Our Family’s Southern Chicken Stew Recipe
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Featuring tomatoes, corn, potatoes, and chicken, this flavorful and hearty southern chicken stew recipe is a firm family favorite.
I am going to start this post off by asking a favor of you all. Please make this chicken stew. It’s that good. I mean, it’s 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. It’s 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. It’s just, well folks, it’s 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.
Once you make this a time or two, you’ll have no more need for the recipe. It will be ingrained in your heart, your taste buds, and your stomach. If you need more reasons to give this southern chicken stew recipe a go, it 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 a bowl of this supreme dish whenever they need a quick meal all week long!
Recipe Ingredients
- Potatoes
- A chicken
- Crushed tomatoes
- Corn
- Onion
- Salt
- Black pepper
- Sugar
- Margarine
Helpful Kitchen Tools
Cover your whole chicken with water and cook over medium heat until it’s done. When chicken is done, remove it from the broth and set it aside to cool a bit. Reserve broth.
If you prefer to use boneless skinless chicken breast for this recipe, just add some chicken bouillon cubes to your water to make sure your chicken broth is rich enough.
Peel and dice potatoes. Also, peel and dice your onion.
Add potatoes to the broth.
Add diced onion as well. Cook these until your potatoes are tender.
Cook until potatoes are tender. Remove about a coffee cup’s worth of potatoes.
Like this.
With a fork, mash those potatoes in the cup. We are going to add this back to the stew and it will thicken it.
You can also just use a bit of instant mashed potatoes here if you want, as I’ve mentioned in a previous post. (I truly believe soup thickening is about all they are good for… except for when I make this crust out of them for our Taco casserole… but that is a recipe for another day).
Place back in the saucepot along with the .
Add the can of tomatoes.
Now, you can use any type you want here. I tend to use crushed because my husband (who I have oft mentioned was dropped on his head as a child) doesn’t like to actually bite into a piece of tomato in his stew. However, I prefer diced if I’m going with canned. Nothing though, NOTHING is better than homegrown tomatoes from my freezer if I have them!
Add corn.
I often use frozen corn if you prefer that.
Add salt…
And pepper.
Then add the sugar. I know sugar sounds a bit odd in a stew, but trust me on this.
Simmer slowly with the lid off for about forty-five minutes.
Just before serving, stir in margarine. YUM!!
Storage
As I said, this southern chicken stew recipe refrigerates and freezes well. Store leftovers in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 4 days or the freezer for up to 6 months. Thaw overnight in the fridge before reheating in the microwave.
Recipe Notes
- Serve your homemade chicken stew with saltine crackers, homemade drop biscuits, or cornbread. You could also serve it with a simple side salad, like an easy Greek salad.
- For a little kick, serve your stew with some hot sauce. Alternatively, before simmering add a teaspoon of paprika or a tablespoon of Cajun seasoning.
- Want to add more vegetables? Add in a cup of frozen peas or green beans when you add the corn. You could also add diced carrot, , or celery to your stew.
- If you’d prefer slow cooker chicken stew, follow the steps but once the potatoes, chicken, and onions are cooked in the broth, you’ll want to transfer everything to a slow cooker before adding the can of tomatoes and the remaining ingredients. Then cook on high for 4 to 6 hours.
Check out these other sensation stew recipes:
Beef Stew Recipe for Slow Cooker
Lentil Stew (Budget-Friendly & Delicious)
Ground Beef Stew (with a secret!)
Ingredients
- 1 chicken
- 2 large onions chopped
- 7 cups water
- 4 cups canned tomatoes
- 6 medium potatoes peeled and diced
- 3 tablespoons sugar
- 2 cups frozen or canned whole kernel corn
- 2 tablespoons butter
- 5 teaspoons salt
- 2 teaspoons pepper
Instructions
- Cook the chicken until done in water. Remove the chicken from the broth and discard its skin. Separate the meat from the bones and then shred the meat.1 chicken, 7 cups water
- Dip off as much fat from the broth as possible.
