Low Carb Greek Chicken Stew
This Greek Chicken Stew is packed with morsels of mouthwatering chicken, Mediterranean-inspired spices and seasonings, and a medley of low-carb roasted peppers, sun-dried tomatoes, olives, and capers. Served over cauliflower rice, this chicken stew is low-carb comfort food at its best.
This low-carb chicken stew recipe is inspired by the simple, deeply savory, and satisfying flavors of Greek “stifatho” (also spelled stifado). Stifado is a centuries-old Greek stew traditionally made with pork, rabbit, or beef. We’re using juicy chicken thighs for this classic Greek chicken stew!
This chicken stifado is rich and warming with a pleasantly sweet and slightly sour flavor. It’s perfect for weekends, especially during wintry weather, because it’s made with mainly preserved and pantry-stable jarred veggies, which are always in season!
The chicken is braised in a Dutch oven or cast iron pot, so it’s extra tender, moist, and flavorful. It tastes like a million bucks, but it’s budget-friendly and a great dinner for large families. Serve with a side of fluffy cauliflower rice, short macaroni-style pasta, and more!
Why You’ll Love This Recipe
- It’s very similar to Greek stifado but with chicken.
- It’s perfect for family dinners, potlucks, and dinner parties.
- Everything comes together quickly in one pot.
- It’s a fantastic freezer meal!
Ingredients You’ll Need
- EVOO – Coating the bottom of your Dutch oven with olive oil helps brown the chicken skins and sweat the onions and garlic.
- Chicken thighs – Greek stifado is traditionally made with other meats, but chicken thighs are fantastic in a stew. They’re cheaper than breasts and contain more fat, adding more flavor and moisture to the meat. Make sure to buy bone-in skin-on chicken thighs. Bone-in meat is more juicy and flavorful.
- Greek seasoning – The one I use from The Spice and Tea Exchange has oregano, garlic, pepper, onion, sea salt, feta powder, and lemon zest. Cavender’s all-purpose Greek seasoning is another great option that is easily found in most grocery stores.
- Salt and black pepper – Enhances the naturally homey, rustic flavors.
- Onion & garlic – This pair of aromatics enhances the deep, savory flavors.
- Lemon juice – Brightens the stew with citrus undertones.
- Oregano – Fresh or dried to heighten the Greek flavors.
- Chicken stock – For the richest flavor, be sure to use stock, NOT broth, as the liquid element of your stew.
- Jarred ingredients – A medley of Kalamata olives, roasted red peppers, capers, and sun-dried tomatoes set this Greek chicken stew apart from the rest.
- Cauliflower rice – To make it from scratch, you will need cauliflower florets, EVOO, salt, and pepper. Alternately, you can use frozen cauliflower rice and cook it according to the package directions.
How To Make Low Carb Greek Chicken Stew
Step 1: Prepare to make stew. First, work through the prep work. It may seem like a lot of chopping, but it’s worth the extra effort. While you’re working on preparing the ingredients, preheat the oven to 450F.
Step 2: Brown chicken. Heat oil in a Dutch oven over medium-high heat until hot but not smoking. Meanwhile, pat the chicken dry with paper towels and season on both sides with salt, pepper, and Greek seasoning.
Once hot, add the chicken, skin side down, and cook until the skin is browned.
Then, flip each piece, add the onion, garlic, lemon juice, and oregano to the pot, and cook until the onions soften.
Step 3: Simmer. Add in the chicken stock, olives, red peppers, capers, and sun-dried tomatoes, and give everything a good stir. Bring the mixture to a boil, immediately cover, transfer the Dutch oven to your preheated oven, and cook for 25 minutes.
Step 4: Make cauliflower rice. Meanwhile, make the cauliflower rice. Bring a large pot of water to a boil, add cauliflower florets, and cook until al dente. Drain well, then transfer back to the pot with oil, salt, and pepper.
Gently break apart the florets with a fork or potato masher until the consistency resembles rice.
Recipe Tips
- Mise en place! Once you start cooking, this stew comes together quickly, so it’s helpful to have each element prepped and portioned before getting started.
- A reader mentioned having success adapting the recipe for the Instant Pot. They first browned the thighs in SAUTE mode, then sauteed the onions and garlic, and finally added everything else to the pot and cooked in MEAT/STEW mode for 15 minutes.
Variations
There’s always room for more veggies in a chicken stew. These add-ins pair perfectly with the rustic, Mediterranean flavors.
- Artichoke hearts
- Cannellini beans
- Cauliflower
- Chickpeas
- Eggplant
- Potatoes
As for how to serve, this Greek stew is fantastic topped with crumbled feta cheese or freshly grated parmesan, fresh chopped herbs, and a side of crusty bread. If carbs aren’t a concern, serve this stew with one of these dishes instead of cauliflower rice.
- Orzo
- Rice
- Quinoa
- Lemon rice
- Polenta
- Cous Cous
- Mashed Potatoes
Storing & Freezing
Storing: Let cool, then keep cooked chicken stew in a covered airtight container in the fridge for 3-4 days.
