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.
Chicken Stew
Ingredients
- 1 chicken
- 2 lg onions, chopped
- 7 cups water
- 4 cups canned tomatoes
- 6 med.potatoes, peeled and diced
- 3 Tablespoons sugar
- 2 cups frozen or canned whole kernel corn
- 2 Tablespoon butter
- 5 teaspoons salt
- 2 teaspoons pepper
Instructions
- 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.
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Ingredients
- 1 chicken
- 2 lg onions, chopped
- 7 cups water
- 4 cups canned tomatoes
- 6 med.potatoes, peeled and diced
- 3 Tablespoons sugar
- 2 cups frozen or canned whole kernel corn
- 2 Tablespoon butter
- 5 teaspoons salt
- 2 teaspoons pepper
Instructions
- 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.
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*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.
*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!
Posted by Christy Jordan
on Oct 3 2008. Filed under Chicken, FEATURED Southern Favorites!, Freezes Well, Main Course, Soups and Stews, Southern Classics.
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forgot to ask–if using chicken breasts, how many should I use?
@Kirine75 here.
I have a tie for my favorite. Hard to choose between my grandmother’s shrimp gumbo and Alabama Chicken Stew, and I’m definitely going to have to make this recipe sometime soon since I’ve been craving Chicken Stew.
Made the chicken stew yesterday from the recipe in the new cookbook. It was absolutely delicious, y’all really need to try this. Had some leftovers so today I cooked up noodles & added them to the stew. Yuuuummmmm.
Served both meals with fresh skillet cornbread.
nubbins1
I have to say…I normally suck at recipes..or those recipes just always suck..anyway I tried your chicken stew recipe and ohmigosh it was SO amazing. I froze some and ate the rest. I will definitly be making this over and over again. This was a simple recipe that tastes great. Everyone NEEDS to try this!
I am too excited about this recipe. I have been informed that it tastes JUST LIKE the old AHS Band Chicken Stew that made Athens the unofficial Chicken Stew Capital of the world. Thanks for sharing your enthusiasm for food with the masses.
I know this is an older post, but I wanted to add that my father-in-law adds just a dash of Worcestershire sauce to add a little extra flavor. It’s actually good! But I tend to leave out the lima beans he adds. Yuck! Thanks for this recipe, I’m making my broth now!
I made this on Friday and just wanted to let you know it was delicious, just as promised. It was the first time I had ever cooked a whole chicken. I was nervous about it, but it wasn’t too bad. Thanks!
Now I am convinced you are a lost sister – this is sooo much like my mom’s stew that I finally learned to cook. I use Hunts Stewed Tomatoes – taste like you canned them straight from the garden. I also add lots of Louisiana Hot Sauce in mine.
I made this tonight and used the stewed tomatoes like Diane. What a treat!
I made this tonight for our dinner tomorrow. It turned out great and made enough to freeze. Got a little confused on the part about the potatoes. It says in the printed recipe to cook the potatoes in 1 cup of broth and mash the potatoes, well not until I looked back did I see the tutorial of taking 1 cup out in the pictures so all my taters are mashed somewhat.
Still tastes great. Next time I will use stewed tomatoes instead of diced, it is very tomatoey. Will for sure make again!
We grew up on this Chicken Soup Recipe or I should say something like this Chicken Stew. Never had a recipe for it before – my family just made it. I am the only one around that kind of remembers how it was done – so now I am printing your recipe to give to my sisters (so they will quit whining about not being able to make it!!!). We are originally from Western Tennessee – my grandma’s recipe used elbow macaroni instead of potatoes and combined cream corn & whole kernel corn. That was the only difference. It is truly yummy. Even have my grandkids eating it.
hate to cook potatoes that long …maybe throw them in last 20 miutes
Do you drain the corn? And if you use canned diced tomatoes, do you drain those?
I made this tonight, but instead of using a whole chicken, I used boneless, skinless, lean chicken thighs. Yes, you drain the corn. I also used stewed tomatoes. The sugar made my stew a little sweet so I added salt less garlic and herb seasoning, pepper, minced garlic and some hot pepper flakes and lots of salt to taste. This soup is excellent!
