Our Family’s Chicken Stew Recipe
Its that good. Its so good that it actually bothers me to think that some of you might only look at the photos, read the tutorial, and never make it. Its so good that if I could, I would seriously arrange a time and place for all of us to meet up under a tent somewhere in the middle of the country just to serve you this chicken stew. Its just……..its…..well folks, its just so good!
My mother got this recipe out of a 1974 issue of Good Housekeeping. There was a photograph of a little old lady next to the title and Mama said “She just looked like her food would be really good”. Since then, I cannot even begin to tell you how often we make it. Everyone in my family makes this and loves it. My in laws are coming in from Georgia this weekend for the Tennessee Valley Old Time Fiddler’s Convention as they do every year and this stew is always a request for their first meal. Tonight I’m serving it with Dixie Cornbread.
This stew refrigerates well, freezes well, and can easily feed a crowd simply by adding more potatoes. I always try to make a double batch and my family happily eats it whenever they need a quick meal all week long!
Once you make this a time or two, you’ll have no more need of the recipe. It will be ingrained on your heart, your taste buds, and your stomach.
Cook chicken until done in water. Remove chicken from broth and discard skin. Separate meat from bones and shred meat. Dip off as much fat from the broth as possible. Simmer potatoes in 1 cup of broth in covered saucepan until done, do not drain. Mash potatoes slightly, keeping them lumpy. Add corn, onions, tomatoes, sugar, salt, and pepper to broth. Cover and simmer for 20 minutes. Add potatoes and chicken and simmer slowly with lid off for at least 45 minutes. Right before serving, stir in butter and let it melt. Best if made a day ahead and reheated to serve.
*This has been our family’s favorite stew since my mother got the recipe in 1974. No one has to use the recipe anymore because we have all made it so much.
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*I’ve added a “Freezes Well” category to Southern Plate, beginning with this stew. I’m going to go back this weekend and add all of my dishes that freeze well to that category for your convenience!
Thank you for reading Southern Plate! I better get back to my company!
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Hi there. I may make this for our Sunday meal. It looks yummy.:) Hope you are having a great day.:)
Sharon:)
My oh My! There have been so many good recipes this past month I am in a quandary as to what to take to pot luck on Sunday! I’m going to have to go back and reread all of them.
I think I will definitely make this chicken stew when all the kids come home for Thanksgiving!
yummilicious! That looks great Christy, your recipes always do
Sharon OOH YAY!! I seriously hope so bad y’all try this! My natural instinct is to feed people and it just kills me that fall is nipping at our heels and I can’t make y’all this stew!!! I have had a very busy but REALLY great day, thank you!!!
I try to always have good days. I tell my kids “Each day when you wake up, you have a choice. You can have a good day or you can have a bad one, so you might has well have a good one.”
Its not always that easy but…….wow, you didn’t mean for me to go into all of that, did ya?
Gosh darnit, I’m just chatty!
Linda Thank you!! You know, This stew is the perfect thing when you have company or have a bit of a busy weekend with folks to feed despite it. We have this big Fiddler’s Convention in my town this weekend and my in laws are here. So I made this tonight and then we’ll eat it again for lunch one day this weekend. No one has EVER minded having chicken stew for leftovers! In fact, we came back from the Fiddler’s tonight and gathered around the soup pot once more!
My brother is a Jack Daniel’s two time grand champion winner for his bbq and he is selling pork chop sandwiches and bbq sundaes all weekend at Fiddlers, oh and roasted corn, too. I’m going to bring y’all some pics back tomorrow and put them into my next post – or maybe the next newsletter. I’ll have to decide.
I try not to ever post just general things about my family or what we did this weekend or such because I figure folks come to Southern Plate for recipes so I do my best to keep on point (in as much as I am able – y’all know I like to ramble). Anyway, my point is that I am going to have some neat pics coming up as soon as I have an excuse to post them or something I can include them with. I thought I’d get some pics of my parents tomorrow and such. Everyone is taking their turn working for my brother this weekend! His BBQ restaurant opens up next weekend and I already have plans to spend some time in his kitchen with my camera for tutorials from there!
Jo Hey!! Wow, thank you!! y’all always make me grin and blush! Just make me feel so good.
I really hope you all know how much I appreciate you taking the time to read Southern Plate and to give me such wonderful feedback. Feedback is so very important and it just makes me feel so good and so thrilled to do more recipes and tutorials every time I read the kind things you all say!
I sure do hope y’all have a wonderful weekend!
