Slow Cooker Chicken-Barley Stew Nasty!!! A waste of time. I spent more than the 15 minutes prep time to cut my veggies, skin, and wash my chicken. I went by the recipe with the exception of subing one cup of water with an additional cup of chicken broth and using sweet baby carrots because they usually cook very tender. The veggies were hard and not tender. The stew itself was very bland and not seasoned. It definitely needs more seasoning. I made this in hopes that I would not have to cook supper for a couple of days. This recipe was so tasteless that no one would eat it and I ended up throwing it. Such a waste!!!