Chicken and Sausage Stew
Chicken and Sausage Stew is a creamy low-carb Instant Pot or Slow Cooker stew with chicken, Andouille sausage, red peppers, and Creole seasoning. You can eat the tasty spicy low-carb chicken sausage stew in a bowl, or serve over cauliflower rice or Palmini rice.
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This recipe for Chicken and Sausage Stew is for everyone who loves spicy Andouille sausage! A few years ago I tried Amylu Chicken Andouille Sausage that I discovered at Costco, and ended up creating a recipe in the slow cooker that used it. I used the delicious gluten-free Andouille sausage, chicken, roasted red peppers, cream cheese, and just a touch of spicy Creole seasoning.
And that slow cooker stew with chicken and sausage was absolutely delicious, but I know that many of my readers would prefer making this type of stew in the Instant Pot, right? So Kara and I experimented to get an Instant Pot version so you can choose the method you prefer!
We loved the way this turned out in the Instant Pot, and enjoyed it over Cauliflower Rice, but it would also be delicious as a stew to eat in a bowl. The method is definitely different for the slow cooker or the Instant pot, so I’m going to give you both those recipes here to help you make it successfully, enjoy!
I liked this so much that I ended up eating all my share of the leftovers (which I always split with Kara after we’ve had a long recipe-testing day.) And in a house where having too much leftover food can be a problem, that’s the sign of a tasty dish!
What ingredients do you need for this recipe?
(This is only a list of ingredients; please scroll down for complete printable recipe. Or if you use the JUMP TO RECIPE link at the top of the page, it will take you directly to the complete recipe.)
- boneless-skinless chicken breasts
- Amylu Chicken Andouille Sausage or other pre-cooked chicken or turkey sausage
- Roasted Red Peppers in a jar (affiliate link)
- onion
- Olive Oil (affiliate link)
- Minced Garlic (affiliate link)
- Dried Oregano (affiliate link)
- Tony Chachere’s Creole Seasoning (affiliate link) or other Creole seasoning of your choice
- canned chicken broth (affiliate link) or homemade chicken stock, simmered to reduce for slow cooker method
- cream cheese
- cornstarch (affiliate link), for Instant Pot version, optional
- green onions for serving (optional but recommended)
- cauliflower rice for serving, optional
What sausage is good for the chicken sausage stew?
The Amylu Chicken Andouille Sausage is delicious and I do still find it at my Costco, but if you can’t find that brand any pre-cooked chicken or turkey sausage will be delicious in this recipe.
How spicy is this chicken and sausage stew?
If you’re using the Chicken Andouille Sausage and Tony Chachereโs Creole Seasoning this recipe is definitely a bit spicy. If you’re cooking for kids or adults who don’t like spicy food I might use a milder flavored pre-cooked chicken or turkey sausage.
What kind of rice can you serve with this stew?
This stew would be amazing served over my favorite Easy Cauliflower Rice with Garlic and Green Onion if you’re up for making that dish that uses riced fresh cauliflower. You can also serve it over frozen cauliflower rice (cooked according to package directions) or Palmini Rice (affiliate link), or even regular cooked rice if you don’t mind a few more carbs.
Will Chicken and Sausage Stew keep in the fridge?
This tasty stew with chicken and sausage was just as good after it had been in the fridge overnight, so this is a perfect recipe to make for Weekend Food Prep! Mine was gone after one day but I think it would keep for 2-3 days, but probably not much longer than that.
Can you freeze the Chicken and Sausage Stew?
I don’t recommend freezing for this recipe because of the cream cheese.
How low in carbs is this Recipe?
This one dish meal stew recipe with chicken and sausage has about 10 net carbs per serving!
What size Instant Pot or Slow Cooker did I use?
I use a 6 Quart Instant Pot (affiliate link) for all my Instant Pot Recipes. I used my favorite Crock-Pot 3.5 Quart Slow Cooker (affiliate link) for this recipe.
Making Instant Pot Chicken and Sausage Stew:
(This is only a summary of the steps for the recipe; please scroll down for complete printable recipe. Or if you use the JUMP TO RECIPE link at the top of the page, it will take you directly to the complete recipe.)
- Take cream cheese out of the fridge and let it soften while you prep other ingredients.
- Trim visible fat or undesirable parts from chicken breasts and cut into bite-sized pieces.
- This is the Amylu Chicken Andouille Sausage we used. Cut sausage into 3/4 inch slices.
- Drain roasted red peppers and cut into bite sized pieces and chop onion.
- Heat the oil in the Instant Pot set to SAUTE, MEDIUM HEAT and cook the onion until itโs starting to brown, about 5 minutes. Add the minced garlic, oregano, and Tony Chachereโs Creole Seasoning and cook 1-2 minutes more.
- Add the chicken, sausage, and roasted red peppers to the Instant Pot with one cup chicken broth or stock.
