Try These 8 Simple Tricks To Save A Bland Chicken Stew

Chicken stew is one of those comfort foods that just feels good in your mouth.

Unfortunately, sometimes it doesn’t taste as good as it should.

And if you don’t know why your chicken stew isn’t tasting right, this post is for you!

Here are some tips for fixing bland chicken stews and ensuring the next one is flavorful.

What is a chicken stew?

A chicken stew is a dish that is cooked in a pot, and it contains chicken, vegetables, and other ingredients.

Chicken stew can be served as soup or a main meal with rice or bread.

Chicken stews are easy to make at home because they use common ingredients you probably already have in your kitchen!

You can use all types of meat for this recipe, like beef or pork, instead of just chicken if you want something different.

The key to a good chicken stew is in the spices.

You can add spice to your chicken stew, such as oregano, basil, or rosemary, and these spices will give your dish flavor and make it more interesting!

Common mistakes when making chicken stew

Making a stew is pretty easy because the slow cooker does most of the tasks.

However, there are some mistakes that you should avoid to have the best chicken stew every time you make it:

• Undercooking: When it comes to a stew, we mean a dish with all its ingredients tender and can even melt in our mouth.

If your chicken stew is undercooked, the ingredients are tough and chewy, and the dish lacks flavor.

• Too much water or too little water.

The proportion of liquid to solid ingredients in a soup is crucial for creating the right texture and flavor profile for your dish.

If there’s too much liquid in your pot, you’ll end up with something that resembles soup rather than stew; if there’s not enough liquid, your dish will be dry and unappetizing.

• Overseasoned or underseasoned.

One of the biggest mistakes that home cooks make is to season their dishes too aggressively or not enough: if you add too much salt, pepper, or other spices, then it’ll overpower the meat and vegetables; on the other hand, if there’s not enough seasoning in your pot then everything will taste bland.

• Choosing the wrong cut of meat.

When making chicken stew, you better choose white meat and dark meat for a flavorful dish.

• Forget the vegetables.

When making a chicken stew, it’s important to include vegetables such as onions, carrots, and celery.

The vegetables will add color, flavor, and texture to your dish.

Why does my chicken stew taste bland?

This is a common problem with chicken stew, which can taste bland for many reasons, but most commonly, it is due to a lack of spices.

If you’ve added salt to your stew but not enough of it, your dish will feel bland and unseasoned no matter how much spice you add later on.

Similarly, if you’re using raw herbs in your cooking rather than dried or fresh ones (which are more potent), they’ll dissipate quickly into the other flavors of the dish and won’t stick out as strong enough to make an impact on the flavor profile.

If this is happening to you and your chicken stew just doesn’t have enough flavor, consider substituting some fresh or dried herbs for some of those that are already in there—cilantro is particularly good at giving a boost of brightness.

Moreover, low-quality ingredients can also result in a flat dish.

So try to buy fresh ingredients for the best stew ever.

How to fix bland chicken stew?

It is pretty easy to fix a bland chicken stew.

If you are wondering how, here are the eight straightforward but effective ways to save your tasteless chicken stew:

Add salt

When you add salt to chicken stew, you might want to be judicious with your use of the stuff.

Salt can be overpowering and ruin a good dish if you add too much, so keep in mind that it’s always better to start with less and then add more if needed.

If you are wondering how much salt to add, you should taste your chicken stew and then sprinkle it with a pinch of salt.

If that doesn’t perk up the flavor, try adding another pinch.

Keep doing this until the dish tastes just right.

Add spices and herbs

You can also add spices and herbs to fix a bland chicken stew.

This can be done with a combination of different spices and herbs, depending on your personal preference for flavor.

While you may want to experiment with different combinations, consider using one or more of these suggestions: basil, oregano, thyme, and rosemary.

When using herbs, remember that fresh and dried both works, but the latter will have a more intense flavor.

If you can’t find fresh herbs nearby, try growing them yourself!

Add soy sauce

Soy sauce is one of the best ways to add flavor to chicken stew.

It’s a bold move but worth trying if you feel your chicken stew needs something extra.

The amount of soy sauce that you add will depend on personal taste.

You can add it all at once or add it in stages while cooking the dish.

Either way, it’s sure to make an impact on your dish!

Add acid

Adding acid is one of the simplest ways to brighten up a dish, whether it’s a chicken stew or a batch of sauerkraut.

When you add lemon juice or vinegar (enough to taste), you’ll get more flavor from your food without messing with spices that might clash with other flavors in your recipe.

Tomatoes and their products are also great to try, and they’re easy to find in most grocery stores and add a punch of color and flavor.

Add sweetener

To fix a bland chicken stew, try adding a sweetener.

This is not the same thing as sugar, which has calories and can make your dish too sweet.

Instead, add a natural sweetener like honey or maple syrup to give it some depth of flavor.

You can also use agave nectar or alternative sweeteners like stevia for those who watch their carb intake.

The most important part of this tip is knowing which way you’re going with the taste, sweetness, or saltiness.

Add broth

If your chicken stew is bland, add some broth.

The broth is made by boiling chicken bones and vegetables in water, which makes the liquid more flavorful than regular water.

It’s also a good way to add nutrients to the meal—you can use it to make soup or pour it over rice or noodles later!

Add wine

Wine is one of the most versatile ingredients in a cook’s pantry.

It can be used in everything from soups to desserts, and you only need a small amount to add flavor to your dish.

If your chicken stew is bland, try adding some wine!

This trick works with both white and red wines with their unique characteristics.

Some people like to add this before cooking; others prefer adding it after they’ve cooked everything so that all those flavors meld together better.

Either way is acceptable—it depends on what works best for you!

Reduce it

One of the reasons that cause bland chicken stew is too much water, and a good way to fix it is by reducing it.

The reduction will make it taste thicker and richer and bring out the flavors of your dish.

Reducing also concentrates the broth, so you should use less liquid than you normally use when making a stew or soup.

Conclusion

In conclusion, we hope our tips on how to fix bland chicken stew were helpful.

If you have any other ideas on improving your cooking, we would love to hear them!