Gratefully,
Christy
Oh Christy,
You have made my day for sure. I have been looking for a Chicken Stew recipe for a long time now. The kind we used to get when they would sell them at fund raisers and such. I never made it myself, and didnt have a recipe till NOW!…
They dont make this stuff up here, and I will definately have to introduce everyone I know to it.
Thanks for such a fabulous recipe.
Girls, Seriously, you all have to try this recipe… its good hearty food, home cooking food… and a southern staple for sure!!!!!
I need to go buy a chicken. They’re really cheap, and we always have canned tomatoes and corn, and my folks just gleaned enough potatoes to last all of us all winter. This really does look like a very good stew.
And you look so pretty in that picture at the bottom of your post!
Stew looks great! You can freeze tomatoes? I never knew that. I sure have thrown out a ton of them from my dads garden..especially last year when he had 50 plants in the backyard!
How long will they keep?
Oh, yum! I have been sick for a week and the only thing that sounds good is warm soup to soothe my sore throat. I am going to tutor my hubs through this recipe so we can have this for supper. Thanks so much! I’ll help him whip up some of the cornbread. He’ll be such a happy camper because he and boys will have it all to themselves!
That looks like good old fashioned Southern comfort food for a cold rainy day. Add some of that cornbread of yours and you have a feast. Yuummmm!
Your recipes are great! I keep coming back for seconds!! Love the emails to! Can’t wait to try this one with cornbread!
Hey Cee!!
Oh, I don’t know if anything beats a good fundraiser chicken stew. If that’s what you’re craving, this’ll hit the spot for sure though!
I’m so glad you read Southern Plate! I actually thought about you this weekend at the Fiddler’s. You know they always have great chicken stew there, too!
Stephanie Hey! I am always amazed at how inexpensive a whole fryer is compared to the boneless skinless breasts and the broth they make just can’t be beat! I think you could likely feed a family endless meals if you just have corn, tomatoes, and potatoes on hand!
~blushes~ thank you! I am working on getting a good “mug shot” done to use in print and such and doing a trial run. It’s so hard having photos made of yourself!! I appreciate your compliment GREATLY!
Bill HEY! Tomatoes are SUPER easy to put up in the freezer.
What I do is this:
*Get on a large pot of water to boil.
*Set out a 9×13 pan on the counter (they cool faster and its easier to chop them in that)
*Once the water is boiling, drop a few tomatoes at a time in it. Wait just a minute or two and the skins will split open. Remove them and put them in the 9×13 pan and let them cool until you can handle them. Just grab hold of that skin and it will come right off! Throw away the skin and cut off the tops and throw that away too. Then, I just take a large knife and coarsely chop them up a bit before filling quart sized freezer bags with the tomatoes, juice and all!
Deanna Let me know if your husband makes this for you! My husband is doing good to be able to boil water – seriously. He is an engineer and is completely lacking in common sense when it comes to cooking. Everything is made to be a hundred times more complicated then necessary. Once, I was in the middle of making chicken and dumplings and got to feeling very sick rather suddenly. The kids were hungry and wanting their supper so I called him in there just to shred the chicken and put it in the dumplings –that’s all there was left to do.
I’ll never forget eating chicken and dumplings with perfectly cubed one inch squares of chicken in it. It was – odd. No telling how long it took him to do that. Bless his heart.
Donna Oh yes, it was so good. I froze the leftovers and sent it with my in laws back to Georgia. Not to sound too selfish, but I’m kinda regretting doing that now! I sure do want a bowl!
Cara Hey! Thank you so much!!! I hope to keep you happy and coming back for a very long time! Let me know if you have any questions or special requests!
Gratefully,
Christy
This soup was soooo delicious. I helped hubs through it and it turned out great. One of the boys is now sick and he has asked me to make him the “sick soup”. Ha!
Thank you.. will be making this for the crew very very soon. I can make it ahead for the guys to take when they go to deer camp!
If you are going to use canned tomatoes (and canned are better than non-ripe store tomatoes) use the whole ones and crush them with your hand. Not only is it fun, but they used the best tomatoes for the whole ones. Canned tomatoes are pretty good because they let them ripen on the vine and can them pretty much in the field.
I made this for my family tonight. We LOVED it. Chicken stew, a bottle (or two) of pinot noir and a homemade pumpkin pie for dessert.
Comfort food…mmmmmmmmm.
Thanks
You need to come cook for me.
Hi Christy ~ I made this last weekend and even my picky teen age boys came back for seconds!!! I did buy diced tomatoes, but probably will go with crushed next time! (I guess my kids were dropped on their heads at some point in time too!!! LOL!!) I will be making this again!!!! THANKS!!!!
