Quick Chicken and Vegetable Skillet Stew (One Pan Dinner)

There are evenings when you want something warm, but not a full “simmer for an hour” kind of stew. Just something quick that still feels like a real meal.

I usually make this when I’ve got random vegetables in the fridge and not much time. It’s flexible, comes together in one pan, and doesn’t leave you with a pile of dishes.

Quick Info

How to make it

Heat a wide pan over medium-high heat and add the olive oil. Once it’s hot, add the chicken in a single layer and season lightly with salt and pepper.
Let it cook without moving for a minute or two so it can brown slightly. Then stir and cook just until the outside is lightly golden. It shouldn’t be fully cooked inside yet — that’s important. Take it out and set aside.
(This step is easy to rush, but if you cook the chicken all the way now, it ends up dry later.)
In the same pan, add the onion, carrot, and bell pepper. Cook for a few minutes, stirring occasionally, until they start to soften but still hold their shape. You want them tender, not soft and collapsed.
Add the garlic and paprika and stir briefly. It should smell warm and slightly sweet — if it starts catching on the pan, lower the heat slightly.
Pour in the chicken stock and scrape the bottom of the pan. All the browned bits from earlier dissolve into the liquid and create a light sauce.
Return the chicken to the pan and add the zucchini. Stir everything together and let it simmer gently for about 5–7 minutes.
The final texture should be somewhere between a stew and a sauté — not dry, but not soupy either. The vegetables should still have a bit of bite, especially the carrot.
Taste and adjust seasoning if needed, then finish with fresh herbs.
(Once I added the zucchini too early and it turned soft and watery — adding it later keeps everything balanced.)
If you don’t have zucchini, green beans or even mushrooms work well here. It’s one of those dishes that adapts easily to what you have.