Chicken Stew (Dutch Oven)

Michael Eisenwasser

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A one-pot Dutch oven chicken stew with bone-in thighs, root vegetables, and a white wine splash — scallion greens and garlic-infused oil stand in for onion and garlic.

Prep 20 min

Cook 1 hr

Serves 6

Dairy-free

Ingredients

• 2.5 lb (1.1 kg) bone-in, skin-on chicken thighs (about 6 thighs)
• 1.5 teaspoons kosher salt, plus more to taste
• 1/2 teaspoon black pepper
• 3 tablespoons gluten-free all-purpose flour without inulin or chicory root (or 2 tablespoons cornstarch, added later as a slurry)
• 3 tablespoons garlic-infused olive oil, divided
• 1/2 cup scallion greens (~40 g), sliced thin
• 6 stalks celery, cut into 1/2-inch (1.3 cm) slices (one stalk per serve)
• 1/2 cup (120 mL) dry white wine, optional (Sauvignon Blanc or Pinot Grigio)
• 6 cups (1.4 L) low-FODMAP chicken broth
• 2 bay leaves
• 3 sprigs fresh thyme
• 1 sprig fresh rosemary
• 1.5 lb (680 g) Yukon Gold or red potatoes, cut into 1-inch (2.5 cm) chunks
• 3 medium carrots, cut into 1-inch (2.5 cm) coins
• 1 medium parsnip (~150 g), peeled and cut into 1-inch (2.5 cm) coins
• 2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley, to finish
• Extra scallion greens, to finish

Instructions

Sear the Chicken

1. Pat the thighs dry with paper towels. Season both sides with the salt and pepper, then dust the skin side with the flour. If using cornstarch, skip the flour here. You'll add a slurry at the end.
2. Heat 2 tablespoons of the garlic-infused oil in a 5- to 7-quart Dutch oven over medium-high. Place the thighs skin-side down and sear for 5 to 6 minutes until the skin is deep golden. Flip and sear 3 more minutes. Work in two batches if the pot is crowded. Transfer to a plate.

Build the Braise

1. Pour off all but 1 tablespoon of fat from the pot. Reduce the heat to medium. Add the remaining 1 tablespoon of garlic-infused oil, the scallion greens, and the celery. Cook for 3 minutes, stirring, until the celery softens slightly.
2. Pour in the white wine, if using. Scrape the browned bits off the bottom with a wooden spoon. Simmer for 2 minutes to cook off the alcohol. If skipping the wine, deglaze with 1/2 cup of the broth instead.
3. Pour in the chicken broth. Add the bay leaves, thyme sprigs, and rosemary sprig. Return the thighs and any resting juices to the pot, skin-side up. Bring to a gentle simmer.

Simmer the Stew

1. Cover, reduce the heat to low, and simmer for 25 minutes.
2. Add the potatoes, carrots, and parsnip. Stir gently so the thighs stay on top (that keeps the skin above the broth). Cover and simmer for 20 to 25 minutes, until the vegetables are fork-tender and the chicken reads 175°F (79°C) at the thickest part of the thigh.

Finish

1. Transfer the thighs to a cutting board. Fish out the bay leaves, thyme stems, and rosemary stem. Pull the meat off the bones in large chunks and return it to the pot. Discard the bones and skin (or crisp the skin under the broiler for a topping).
2. Taste the broth and season with more salt and pepper. If the stew is thinner than you'd like, whisk 2 tablespoons cornstarch with 3 tablespoons cold water and stir the slurry into the simmering stew; cook for 2 minutes until thickened.
3. Ladle into bowls. Top with parsley and extra scallion greens.

Tips & Substitutions

• Bone-in thighs, not breasts. Thighs hold up through a 50-minute simmer without drying out, and the bones add body to the broth. Boneless, skinless breast goes stringy and dry. If you only have boneless thighs, cut them into 2-inch chunks and drop the simmer time to 15 minutes before adding the vegetables.
• Celery is 1 stalk per serve low-FODMAP. Monash lists celery at 1 medium stalk (~40 g) per serve low-FODMAP, so 6 stalks across 6 bowls stays under the limit. Don't double.
• Parsnip is serve-size dependent. Monash lists parsnip at 75 g per serve low-FODMAP. One medium parsnip across 6 bowls is about 25 g per serve, well under. Don't add a second one.
• Scallion greens only — no white parts. The fructans in scallions sit in the white bulb; the dark green tops stay low-FODMAP up to 75 g per serve. Slice above the pale transition point.
• White wine at 1/2 cup is low-FODMAP. Monash lists dry white wine as low-FODMAP at a 5 oz (150 mL) serve. A 1/2 cup splash across 6 bowls is well under. Alcohol can still trigger IBS symptoms for some readers, so sub 1/2 cup extra broth plus 1 tablespoon white wine vinegar if you'd rather skip it.
• Skip the mushrooms and leeks. Classic chicken stew often adds cremini mushrooms or sliced leek whites — both high-FODMAP. Oyster mushrooms are the only low-FODMAP option at 75 g per serve, and leek greens (not whites) work up to 54 g per serve if you want the allium depth.
• Cornstarch slurry for gluten-free thickening. If you skipped the flour dust, whisk 2 tablespoons cornstarch with 3 tablespoons cold water and stir in at the end. Flour-dusted thighs thicken the broth on their own as they simmer.
• Better the next day. The broth deepens overnight. Cool the stew, refrigerate, and reheat on the stovetop the next day. The chicken absorbs more of the braise and the vegetables hold up.

Why This Works

Bone-in thighs keep the meat moist and enrich the broth. The connective tissue in the skin and around the bone melts into the braise over 50 minutes, which thickens the liquid and adds body without needing dairy or a roux. Boneless breast can't do either job.

Searing the skin side first builds the flavor base. Browning the thighs in garlic-infused oil renders fat and leaves fond on the bottom of the pot. Deglazing with wine lifts that fond into the broth, which is where most of the stew's flavor comes from. Skip the sear and you'll end up with pale, thin stew.

Root vegetables go in halfway. Adding potatoes, carrots, and parsnip at the 25-minute mark keeps them tender but intact. Adding them at the start would turn them to mush over the full 50-minute simmer, and the broth would absorb too much starch early.

Scallion greens and garlic-infused oil carry the aromatics. Onion's fructans sit in the white bulb; scallion greens stay low-FODMAP up to 75 g per serve. Garlic flavor moves into oil but the fructans don't, so infused oil carries the flavor without the FODMAP load.

Storage

Refrigerate in a sealed container at 40°F (4°C) or below for 3 to 4 days — the stew is better on day two. Freeze for up to 3 months; thaw overnight in the fridge and reheat on the stovetop over medium, adding a splash of broth if it's tightened up.

Not sure about an ingredient? FODMAP Tracker includes a database of 1,000+ foods with FODMAP ratings to help you cook with confidence.