Freezing: This Greek chicken stew freezes well and won’t separate like stews thickened with cornstarch. To freeze, transfer the cooled stew to a freezer-safe container, leaving about a 1/2″ of space at the top to accommodate for expansion, and freeze for up to 3 months.
Recipe FAQ
Stifado, a traditional Greek meat stew, usually contains pork, rabbit, lamb, or beef, LOTS of onions, and plenty of herbs and spices in a full-bodied, thick stock.
If your stew hasn’t thickened to your liking after braising for 25-30 minutes, you can stir in a slurry made with warm stock and corn starch or arrowroot flour. Stir the mixture into the stew, and simmer until it thickens.
I don’t see why not! If your slow cooker doesn’t have a saute function, brown the chicken thighs, and saute the onions and garlic in a skillet. Then, transfer the chicken thighs to the slow cooker, top with the onions and the remaining ingredients, and cook on high for 2-3 hours or on low for 5-6 hours.
More Soups and Stews You’ll Love
Mediterranean Vegetable Beef Stew
Crockpot Sweet Potato Beef Stew
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Low Carb Greek Chicken Stew
Equipment
- Dutch Oven
Ingredients
- 3 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
- 6 chicken thighs bone-in and skin-on, trimmed
- 1 tbsp Greek seasoning I use one from Spice & Tea Exchange, but Cavender's works great too.
- 1 tsp coarse salt
- 1 tsp ground black pepper
- 1 cup onion chopped
- 2 tbsp garlic minced
- 3 whole garlic cloves peeled
- 2 tbsp freshly squeezed lemon juice
- 1 1/2 tsp fresh or dried oregano finely chopped if fresh
- 1 cup organic chicken stock not broth, you want the rich flavor from the stock
- 1 cup pitted Kalamata olives
- 1/2 cup roasted red peppers In the jar, drained and chopped
- 1 tbsp capers drained
- 1/4 cup sundried tomatoes in olive oil drained and chopped
- For the "rice":
- 4 cups cauliflower florets
- 1.5 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
- sea salt and pepper to taste
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 450 degrees.
- Heat oil in a dutch oven over medium-high heat.
- Sprinkle chicken evenly with salt, pepper and Greek seasoning.
- Cook chicken, skin side down for 3 minutes, flip and add onion, garlic (minced and whole), lemon juice and oregano.
- Cook for 5 minutes.
- Add chicken stock, olives, red peppers, capers and sun-dried tomatoes.
- Bring to a boil, then cover and transfer to the oven to cook for another 25 minutes. Test chicken with a meat thermometer and make sure it has reached a safe 165 degrees F.
- To prepare the cauliflower rice:
- Boil cauliflower for 8 minutes or until tender.
- Drain.
- Return to pan and add oil, salt and pepper and mash gently with a fork or potato masher until cauliflower resembles rice.
Notes
- Mise en place! Once you start cooking, this stew comes together quickly, so it’s helpful to have each element prepped and portioned before getting started.
- A reader mentioned having success adapting the recipe for the Instant Pot. They first browned the thighs in SAUTE mode, then sauteed the onions and garlic, and finally added everything else to the pot and cooked in MEAT/STEW mode for 15 minutes.
Nutrition
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Mouth is watering. I can’t wait to make this!!!
Oh my goodness this looks like an amazing flavor combination! I have never tried braising and I will need to try 🙂
Thank you ladies!
I just made this. It’s amazing!!!! Our house smelled like heaven, what a wonderful recipe – our new favorite! Gave me a great reason to use our shiny new Le Creuset dutch oven 🙂
Awesome! So glad that you loved this dish! I love my dutch oven…I’m sure you’ll have it well broken into in no time! Braising is delicious!!
I’ve made this twice in two weeks now. Absolutely one of my favorite dishes. Love it!!
Great! So glad that you love the dish!! Thank you for taking the time to comment. 🙂
Could you explain what greek seasoning is? Is this an herb combination that someone prepackages?
Hi Sherry! Yes, it’s a seasoning blend. The one I use is from The Spice and Tea Exchange and includes: oregano, garlic, pepper, onion, sea salt, feta powder and lemon zest.
I am making this tonight! Only I am using bone-in thighs, and I don’t have a dutch oven 🙁 so I guess i’ll use a roasting pan. Any helpful hints??
Hi Cyndy! Sorry, just seeing this. A deep oven-proof skillet should work well for this, too. I hope you enjoy the recipe.
Had to thank you for such a delicious recipe! I made this for lunch today, and I adapted it for my pressure cooker (Instant Pot). Used all ingredients as listed, but first browned the thighs lightly and sauteed onion and garlic in the juices. Added everything else in and hit the “Meat/Stew” button for 15 minutes. It was so full of flavor and went perfectly with mashed cauliflower. Many thanks! 🙂
You are most welcome, Susan! I’m so glad that you enjoyed the recipe. Your pressure cooker version is a great idea!
This is so yummy! I made this before and it really is delish. Thanks for sharing it!
So glad you enjoyed it Michelle!