and coconut in curry is one of my favorite combos, so this one is perfect for a weeknight meal at our house!

    • Sondra Barker
    • 5 stars

    This sounds so yummy! What a great warm dish to make! Can’t wait to try this

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