- Lock lid and set Instant Pot to MANUAL, HIGH PRESSURE, 6 minutes.
- When cooking time ends, let it NATURAL RELEASE for 10 minutes, then release the rest of the pressure.
- Don’t worry if this looks a bit scary when you first open the lid!
- Depending on how thin the mixture is (some chicken releases a lot of water), set Instant Pot to SAUTE, LOW HEAT, and simmer a few minutes to reduce liquid. Stir to break up chicken pieces and combine ingredients.
- Cut softened cream cheese into pieces and stir into the mixture in the Instant Pot and let it melt.
- Then mix cornstarch with 2 T cold water, stir that into the simmering mixture in the instant pot, and cook a few minutes until it’s thickened a bit more. (The cornstarch adds 2.4 carbs per serving and we greatly preferred this when it was a bit more thickened, but you can simmer longer to reduce if you want fewer carbs.)
- Serve hot either in a bowl as a stew or serve over cauliflower rice, Palmini Rice, or even regular cooked rice if you don’t mind a few more carbs.
- Garnished with thinly sliced green onions if desired.
Making Slow Cooker Chicken and Sausage Stew:
(Scroll down for complete printable recipe with nutritional information.)
- Take cream cheese out of the fridge and let it soften while you prep other ingredients.
- Trim boneless-skinless chicken breasts and cut into bite-sized chunks.
- Cut 8 links Amylu Chicken Andouille Sausage (or pre-cooked sausage of your choice) into slices about 3/4 inch thick.
- Heat olive oil in a frying pan and lightly brown the onion, then add the garlic, dried Oregano, and Tony Chachere’s Creole Seasoning and cook about 2 minutes more.
- Drain a 12 oz. jar of Roasted Red Peppers and cut the peppers into bite-sized pieces.
- Layer the chicken, sausage, red peppers, and onion mixture in a small slow cooker.
- Put the chicken broth or stock into the pan you used to brown the onions and simmer until it’s reduced to 1/4 cup, then whisk in the cream cheese until it’s mostly smooth.
- Pour the stock/cream cheese mixture over the other ingredients and cook on low for 4-6 hours, or until the chicken is cooked through and all flavors are well-combined.
- This won’t win any beauty contests when you first remove the lid, but stir to combine the flavors and serve in a bowl or over cauliflower rice, Palmini Rice, or rice for a delicious meal.
More Tasty Recipes with Sausage:
- Beef and Sausage Meatballs in Tomato Sauce
- Sheet Pan Sausage and Veggies
- Grilled Sausage and Peppers
Weekend Food Prep:
This recipe for Chicken and Sausage Stew has been added to a category called Weekend Food Prep to help you find recipes you can prep or cook on the weekend and eat during the week!
Chicken and Sausage Stew
Chicken and Sausage Stew is a creamy slow cooker or Instant Pot stew featuring chicken, chicken Andouille sausage, roasted red peppers, cream cheese, and Creole seasoning.
Ingredients
- 4 large boneless-skinless chicken breasts, trimmed and cut into bite-sized pieces
- 8 links pre-cooked sausage (see notes)
- one 12 oz. jar roasted red pepper, cut into bite-sized pieces
- 1 large onion, chopped
- 1 T olive oil
- 1 T minced garlic
- 1 tsp. dried oregano
- 1 tsp. Tony Chachereโs Creole Seasoning (see notes)
- 1 cup chicken broth or homemade chicken stock (see notes for slow cooker version.)
- 8 oz. cream cheese, softened and cut into pieces
- sliced green onions for serving (optional but recommended)
- cooked rice or cauliflower rice for serving, optional
- 2 T cornstarch for Instant Pot version (see notes)
Instructions
- INSTANT POT VERSION
- Take cream cheese out of the fridge and let it soften while you prep other ingredients.
- Trim visible fat or undesirable parts from chicken breasts and cut into bite-sized pieces.
- Cut sausage into 3/4 inch slices.
- Drain roasted red peppers and cut into bite sized pieces and chop onion.
- Heat the oil in the Instant Pot set to SAUTE, MEDIUM HEAT and cook the onion until it’s starting to brown, about 5 minutes.
- Add the minced garlic, oregano, and Tony Chachere’s Creole Seasoning and cook 1-2 minutes more.
- Add the chicken, sausage, and roasted red peppers to the Instant Pot with one cup chicken broth or stock.
- Lock lid and set Instant Pot to MANUAL, HIGH PRESSURE, 6 minutes.
- When cooking time ends, let it NATURAL RELEASE for 10 minutes, then release the rest of the pressure.
- Depending on how thin the mixture is (some chicken releases a lot of water), set Instant Pot to SAUTE, LOW HEAT, and simmer a few minutes to reduce liquid. Stir to break up chicken pieces and combine ingredients.
- Cut softened cream cheese into pieces and stir into the mixture in the Instant Pot and let it melt.