This is a lot different from the chicken stew I make. I am really anxious to try it. It sounds wonderful. I have not tried using some of the potatoes as a thickener. Good tip
Thanks so much
I made this for dinner tonight and it turned out great. The flavor was wonderful. I can’t wait for lunch tomorrow…Yummy!
Oh yum, this sounds terrific! I am anxious to try it.
Hi Christy
First of all,I’ve just got to tell ya OH…MY…GOSH!!! This stew was AMAZING! I’ve been on the hunt for a stew like this for a very long time.So awhile back I went searching for Southern recipes and found your wonderful site
You’ve got so many delicious looking recipes that I’ll just have to try.Reminds me of eating at Granny’s when I was growing up.Please keep em’ coming…I’ll be back fer sure 
Oh,by the way I live just across the Ala/Tn. line so we’re practically neighbors.Have a spooktacular Halloween!
God bless…
Cathy
The chicken stew is a hit!! All my boys actually ate it without a fuss! Although they might be bias since they knew I had peach cobbler in the oven. Either way it’s a keeper. BTW, is it horribly mean of me not to tell my sisters and SILs about your site? I just want to keep all of your yummy recipes to myself and play off “I’m a great cook” routine. lol I am seriously loving your site! I’ll let you know how the cobbler goes.
I made the chicken stew yesterday and as all your recipes have been, it was delicious. It was even better when we warmed a serving for supper last night! I’m thinking of using the left over as a base for Brunswick Stew since that is a family favorite and company’s coming next week!
I have NEVER made chicken stew ever! I always thought it was too hard and I tried this recipe this weekend and me and my son loved it!! This is the best chicken stew!! And if I can make it, ANYONE can make it….thanks Christy!!
Loved this stew! My husband raved about it and keeps asking when are we having it again! I’m slowly working my way through all your recipes and they are all outstanding!
christy, i made this stew for me and my husband and it was wonderful. My husband doesn’t comment on alot of stuff but he said it was the best he’d ever tasted. He usually don’t like many leftovers but he wanted bowls of this over and over again until we ran out. It sure didn’t go to waste. I recommend everyone to try making it. Thanks so much!!!
Hi,
I like experimenting with food and wanted to try chicken stew for a long time, but did not get an easy recipie till now. yours looks real yum and i will definitely be trying it next weekend. Thanls for sharing this recipe with us.
Benu
nice recipe, but it is not stewed chicken , more like soup. If you added boston butt, hot sauce and catsup, creamed corn and you would have a Bruinswick stew. stewed chicken has a light brown gravy that coats the chicken.
Well thats interesting. I think we’re talking about two different things, yours sounds like a recipe for chicken, when I refer to stewed chicken I am actually referring to the method of cooking it. Stewing a chicken doesn’t produce a gravy, you’d have to manipulate your broth or else add it in order to get that so I’m guessing you have a great recipe which is called that. Bet its good!
This is a classic stew recipe in that all of your ingredients are simmered low for an amount of time. I enjoy Brunswick stew and make that often as well, but its an entirely different recipe and flavor. You are right though, if you added all of that, you’d have one humdinger of a brunswick stew – but not chicken stew! lol
Wow, this was a confusing comment to even respond to but you kept me on my toes!
Thanks for reading Southern Plate, Ron!! I bet folks are eating good at your house!
Gratefully,
Christy
Guess what just made it on to my meal plan next week. Yay for Winn-Dixie having chicken buy one get one free last week. A big bowl of that and your hoe cake- sounds amazing.
Christy, I have made this stew several times now in the past few months; a few times at home for my family, to take to church potluck, and I just now took a pot to a friend who just had her 7th baby! This recipe has already become a staple in my kitchen. I adore this site and think you are so generous to share all these recipes with us!
Oh, I ALWAYS forget to put in the butter at the end, and it’s still good. I just realized I forgot it again when I came here to post a comment and saw the recipe. One day I’ll make that addition and see if it’s even better.
This was fantastic!!!! I did just a few things different, I used my crockpot, homemade broth I had on hand, about half of a chicken and aboutb a cup of buttered corn(family doesnt really like corn). Let it cook on high for about 4-6 hours and WOW it is amazing!!!!!
thanks again!
april
Wonderful stew. I made a few of my own changes such as adding fresh chopped sage and thyme. I also added some hot sauce and a little old bay seasoning to it. I also added some carrots and celery to the broth as I made my chicken. I think it made the broth flavor a little more complex. Very good hearty food for a cold night.
