Chicken Cabbage Stew with Bacon (Hearty One-Pot Recipe)
Chicken cabbage stew is a cozy, no-cream one-pot meal made with smoky bacon, tender chicken and sweet cabbage. Simmered into a rich, comforting broth, this dish is hearty and filling. Shall we?
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Background
Cabbage-based stews are a staple across the Balkans. While colder months put an accent on fermented dishes, the rest of the year sweet cabbage takes center stage.
Dishes like kupus kalja or rustic village stews rely on slow cooking to build deep lavor from simple, local ingredients. Meanwhile, today's chicken cabbage with bacon comes together faster, but it still fills the kitchen with that familiar, homey aroma.
Fresh cabbage is a "thirsty" vegetable, meaning it absorbs the flavors of the ingredients around it. It feeds on fat, which is probably why there aren't many chicken cabbage recipes out there. We skip on the dryness by introducing bacon.
Simple, rich, and the kind of meal you’ll crave the moment the pot is empty.
Why You’ll Love This Recipe
🥬 Everyday Staples. These staples bring big flavor!
🍲 One-Pot Dinner. Everything cooks together which means less cleanup!
🥓 Smoky & Savory. Bacon adds depth and fat without overpowering the dish.
🥕 Naturally Hearty. This combo of veggies and meat provide enough sauce there's no need for cream or flour.
Ingredients
Here's all you'll need to make chicken cabbage stew with bacon. As you see, it's mostly the things you already have. Except maybe the cabbage. But you'll get that.
- Bacon. Bacon in chunk, or bacon strips, all minced. Substitute with dried meat (suho meso), or ham.
- Chicken. Look for chicken pieces with more fat, like thighs or drumsticks (boneless is fine). Keep skin on or off (per taste). Avoid chicken breast (too dry).
- Onion. White or yellow.
- Garlic. Cloves or powder.
- Carrots.
- Cabbage. Look for fresh cabbage, the "younger" the better. Any type of fresh cabbage will work, but older heads take a little more time to soften during cooking.
- Tomato Purée. Unflavored. Substitute with tomato paste, or tomato sauce without added flavors.
- (Optional) Tomato.
- Bouillon. Bouillon, stock powder or Vegeta.
- Oil. Any type.
- Salt & Pepper.
- Bay Leaf.
Instructions
Here's how to make chicken stew with bacon super easy!
Step 1. Cook the bacon.
Step 2. Cook onions, garlic and chicken.
Step 3. Add cabbage, carrot and seasonings.
Step 4. Return bacon and cook 35-50 minutes more.
Variations of the Dish
- Add potatoes. This will further thicken the stew.
- Use smoked ribs. Throw out the bacon, add ribs. This takes it to the next level.
- Spice it up. Add paprika or chili flakes for the hotness factor.
What to Pair With Chicken Cabbage Bacon Stew
Handling
Serve this chicken cabbage stew hot. Add fresh bread - or pogacha - and use it to soak up the broth. It goes great with a side salad as well.
Store leftovers in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 24 hours. Don't overdo it as it has a tendency to go soggy.
Reheat gently on the stovetop over low heat. Add a splash of water or broth.
Expert Tips
Don’t rush the browning.
The browning of the meat really builds the base flavor that cabbage later soaks up for that phenomenal finish.
Play with the cabbage size.
Chunk it up, cut it, slice it into ribbons, or shred it. See which texture feels best to eat. Bigger pieces hold the texture better. Smaller give a softer stew.
Go easy with the salt.
Cabbage has a tendency to eat salt until suddenly it's too salty. Go slow, add gradually, and wait until you add stock powder (bouillon) for the final salt adjustment.
Recipe FAQs
Yes. However, keep checking the flavor while cooking the stew to ensure it's hearty enough.
Bacon adds both flavor as well as much needed fat to the liquid. You may have to add a little more fat in form of oil, butter, lard or ghee.
Alternatively, substitute with dried beef, ham, or another smoked meat.
It likely cooked too long or was cut too thin—keep pieces larger next time.
Also, don't keep the stew for too long after making it (up to 24 hours is ideal). The longer you keep it, the soggier the cabbage becomes.
It's possible that the cabbage head was older, or slightly undercooked. Try to simmer it for a longer time next time.
Thoughts?
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Prijatno, dobar tek & bon appetit!
Chicken Cabbage Stew with Bacon
Ingredients
- 3.5 ounces bacon with some fat minced
- 1 ounce oil vegetable or other, if needed (bacon fat may be enough, depends on the bacon)
- 1 onion medium, yellow or white, minced
- 2-3 garlic cloves or ½ teaspoon garlic powder
- 16 ounces chicken (thighs or drumsticks) choose "fattier" chicken pieces, skin on or off - per taste; avoid chicken breast (too dry)
- 1 carrot big, peeled and diced
- 1 fresh cabbage head (about 2 lbs - 1kg) the "younger" cabbage, the better, baby cabbage is best as it takes less time; remove outer leaves and the core, chunk the rest into or slice into 1 inch (2 cm) ribbons
- 3.5 ounces tomato purée
- 1 tomato big, diced, skip if you don't have it
- salt and pepper to taste
- 1-2 tablespoons stock powder or bouillon or Vegeta
- 1 bay leaf
Instructions
- Cook the bacon. In a large pot, cook chopped bacon until crispy on low. Remove and set aside, leaving the fat.
- Cook onions, garlic and chicken. Add oil (if needed), onions and garlic. Sauté 3-4 minutes, or until soft. Add chicken and brown lightly on all sides, about 6-10 minutes.
- Add cabbage, carrot and seasonings. Add cabbage, carrot together with tomato puree, tomatoes, seasonings, and 1-1.5 cups water (300-400 milliliters). Bring the temperature up to medium, or medium-high. Cook 10 minutes, or until cabbage starts softening, and mix everything really well.
- Return bacon and cook 35-50 minutes more. Add cooked bacon and continue cooking for an additional 35-50 minutes, or until the cabbage is completely soft. Stir the stew throughout. Taste to see whether it needs more water, salt and pepper, and add as as needed.
- Serve this chicken cabbage stew hot with homemade bread or pogacha to soak up the broth. A side salad works well.Store leftovers in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 24 hours. Don't hold it too long a cabbage has a tendency to turn soggy.Reheat gently on the stovetop over low heat, adding a splash of water or broth.
Notes
- Expert Tips
The browning of the meat really builds the base flavor that cabbage later soaks up for that phenomenal finish. Play with the cabbage size.
Chunk it up, cut it, slice it into ribbons, or shred it. See which texture feels best to eat. Bigger pieces hold the texture better. Smaller give a softer stew. Go easy with the salt.
Cabbage has a tendency to eat salt until suddenly it's too salty. Go slow, add gradually, and wait until you add stock powder (bouillon) for the final salt adjustment.
- Variations
