Trim chicken thighs and pat dry, then roughly chop onions, carrots, celery, and quarter mushrooms.

Place onions, carrots, celery, and garlic in the Crockpot, nestle chicken thighs on top, then scatter mushrooms, thyme, and bay leaves evenly.

Pour low-sodium chicken broth over the ingredients, add optional white wine, then season generously with salt and pepper.

Cover and cook on LOW for 6–7 hours (or HIGH for 3–4 hours) until chicken is tender and mushrooms are golden brown.

Remove chicken to a cutting board, discard bones and skin, shred meat with forks, and return shredded chicken to the Crockpot.

Mix cornstarch with cold water until smooth, stir into the stew, then cook on HIGH for 10–15 minutes until broth coats the back of a spoon.