Thanks
I grew up in Savannah, GA and this stew was a staple in my family as well. I started making it myself a few years ago, and made my own subtle changes. One thing that I have found is that using San Marzano (sweet Italian) tomatoes, brown sugar instead of granulated sugar and Kosher salt instead of table salt, it gives it a smoother feel. I’m so happy to have found someone else who likes this recipe as much as I do.
All my best.
Christy,
Thank you so much for posting this recipe. My husband is in awe of it. He has taken the leftovers to the office for lunch a couple of days this week. It is so amazingly good, and so cheap! It only costed me around $10 to make which is almost unheard of. You are doing a great job here! I have tried many of your recipes…all with great success.
Christy, I just want you to know that I made your chicken stew this past week and tonight we finished it up. It is just plain and simple – DELICIOUS! Thank you so much for your website, for your tutorials, and for your friendly, folksy way of encouraging us all to be better cooks and enjoy good Southern recipes! There’s nothing that compares (like I’d know, since I’ve never lived anywhere else either!).
You’re just wonderful!
I must admit I was skeptical it just didn’t sound all that great. After making it and eating it. Oh, it was delicious. My life is fixing to get really busy as my Mother’s lung cancer has returned your recipes are easy enough that they can be prepared rather quickly.
Made this stew last night. It was delish! Even my picky eaters ate everything in the bowl. I modified the recipe a bit because I didn’t start off with a whole chicken. I only had 4 breasts. Even with 4 breasts you still need about 6 cups of water. I started out with only 3-1/2 cups, but had to keep adding a cup here and there. I also put in a very big can of crushed tomatoes which was too much because I halved all the other ingredients. So I ended up with a very acidic base. To combat this I added more sugar and 2 packets of chicken bouillon. The chicken turned out very moist and tender after stewing for about an hour. Even my husband liked it, and he usually doesn’t like tomato-based stews too much. Thanks for another great recipe!
The stew sounds great and I plan to make it. But did you realize you forgot to put the chicken back in the pot? I read the recipe three times and it’s not there. Guess it’ll be soup
~makes mental note: Gary takes pictures very seriously~
It’s in the last two lines of the recipe at the bottom.
Thank you for reading, Gary!! Have a great week!
Gratefully,
Christy
Been meaning to tell you for quite some time that we tried your Chicken Stew and it has become one of our favorite recipes. My husband, especially, LOVES it. I even canned some and have given some jars to friends/neighbors that have been ill. They all liked it too. Thanks for all the yummy recipes.
Carol
Gary does take pictures seriously…..Ok, so then I should combine your recipe (which is slightly different from your Mom’s) and your Mom’s recipe (which is slightly different than yours)…..Just kidding…. I made the stew this weekend and it was as expected…a hit….thanks.
Gary (mentally, photograpically challenged)
Hi there from the east i juds made this stew for the first time. Boy was it delicious ! my kids were so disappointent when they asked whats for dinner and i answered chicken stew. There tune sure changed though when i served this up my son asked for seconds then thirds ! This was surely a treasured fine. i troll the internet all the time searching for new and inspiring recipes this one is a keeper! Cant wait to make it again ! Thank you thank you for posting it. Gina
I made this recipe today along with the Dixie Cornbread and all I can say is WOW! Previously, I made the Sundae Cake which was loved by all.
Christy, I have wished for the recipe for the BEST chicken stew in the world ever since my dear Aunt Sissy died 20 years ago, taking the (unwritten, of course) recipe with her! It’s not Brunswick stew…it’s much better! I have made yours several times (including right now) and once, after substituting stewed tomatoes out of necessity, I realized it was as though I went to heaven and got the exact recipe from Aunt Sissy. My husband and son love it too, but I ate it for breakfast, lunch and dinner for 2 days. I will always be grateful to you for it, and am now ordering your cookbook because everything else I’ve tried of yours is fabulous, and I want the rest of the collection. Thank you SO much!
It’s 7:21am and i’m heading for the store to get a whole chicken, I have everything else…my mouth is watering now…by the way the recipe is on page 32, you were close..haha Have a good day!!! You just made mine…
My family has use a chicken stew very much like this one except I use red potatoes they don’t cook away as bad as white ones do. so sometime I use the white to thicken. and I add a can of cream corn as well as whole kernal and It is the most wonderful chicken stew I have ever tasted. Thanks
Oh, this was a hit.
Being a vegetable lover (I’m vegan, my teen kids are not), I added carrots and celery to the recipe… and as little meat as I could get away with. (Some frozen chicken breast and thigh meat that I was saving for a rainy day, despite the fact that it almost never rains in So. California.)
