The best stews take the humblest of ingredients and make them into something so good that the delicious smell drifts through the whole house until everyone comes to look at what you’re cooking. While I usually choose beef as the base meat for my stew, lately I’ve been making a one pot stew using chicken, potatoes, and bacon. The entire family loves it and there’s often not much left for lunches or leftovers!

This one pot potato chicken stew derives flavor from a wide array of traditional herbs and spices, which soaks into the vegetables and hearty broth. All you need to get this stew going is plenty of time, a Dutch oven (or slow cooker), and some rice or crusty bread to accompany it when it’s time to serve up.

The recipe below chooses to use a lot of comfort food favorites. Although bacon isn’t used widely in stews of this kind, I find that well cooked pieces of streaky bacon add an element of salty flavor and added texture that works well alongside juicy pieces of chicken and veggies such as carrots, celery, and potatoes. You could also use lardons or back bacon if you want to ramp up this element.

I’ve found through trial and error that skinless, boneless thighs work best at holding their juiciness and creating flavor within the stew. Breast pieces certainly work, although you’ll find that they aren’t quite as tasty. If you’re using breast pieces, I recommend adding a few extra rashes of bacon to make it a bit more lively.

Potato chicken stew is a great dish for when you are feeling stressed, under the weather, or when the family needs some ballast at dinner time. You can easily customize the stew recipe to suit whatever you have on hand, and it won’t miss a beat. While I’ve put this together as a one pot meal, if you want to make it over longer or around your working schedule, it’s almost as good prepared in a slow cooker, by moving the liquid and potatoes up the timeline.