Brunswick Stew

It’s a classic Southern stew, chock-full of chicken gently cooked with sweet onion and celery then tossed in with tender butter beans, golden corn, new potatoes and a glorious touch of bacon. Simmered in a luscious base of rich stock and plum tomatoes, creating a banquet of flavors, it takes chicken soup to another level!

I don’t remember the first time I made this stew, but it was years ago and is probably in the top five of our family favorites. It’s the stew I make when someone I love is not feeling well (they say there’s proof chicken soup has healing power) and it’s the stew I make when someone is in need of comfort. The recipe for Brunswick Stew dates back to the mid-late 1800s depending on which historical reference you believe. Some say it originated in Virginia, some swear it was Georgia but either way it is Southern and it is wonderful!

Start with chicken cooked until tender in chicken stock along with sweet onion and celery until the chicken.

Then add layers of flavor from butter beans, plum tomatoes, potatoes, and golden kernels of corn.

Simmer together until the potatoes are tender and the flavors meld together creating a stew full of garden goodness that’s hearty but not heavy. Like any great soup or stew, it’s even better the next day. If you’re in a bit of a rush, pick up a roasted chicken, toss in the celery and onions to cook alongside the potatoes and skip ahead.

This is the perfect dish to lead us from straight from summer into fall!

Brunswick Stew

This recipe makes a large batch, so cut it in half if you’ve got a smaller crowd – but freezes beautifully.

For the chicken:

3 to 4 bone-in, skin on chicken breasts

1 large sweet onion, sliced, about 2 cups

3 celery ribs, sliced, about 1-½ cups

1 teaspoon sugar

2 teaspoons kosher salt

½ teaspoon cracked black pepper

1 tablespoon apple cider vinegar or white wine

8 to 10 cups chicken stock

2 teaspoons concentrated chicken base

Place the chicken in a large stockpot along with the onions, celery, sugar, kosher salt, black pepper, and vinegar. Pour in enough chicken stock to just cover the chicken breasts. Stir in the concentrated chicken base, partially cover and cook over medium heat until the stock comes to a gentle boil.

Reduce the heat to medium-low and continue simmering until the chicken is cooked through, about 45 minutes to an hour depending on the size of the chicken breasts. Turn off the heat and leave the chicken in the hot stock for 20 to 30 minutes. Remove the chicken from the stock and set aside to cool. When the chicken is cool enough to handle, remove the chicken from the bone and tear or cut it into bite-size pieces.

Raise the heat on the stock back to medium.

For the stew:

3 cans butter beans, 14 to 15 ounces each, drained

2 cans whole plum, 14 to 15 ounces each

4 new potatoes, peeled and diced into bite size pieces, about 2 cups

2 bags frozen organic corn, 10-ounces each

1 teaspoons kosher salt, or to taste

½ teaspoon freshly cracked black pepper, or to taste

2 teaspoons sugar

3 slices bacon, chopped

3 cans cream corn, 14 to 15 ounces each

2 tablespoon all-purpose flour

½ cup cold water

Add the butter beans, tomatoes, diced potatoes, whole kernel corn, (the cream corn goes in last) kosher salt, black pepper, and sugar to the reserved stock.  Gently break up the tomatoes in the stew and stir in the chicken. Reduce the heat to medium-low, cover and cook until the potatoes are tender, about 45 minutes.

While the stew is cooking, fry the bacon in a skillet until crisp, about 10 to 12 minutes. Set aside to drain on a paper towel.

Once the potatoes are tender, add the bacon along with the cream corn. In a small jar, mix the flour with the cold water, shaking well to make sure there are no lumps. Pour the flour and water mixture in, stirring into the stew. Cook for an additional 30 minutes, giving the flour time to cook into the stew, slightly thickening and binding the stock. Add additional kosher salt and pepper to taste if needed.

Easily serves 8 to 10.