I also added a couple of pinches of red pepper flakes because my youngest insists on a “bite” in his food.
I served this with biscuits and salad.
The upshot?
It was a MAJOR hit. And ridiculously easy.
This is a keeper. Instant family heirloom!
Thanks.
(Great site, BTW. I’ll be back… and I’m not even the terminator!)
Just made this recipe for dinner – it’s wonderful! I can’t wait to try out some more of the great looking recipes I see here!
I made this chicken stew today and it is great! Thank you so much for sharing your family recipe. Everyone who loves stew should try it!!
[...] Chicken stew [...]
Hi Christy!
I am new to your website. I saw the link on Southern Savers, and had to check it out. I made your chicken stew yesterday, and I do believe it is THE best stew or soup I have ever had! Thank you so much for sharing the recipe. I look forward to trying some more of your recipes. You should compile these in a cookbook…I would buy one!
Thanks again…
Just had my first bowl…totally awesome!! This recipe made a kajillion servings.. we will be freezing some for more rainy days.. thanks!
Christy, I love the “freezes well” category! I’ve never been a “make ahead & freeze” kinda gal but I’ve always thought it would be so great to have homemade meals already prepared in our freezer! In fact, I’ve been on myself to go back to your post where you spent a day preparing and freezing food so I can try that as well! This stew DOES look yummy! Maybe this will be my first “freezer meal”… or maybe the chili… or maybe … oh so many recipes here I want to try!! LOL
Hello
I just wanted to say this recipe makes the best chicken stew ,I have eaten. I looked for months to find a recipe that I liked. I eat stew lots more often now, thanks to you.
I made this for my family when they came visit and everyone really enjoyed it. Thanks so much for sharing!
I am cooking this right now and it smells great. We will be eating this for supper the next couple of nights. Thought I would make it in advance. I added butterbeans,extra tomatoes and extra corn. Hope it turns out alright.
“Simmer potatoes in 1 cup of broth in covered saucepan until done, do not drain. Mash potatoes slightly, keeping them lumpy. Add corn, onions, tomatoes, sugar, salt, and pepper to broth. Cover and simmer for 20 minutes. Add potatoes and chicken and simmer slowly with lid off for at least 45 minutes.”
I’m confused….do I cook the potatoes in 1 cup of broth? Or, like in the photos, do I take out 1 cup of potatoes and mash them? What about the potatoes in the last step that are added with the chicken? I’m assuming that leaving in the potatoes too long would make them too soft.
Hey Daphne!
Looks like I need to modify this post, huh? lol I posted Mama’s original recipe and then did it how I do, which is a lot more streamlined.
Cook your potatoes like I did and then take out a cup of them and mash them. This adds body to the stew. You can also skip this step and add a few tablespoons of instant potato flakes to get the same result.
don’t worry about cooking the potatoes too long, they hold up really well. I’ve cooked them for hours at a time before!
sorry to confuse you. Two generations were at play in this recipe!
Thank you!
Gratefully,
Christy
Thanks so much I’ll be making it this weekend.
I added the 2 tsp of pepper your mama suggested but mine came out mighty spicy and I am not sure if I did something wrong somewhere? Or maybe its supposed to have a little kick to it? I love your website, I check yours and mommy’s kitchen everyday! wonderful blogs from wonderful ladies!
Hi, Do you need to drain the corn or add the liquid? Thanks, Sara
This was absolutely DELICIOUS!!!!!!! My husband is already asking when I’m going to make it again.
I’m looking forward to trying this one. It really looks delicious!
Another great looking recipe, will be trying this one soon! I saw in another post about your cookbook coming out, now I can’t find it. Can someone please tell me when I can get this? I’m SO excited
Vicky
I’ve made this recipe a dozen times or more since first finding it here and my family loves it. The only change I make is rather than using two cups of frozen corn, I use succatash – a corn / lima bean mix. Best recipe on Southern Plate!
Thanks Christy and good luck with your cookbook – I plan to buy one for myself and a couple of extras to share as gifts! I was born and raised in Selma and now live in Montgomery. Your stories are are spot on for sharing the Southern life experience. I love reading about the South when it is told right. Best wishes! Kathy
Best stew recipie I have come across, just tried it and my four year old daughter said “DELICIOUS, please make it every week Mama”!!!! So thank you!
This is a great meal for everyone in the family. I have not found one that is better then this. Its even better as leftovers in my opinion. Thanks so much for sharing.