- Simmer potatoes in 1 cup of broth in a covered saucepan until done and do not drain. Mash potatoes slightly, keeping them lumpy.6 medium potatoes
- Add corn, onions, tomatoes, sugar, salt, and pepper to broth.2 large onions, 4 cups canned tomatoes, 3 tablespoons sugar, 2 cups frozen or canned whole kernel corn, 5 teaspoons salt, 2 teaspoons pepper
- Cover and simmer for 20 minutes.
- Add potatoes and chicken pieces and simmer slowly with the lid off for at least 45 minutes.6 medium potatoes, 1 chicken
- Right before serving, stir in the butter and let it melt. This chicken stew is best if made a day ahead and reheated to serve.2 tablespoons butter
Nutrition
Reminds me of Brunswick Stew that we make and have made for ever. It freezes well and I usually make a BIG pot in the fall so that I have it through the winter plus when company drops in. It the Brunswick Stew I usually add Lima beans, veg all, peas about any veg that you like. You can also add a roast and I have added chopped BBQ!!!!
When I saw recipe it sound and looked really good.. so I tried it today n man was it delicious. Everyone in family really enjoyed it. Thanks for posting. Will be making again and again !!!
I am so glad you liked it Deborah!! It is one of our favorite meals!!
I can’t tell you how many times I have made this stew in the last few months since I came across the recipe. I make it about once a week and it makes such a big pot that we eat it for lunch for several days after. I’ve made it once adding lima beans and green beans like Brunswick stew but mostly I follow the recipe except I usually put a little less salt and pepper. Everybody at our house loves it.
I am so glad to hear it is a hit at your house BJ!! It is one of our favorites here!
Christy, do you drain the corn?
I do drain the corn. Also add frozen or canned lima beans, Cook them with the potatoes if frozen. If using canned ones, just drain and add when you add the corn. I can a lot of vegetables from my garden. Nothing better than using these in chicken stew or any other soups or stews!!!! Love Fresh Vegetables!!!
Grew up eating chicken stew. Love it. Years ago, I was making some and didn’t have any potatoes, so I used Instant potatoes. Worked great. Potato favor + it thicken the stew. So , I use instant Potatoes now.
How much does this recipe make?
I made last night and let it set in the refrigerator overnight so great! I added crushes red pepper flakes for a little kick omg so good!
I am so glad to hear you liked it Amy!!
This really look sooooo good. I want to try it, but I can’t print the recipe out. Why? I don’t have trouble printing other recipes. HELP! Thanks.
Thanks for letting me know about this Beulah! It was a formatting issue and should be fixed now. Appreciate you calling it to my attention!
I still cannot get any of your recipes to print. I don’t have any trouble getting other recipes to print, only yours. And yours look so so good.
I’m afraid you’re the only one who has told me if having this problem so I’m at a loss. I know it isn’t a site issue but it’s difficult for me to tell what is going on with individual computers. What browser are you using?
Hello Chrissy,
Thank you so much for this wonderful recipe! I felt a cold coming on and I wanted to make old-fashion chicken stew, well I googled for a receipe and read yours and decided to make without deviating from your instructions and and may I say it is CHICKEN STEW for the SOUL!! Thank you.
I am so glad you liked it Yvette and I hope you are feeling better!!
I WISH YOU HAD SERVINGS ON YOUR RECIPES. I AM MAKING 30 GALLONS THIS LABOR DAY FOR FRIENDS. NEED HELP ON INGEDIENTS PER GALLON OF YOUR ” OUR FAMILIES FAVORIET CHICKEN STEW” . AS A MAN I ONLY COOK THIS ONCE A YEAR AND FROGET FROM TIME TO TIME. NEED HELP!
PAT
I am making this now but I’ve read the directions 4 times and no where do I see where you add the chicken back into the broth?
You can do that at any point. I just wait until it’s cool enough for me to get it off the bone.