Yeah, you're right about searing beef for stew, so this might end up the same. I think it would depend on how much you cook the chicken on its own compared to how long it cooks in the sauce. Like if you completely cook the chicken then add it to the sauce, you will definitely have crispier chicken. Like chicken in mole sauce. If you just get it a bit brown but still raw inside, you'll probably have softer meat which will be closer to the ideal for this dish. I'm not really sure where the correct cut over point is, but I'm curious. Please post any results you get, this is exactly the kind of thing I tend to mess around with when reading recipes.