Well, first you get our your soup ketle and your soup stone....

Seriously, though you can make a great soup/stew using chicken instead of beef, and adding potatoes, carrots, onions, celery, and what have you. Some folks use starch or flour to thicken stews, but I find potato flakes, or shredding/grating a potato so that it cooks to mush while the other ingredients are melding thickens a stew without any added flavors or ingredients.

Dave