- Then mix cornstarch with 2 T cold water, stir that into the simmering mixture in the instant pot, and cook a few minutes until it's thickened a bit more. (The cornstarch adds 2.4 carbs per serving and we greatly preferred this when it was a bit more thickened, but you can skip the cornstarch and just simmer longer to reduce if you want fewer carbs.)
- Serve hot either in a bowl as a stew or serve over cauliflower rice, Palmini Rice, or even regular cooked rice if you don't mind a few more carbs.
- Garnished with thinly sliced green onions if desired.
Notes
MORE RECIPE NOTES:
Nutritional information is for the Instant Pot version with cornstarch and doesn't include cauliflower rice or Palmini rice.
The four chicken breasts I used was 1 1/3 pounds of chicken.
I used 20 oz. Amylu Chicken Andouille Sausage, or use another brand of pre-cooked chicken or turkey sausage; I wouldnโt use pork sausage for this recipe.
I love Tony Chachere's Creole Seasoning (affiliate link) but use any Creole Seasoning you have.
Recipe adapted from a slow cooker recipe for chicken and sausage from from a blog that's no longer online.
Nutrition Information
Yield
6Serving Size
1Amount Per Serving Calories 448Total Fat 26gSaturated Fat 10gTrans Fat 0gUnsaturated Fat 12.1gCholesterol 159mgSodium 891mgCarbohydrates 11gFiber 1.1gSugar 4.8gProtein 42g
Nutrition information is automatically calculated by the Recipe Plug-In I am using. I am not a nutritionist and cannot guarantee 100% accuracy, since many variables affect those calculations.
Low-Carb Diet / Low-Glycemic Diet / South Beach Diet Suggestions:
This stew with chicken and sausage would be a great low-carb meal if you eat over cauliflower rice or Palmini Rice. Low-Carb Diets would prefer full-fat cream cheese and wouldn’t need low-fat sausage, although personally I wouldn’t use pork sausage in this. For Keto you’d probably want to skip the cornstarch and just reduce the sauce by cooking it down. Using low-fat chicken sausage and light cream cheese in this recipe makes this suitable for any phase of the original South Beach Diet if eaten in a bowl or over cauliflower rice.
Find More Recipes Like This One:
Use Stew Recipes, Instant Pot Recipes, or Slow Cooker Recipes to find more recipes like this one. Use the Diet Type Index to find recipes suitable for a specific eating plan. You might also like to follow Kalynโs Kitchen on Pinterest, on Facebook, on Instagram, on TikTok, or on YouTube to see all the good recipes Iโm sharing there.
Historical Notes for this Recipe:
The slow cooker version of Chicken and Sausage Stew recipe was posted in 2014. It was updated in 2021 with new photos and the addition of an Instant Pot version, and the recipe was updated again with more information in 2024.
17 Comments on “Chicken and Sausage Stew”
Like so many recipes, this one great as well. The two changes I made were to add some frozen chopped spinach I had that I wanted to use up and not use the cornstarch and it turned out great. I had the stew over cauliflower rice. Definitely a keeper recipe!
So glad you enjoyed it! I like hearing how you adapted to your own needs.
I used low fat cream cheese and chicken broth which I reduced its been 4 hours and I just mixed it up, the chicken may need a little while longer. The liquid is thinner than I was expecting, will it thicken up?
I’m sure you’re through making it now, did it work for you? I do find that some chicken releases a lot of water, so that might be what you’re experiencing, but I hope you enjoyed it!
So glad you enjoyed it and had fun adapting the recipe!
For those who can't do dairy, you could probably use Tofutti's dairy-free cream cheese or another vegan cream cheese substitute. I'm not sure if it would fit into someone's diet as far as calories and fat, but it's a place to start.
This stew is delicious! I added a few ribs of celery to the onion-garlic mix and then added two ears of corn kernels. It was so flavorful, especially with a dash of Sriracha to up the spice. I'm eating the leftovers as we speak, and I'm sad to be running out! We served it over a bed of quinoa and my family is already asking when we can eat this again!
So glad you like it!
Kalyn, this sounds absolutely fabulous! I LOVE Cajun spices, and of course, the ease of the slow cooker!
Thanks Debbie; so glad you liked it.
Made this tonight. Delicious!
Served with a side of steamed broccoli and it made a fully satisfying meal.
Thanks Kayln for another wonderful recipe!
I'm not sure it will be quite as good as the creamy sauce, but I think this will not be bad with just the broth, maybe a little more broth. Love to hear what you think if you try it that way.
I got really excited about this recipe…until I saw the cream cheese. For those of us who need to limit dairy, do you think it would be okay to just eliminate that ingredient? Or any other suggestions for substitutions?
Thanks Matt!
Instant recipe collection inclusion!
Lydia, hope your Costco has it; I'm really loving the chicken Andouille.
Must track down this sausage at my Costco. I don't eat pork andouille, but I know it adds a special flavor to Cajun and Creole cooking.