This chicken stew sounds just like my sister in law makes and is so good..
With the snow coming in (hopefully} this will be perfect and so easy to make..
Thanks
I hope yall stay warm!
I make mine just like this, but I like to add frech cut green beans!!
Yummy!!!
Or, freNch cut green beans lol..
How much broth are the potatoes and onion cooking in? The instructions do not seem to jive with the tutorial. The recipe says to cook the potatoes in 1 cup of broth. The tutorial looks like there is a lot more than 1 cup of broth that the potatoes and onions are cooking in. This looks really tasty, and I want to do it right. Thanks!
Looking forward to making this soon. Made your hamburger stew for dinner last night. It was delicious. We had snow here in Arkansas for the first time this winter and it’s cold (20 degrees) so the stew really hit the spot. Did you get snow in Alabama too?
Fixed this today for my husband and I as it is snowing here in Nashville and soup sounded good. It is delicious !! I used diced tomatoes – and I just added two tlbs sugar rather than 3. I cooked the potatoes in regular amount of water. I did use the chicken breast and added two boullion cubes. Thanks Christy for making cooking enjoyable again. Can’t wait to share it with our children.
Christy, I hadn’t made Chicken Stew since we moved from Mississippi. My Mama used to make something similiar to this all the time. I made it tonight as it sounded really good with all this cold and snow we have been having. I halfed the recipe, used chicken breasts that I roasted in the oven, shredded those, and added 1 t. of liquid smoke and worcheshire sauce. My husband loved it. It reminded me of being at home at my Mama’s.
I Love It!!!! I fell like a PRO CHEF!!! Great taste and a perfect meal for a snowy and cold day in North Carolina!!
ABSOLUTELY delicious! When I saw this recipe, I got very excited. My Grandaddy used to make chicken stew and since he has passed on, I rarely get the chance to have it anymore! Thank you SO much for passing this recipe along!
How big is a medium potatoe?? I am using the last of potatoes from grandmother’s garden. (Still too much snow to get to the store) These are definitely not medium. They aren’t even small. Perhaps tiny potatoes best describes them. I’m doing three tiny to one medium. Does that seem right? Also,I only have tomatoes with chilies in them. This could be a whole new tatse
It was great…but we must be lightweights b/c the 2 tsp. of pepper made it too spicy! My son loved it b/c he likes things hot/spicy. We really liked it a lot…but could do without so much pepper…anyone else think it was really peppery, or are we just crazy?
I made this two days ago for dear Husband and Son…wow!!! LOVED this recipe!!! We didn’t think it was too peppery at all. I didn’t measure my water, just covered the chicken and cooked it the night before to make it easy to put together the next evening. I cooked my potatoes in the microwave with some of the broth to cook them quicker and put it all together. The result was fabulous!!! My son said “you outdid yourself Mom!”
Husband had seconds… I served with my Mom’s cornbread recipe….wonderful stuff on a cold winter night! Thanks again! Love your cookbook!!!
[...] Chicken Stew [...]
I make this recipe myself with a little modification – sounds almost exactly like mom’s – except we add in a few dashes of Louisiana hot sauce to give it a kick, and one can of Lima beans. We serve it with soft Italian bread (for dipping)! I made this last night because of this post!
I made this tonight for the first time and it was so good! My family agreed, too (even better!). The best part is that we have enough left for tomorrow night, so dinner is already covered!
This is my husband’s new favorite meal. He usually doesn’t like leftovers, but he has asked for this every week for over a month and eats it every day till it’s gone when I fix it. That means I don’t have to cook every day! I love your site, and I bought myself your cookbook for Christmas!
I just made this stew today and I have to say I was disappointed! So was my husband. I used two cups of crushed tomato instead of four and thank goodness I did. It is still way too tomato tasting for a stew- it is overwhelming any other flavour! I need to do something to fix this as it is really tangy. I used chicken breast and yukon gold potatoes and I used chicken broth to boil and cook so I didn’t add the bullion cubes- I’m afraid if I do it now it will be saltier then it already is. Any suggestions please I want to save this big pot of stew! Thanks
I moved up north for college and have missed chicken stew with my whole heart….UNTIL…
I found your recipe, made it, cornbread, and some banana puddin’–had some friends over and had a blast! this is the BEST stew!!! thanks!
