Chicken Stew Recipe (+/-)

This is pretty much the recipe I was raised on in South Carolina, except my grandmother wasn’t as generous with the meat or the onions.  I don’t think she used chicken bouillon either but it doesn’t make much difference that I could tell. I didn’t follow these instructions word-for-word, mostly because I didn’t want my cooked chicken sitting out for 45 minutes!  I think you can be real flexible on the quantities of onions and chicken and still have an authentic taste.

I believe potatoes and carrots added to this would work well and may try it next time. I’ve never had it with cheese, green onions, or Texas Pete as this recipe suggests. Also, the saltines are essential and a couple of sweet Gherkin pickles tops this off nicely!!

Simple Southern Chicken Stew {A Favorite Fall Recipe}

Serves 12

Wikipedia describes Chicken Stew as “a traditional dish from North Carolina and Georgia. It is a type of stew consisting of parboiled whole chicken in a cream or milk based broth, butter and seasoned with salt, pepper and other ingredients.  I describe it as comfort in a bowl.

Ingredients

4 chicken breasts

2 whole onions, diced

2 cans evaporated milk

2 tbsp butter

2 tbsp bouillon (Better Than Bouillon brand)

Salt and pepper to taste

Instructions

In a lidded pot, bring the chicken breasts to a boil.

Once boiling, turn off the heat, leave the lid on and let the chicken set for 45 minutes.

In a separate pan, saute your onions until they are translucent.

Reserve 5-6 cups of the chicken broth.

Remove the chicken from the pot and allow it to cool for 15 minutes.

Chop the chicken into very small chunks then add it to the broth.

Add the evaporated milk, sauteed onions and bouillon.

Season with salt and pepper to taste.

Simmer for an hour.

Garnish with shredded cheddar, diced green onions and Texas Pete.

Serve with saltines.

Notes

To make the stew creamier, you can add Half & Half.

Simmering in a cast iron Scotch bowl:

Sautéing the onions: