Brunswick Stew
on Nov 17, 2023, Updated Mar 20, 2024
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Our easy-to-make Brunswick Stew is the perfect combination of juicy, tender chicken, sweet tomatoes, and fragrant, savory spices. This stew uses pantry staples to make preparing it a breeze.
Nothing says fall like a delicious soup or stew, and this simple Brunswick stew is sure to be a family favorite when the cool weather rolls in. You can use fresh chicken, but we like to use leftover rotisserie chicken to cut down on preparation and cook time.
Another great thing about this dish is that you can easily customize what goes into the soup. Brunswick stew is traditionally made with beans, chicken, and tomatoes; however, you can add veggies like spinach, onion, and celery to add some extra nutrients to the dish.
One of our favorite things about Brunswick stew is how easy it is to make. This tasty stew would taste great with homemade bread, cornbread muffins or a simple green salad.
Table of Contents
Why You’ll Love This Recipe
- Quick and easy to make.
- Full of rich, hearty ingredients.
- Filling and kid friendly.
Recipe Ingredients
- Chicken—Diced chicken breast or shredded rotisserie chicken.
- Olive Oil—To cook the onions.
- Diced Onion—Either white or yellow.
- Spice Mix—A fragrant mix of smoked paprika, chili powder, and garlic powder.
- Frozen Corn—Can be substituted with drained canned corn kernels.
- Diced Tomatoes—Adds sweetness and nutrients to the dish.
- Light Brown Sugar—Helps balance the spice of the chili powder and smoked paprika.
- Pinto Beans—Can be replaced with black beans.
- Chicken Broth—Serves as the base of the stew.
See the recipe card for full information on ingredients and quantities.
Popular Substitutions and Variations
- Leftover rotisserie chicken is great in this recipe. If you don’t have cooked shredded chicken you can just chop up 2 pounds of chicken breasts and cook the meat while you are cooking the onions.
- Don’t worry if you don’t have any smoked paprika. You can replace it with regular paprika. The smoked paprika provides a deeper flavor but is not necessary.
- You can replace the pinto beans with black beans. Either way it is important to drain your beans so you don’t add too much liquid to the soup.
How to Make Brunswick Stew
Step #1 .Heat your oil in a pot over medium heat. Once the oil is hot, add the diced onion and spices. Cook the onions until translucent.
Step #2. Add your corn, diced tomatoes, and brown sugar to the pot. Allow the mixture to cook until the corn is fully thawed.
Step #3. Add the chicken, beans, and chicken broth. Bring the soup to a simmer before reducing the heat to low and covering the pot with a lid.
Step #4. Allow the soup to simmer for 20 minutes. Serve and Enjoy.
Recipe FAQs
The main purpose of simmering your soup is to give the flavors time to blend together. The longer your soup simmers, the more balanced the flavor of your stew will be. In addition to giving the flavors time to settle, simmering your stew helps soften the chicken and corn so that every bite almost melts in your mouth.
Of course! shredded roast beef or stew meat makes a great addition to Brunswick stew! If you are using beef then you will want to switch out the chicken broth for beef broth, but other than that everything will be the same. Using beef will give your stew a deeper, heavier flavor than chicken.
Expert Tips
- If you are cooking fresh chicken breasts, you can easily shred it once it is fully cooked by using an electric hand mixer on high speed.
- Whether you are using black beans or pinto beans, it is important to drain the beans before adding them to the stew in order to avoid adding too much liquid to the dish.
- Unlike the beans, it is not necessary to drain your diced tomatoes. You can also use freshly diced roma tomatoes in this dish.
Can I freeze this stew?
Definitely! Like many soups and stews, this dish can be easily frozen for long periods of time. To freeze your stew you will first want to let it cool down on the stovetop. Your soup can be warm when it goes in the freezer, but you don’t want the soup to be hot and steamy.
Once your soup has cooled, transfer it to a gallon-sized Ziploc bag and place it in the freezer. The flatter you can store your soup, the easier it will be to thaw it. You can freeze your soup for up to 4 months. Simply thaw your stew in the fridge and then reheat it on the stovetop when you are ready to eat!
How to Store and Reheat Leftover Stew
This delicious stew can be stored in the fridge for up to 4 days. Simply transfer the stew to a large rubbermaid container with a tight lid. There are two ways to reheat this stew. The first is to warm a single serving of stew in the microwave for about a minute. If you are using the microwave, you will want to cover the bowl with a paper towel or plate to avoid any splatter.
The second way to reheat your stew is to transfer all of the leftovers to a large pot and heat the soup over low heat. Remember to cover your stew with a lid to prevent too much liquid from evaporating off.
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Brunswick Stew
Ingredients
- 3 cups shredded chicken
- 1 cup diced onion, about 1/2 large onion
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1 teaspoon smoked paprika
- 1 1/2 teaspoons chili powder
- 1 1/2 teaspoons garlic powder
- 2 cups frozen corn
- 1 cup diced tomatoes, with juices
- 2 tablespoons light brown sugar
- 1 can pinto beans, (15 ounce can), drained
- 4 cups chicken broth
Instructions
- Heat the olive oil in a large pot for a few minutes. Once the oil is heated, add the diced onion, garlic powder, paprika, and chili powder. Cook the onions over medium heat until they are soft and translucent.
- Add the corn, diced tomatoes, and brown sugar. Continue cooking the mixture over medium heat until the corn is no longer frozen.
- Add the shredded chicken, pinto beans, and chicken broth to the pot and bring the soup to a simmer.
- Place a lid on the pot and allow the soup to simmer for 20 minutes.
- Serve and enjoy!
Notes
- Your leftover stew can be stored in the fridge for up to 4 days.
- Reheat your soup on serving at a time in the microwave in a bowl covered with paper towels. Heat the soup for a minute, stopping halfway to stir the leftovers.
- Leftover rotisserie chicken is great in this recipe. If you don’t have cooked shredded chicken you can just chop up 2 pounds of chicken breasts and cook the meat while you are cooking the onions.
- Don’t worry if you don’t have any smoked paprika. You can replace it with regular paprika. The smoked paprika provides a deeper flavor but is not necessary.
- You can replace the pinto beans with black beans. Either way it is important to drain your beans so you don’t add too much liquid to the soup.
- You can use either fresh or canned diced tomatoes. Unlike the beans, it is not necessary to drain the tomatoes if you are using canned ones.