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LOVE this stew!!!!! Presently waiting on the 45 minute simmer to conclude so we can enjoy it for the second time this year. Tastes the most like my mom’s and I did add baby lima beans cause we love them!!!!! Thank you for this recipe!!!!
[...] it actually worries me that you might live your life without trying a particular recipe. Like my Chicken Stew, Apple Dapple Cake, or Banana Pudding. Well today I’m adding Vanilla Wafer Cake to that list. [...]
This is the same as what we call Brunswick Stew in NC. Only the butter beans, worchestershire sauce, and Texas Pete are missing. Our family recipe is over 100 years old and is still going strong!!
When I was in elementary – Hillsboro, AL – they made similar chicken stew for a fundraiser – in a big old laundry pot over a fire!!! Can you imagine? Everyone brought farm fresh corn, chicken, potatoes etc.
I’ve always used the Courtland Chicken Stew Recipe from Cotton Country Cookbook (Decatur Jr. League) and it is a family classic. My mom and sister still live in No. Alabama and chances are, at least 2 of us will be making this stew the 1st cold weekend in October – here in Tx that would be below 90!
Definitely agree with MAKE THIS STEW. It doesn’t sound like it would be as good as it is…but it is!
Made this chicken stew according to the recipe. Man o man good. Second time omitted potatoes and replaced with Laseur peas and canned tomatoes with hot Rotel to keep up the heat. Awesome !!!!!!!!!!
Just made this stew yesterday–it is delicious! I totally agree with the first paragraph of this post, please make this stew! It is so good. Hubby says it is “better than a restaurant.” Looking forward to the leftovers!
I am so glad it was such a hit Anna!!
Made this stew last night and it was truely delicious! My daughter said it was the best stew she has every had. Just add lima beans to it and this is what Virginians call Brunswick Stew.
I am so glad to hear that you liked it mimi. Give that daughter of yours a BIG HUG from me and tell her she just made my day.
[...] Kutsch – The chicken stew was just what my sick teenager needed to feel better. When our guest from out of town got here late [...]
I made the chicken stew on Saturday and was very disappointed. Ended up throwing it all out. Finished product didn’t have much flavor. Needed something…..added some noodles and some Penzeys Northwoods seasoning and that didn’t help either. It fixed a huge pot of it but was not thrilled eating it..too bad. Waste of whole chicken.
Tried it and loved it….Really is a beautiful family meal,For once my grandmother didn’t complain about the dinner…ha!! Thnx alot for such a gr8 recipe
LOL, you are so funny Raquel! Glad to hear it was a hit and it made your grandmother happy.
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I was looking for my Mawmal’s recipe to make for my family. THIS IS IT. Thank you SO much!! Never going to need another recipe, may add in some ocra, but that’d be the only change!! <3
I am so glad you found it!!! I hope you enjoy!
This is surely the most detailed recipe ever!!! Thanks!!
I made this today for dinner tonight…I just had to try a little bit and it was so good.. I had a few variations.. We had some grilled chicken halves leftover from a BBQ that we had over the weekend..so I didn’t have chicken for my broth. I used 1 bouillon cube per cup of water, and added the onions and potatoes to this.. cooked just like recipe said, but then added the chicken (after taking the skin off and chopping) Let it simmer for 45 mins and then tasted it…Oh my ..good stuff! Will definitely make again.. Actually like that I was using leftover chicken because I had no fat in the broth..
I just made this and it is so good. I followed the tutorial and added a large can of crushed tomatoes, 2 cans of corn and 2 cans of green beans. I am so happy this turned out so well because it made a lot. I asked my mother-in-law to come over and take some home. Thank you so much for such a delicious recipe. I will be making this again and again and again….
I am so glad you liked it Katie!! You can also freeze some of it for a really quick meal another day.