Post by Steve on Jan 5, 2010 17:15:51 GMT -5
Brunswick stew, to me, is complete cold weather comfort food and, many times, my personal start to fall and winter. My family first discovered this recipe in New Orleans in the mid 70s and has been a staple ever since. As with any good Southern dish there are a ton of variations out there, this is a basic recipe and at the end I'll put a few ideas I've tried over the years. This does make a lot, one batch usually lasts us the winter.
Brunswick Stew
6 pounds split chicken breast, bone in
5+ pounds potatoes, more if you want to taste, cubed
4 large onions, more if you want to taste, sliced horizontally
1 bag frozen corn
1 can corn
2 boxes frozen lima beans
1 bag frozen okra
1 large can tomato puree
1 can tomato paste
salt, pepper, sugar
Take a large pot (we use our lobster pot) and put in the chicken. Fill with enough water to cover the chicken, cover the pot and simmer 2-3 hours until the chicken is falling off the bone. Take out the chicken and set aside to cool; debone into bite-sized strips/chunks once cooled.
Once the chicken has been removed from the broth add the vegetables, tomato puree and tomato paste. A large can of stewed tomatoes added in can be good also but since we don't like tomatoes we skip them. Add about 2 tablespoons sugar, salt and pepper to taste, a couple tablespoons each. SLOWLY bring to a boil then simmer over medium low to low heat for 3-4 hours or until potatoes are cooked through. Stir regularly and be careful, this can scorch. Once the potatoes are cooked through add the deboned chicken back in, stir until well mixed and heated through and serve.
A couple notes on this. Like all good stews it tastes better the longer it sits and simmers to let all that goodness soak in, it tastes even better the day after it's made. There is definitely the potential for scorching so, unless it's just the chicken in the pot, no heat over medium, the lower and slower this cooks the better. Don't oversugar, I did this once and there's really no way to make up for that. This recipe literally makes over 3 gallons of stew so be prepared to share or freeze, it freezes extremely well.
Variations- as I've learned over the years, this stew was a working person's dish and the meat and vegetables can vary like crazy. Staples are the okra, potatoes and onion, everything else can be varied. A nice addition to the chicken is andouille sausage, it gives a nice little bit of kick and flavor. To give it some really good Creole flavors also throw in some shrimp or crawfish with a little Old Bay or cajun seasoning; if anyone doesn't like these they can be added into each bowl individually too. We've added in cayenne and other seasonings for a little bit of kick, as long as you like it at the end there's really no wrong way to do this. Experiment and enjoy!!!
Brunswick Stew
6 pounds split chicken breast, bone in
5+ pounds potatoes, more if you want to taste, cubed
4 large onions, more if you want to taste, sliced horizontally
1 bag frozen corn
1 can corn
2 boxes frozen lima beans
1 bag frozen okra
1 large can tomato puree
1 can tomato paste
salt, pepper, sugar
Take a large pot (we use our lobster pot) and put in the chicken. Fill with enough water to cover the chicken, cover the pot and simmer 2-3 hours until the chicken is falling off the bone. Take out the chicken and set aside to cool; debone into bite-sized strips/chunks once cooled.
Once the chicken has been removed from the broth add the vegetables, tomato puree and tomato paste. A large can of stewed tomatoes added in can be good also but since we don't like tomatoes we skip them. Add about 2 tablespoons sugar, salt and pepper to taste, a couple tablespoons each. SLOWLY bring to a boil then simmer over medium low to low heat for 3-4 hours or until potatoes are cooked through. Stir regularly and be careful, this can scorch. Once the potatoes are cooked through add the deboned chicken back in, stir until well mixed and heated through and serve.
A couple notes on this. Like all good stews it tastes better the longer it sits and simmers to let all that goodness soak in, it tastes even better the day after it's made. There is definitely the potential for scorching so, unless it's just the chicken in the pot, no heat over medium, the lower and slower this cooks the better. Don't oversugar, I did this once and there's really no way to make up for that. This recipe literally makes over 3 gallons of stew so be prepared to share or freeze, it freezes extremely well.
Variations- as I've learned over the years, this stew was a working person's dish and the meat and vegetables can vary like crazy. Staples are the okra, potatoes and onion, everything else can be varied. A nice addition to the chicken is andouille sausage, it gives a nice little bit of kick and flavor. To give it some really good Creole flavors also throw in some shrimp or crawfish with a little Old Bay or cajun seasoning; if anyone doesn't like these they can be added into each bowl individually too. We've added in cayenne and other seasonings for a little bit of kick, as long as you like it at the end there's really no wrong way to do this. Experiment and enjoy!!!