Southern Chicken Stew is a whole chicken simmered in water until tender, shredded, and returned to its own broth with onions, canned tomatoes, corn, a little sugar, salt and pepper. Potatoes cooked in some of that broth are mashed lightly and stirred in to thicken it, then the pot simmers slowly with the lid off and gets a pat of butter at the end. There’s no roux and no cream. It serves 4.
How to make it: Cook the chicken in 7 cups of water until the breast reaches 165°F, then shred it and skim the broth. Simmer the potatoes in a cup of broth and mash them lightly. Add the corn, onions, tomatoes and seasoning to the broth and simmer 20 minutes covered, then stir in the potatoes and chicken and simmer at least 45 minutes uncovered. Finish with butter.
Why You’ll Love It
- Thick without flour: lightly mashed potatoes give it body.
- Homemade broth: the chicken cooks in the water that becomes the stew.
- Simple ingredients: chicken, potatoes, onions, tomatoes, corn, butter and pantry seasonings.
- Better the next day: it’s even better made ahead and reheated.
Ingredient Notes
Whole chicken: one 3- to 4-pound chicken. The bones and skin make the broth.
Water: 7 cups to cover the chicken. It becomes the stew’s broth.
Onions: 2 large, chopped.
Canned tomatoes: 4 cups. Fresh diced tomatoes also work.
Potatoes: 6 medium, peeled and diced. These are what thicken the stew.
Whole kernel corn: 2 cups, frozen or canned.
Sugar, salt and pepper: 3 tablespoons sugar, 5 teaspoons salt and 2 teaspoons pepper. Taste before serving and adjust.
Butter: 2 tablespoons, stirred in right before serving for a creamy, velvety finish.
Ingredients
- 1 whole chicken (3 to 4 pounds)
- 7 cups water
- 2 large onions, chopped
- 4 cups canned tomatoes (fresh diced tomatoes also work)
- 6 medium potatoes, peeled and diced
- 2 cups whole kernel corn, frozen or canned
- 3 tablespoons sugar
- 5 teaspoons salt
- 2 teaspoons pepper
- 2 tablespoons butter, stirred in right before serving
How to Make Southern Chicken Stew
1. Cook the chicken. Put the whole chicken in a Dutch oven, cover it with the 7 cups of water and cook it over medium heat until the thickest part of the breast reaches 165°F on an instant-read thermometer.
2. Shred the chicken. Lift the chicken out of the broth and let it cool for a bit; keep the broth. Discard the skin, separate the meat from the bones and shred it. Skim off as much fat from the broth as you can.
3. Cook and mash the potatoes. Simmer the potatoes in 1 cup of the broth in a covered saucepan until tender. Do not drain. Mash the potatoes slightly, keeping them lumpy.
4. Season the broth. Add the corn, onions, tomatoes, sugar, salt and pepper to the broth in the Dutch oven.
5. Simmer. Cover and simmer for 20 minutes.
6. Add the potatoes and chicken. Stir in the mashed potatoes and the shredded chicken, then simmer slowly with the lid off for at least 45 minutes.
7. Finish with butter. Right before serving, stir in the butter and let it melt.
How This Stew Gets Thick Without a Roux
Many Southern chicken stews start with a flour roux or a milk-and-butter mix. This one leans on potatoes and time:
- Cook the potatoes in broth, not water. Simmer them in a cup of the chicken broth and don’t drain them, so every bit of starch goes into the pot.
- Mash them just a little. Keep some lumps. The mashed part thickens the stew and the chunks stay as bites of potato.
- Simmer with the lid off. At least 45 minutes uncovered lets the broth reduce and come together.
- Stir well. A good, solid stir each time helps the potato starch break down into the broth.
- Butter last. Stirred in just before serving, it makes the stew creamy and velvety.
The Best Liquid: The Chicken’s Own Broth
Don’t pour off the water the chicken cooked in. That broth is the base of the whole stew. Skim off as much fat as you can once the chicken comes out.
Using boneless chicken? Boneless, skinless breasts work too, but add chicken bouillon cubes to the water so the broth is rich enough. Cook the breasts to 165°F.
How to Give It More Flavor
- Sear first: brown chicken thighs in the Dutch oven for a golden crust, deglaze the pot to pick up the browned bits, then build the broth from there.
- Add spice: a teaspoon of paprika or a tablespoon of Cajun seasoning before the simmer.
- At the table: hot sauce, or a couple of teaspoons of Worcestershire sauce.
Variations
- More vegetables: add a cup of frozen peas or green beans with the corn, or diced carrots, bell pepper or celery.
- Stretch it: add more potatoes.
- Fresh tomatoes: use diced fresh tomatoes instead of canned.
- Pressure cooker stock: make the broth in an electric pressure cooker with the whole chicken, onion, carrots, celery, garlic and water, then build the stew on the stovetop.
Storage & Reheating
Make ahead: The stew is best made a day ahead. Cool it quickly by dividing it into smaller, shallow covered containers and refrigerating within 2 hours.
Refrigerator: It keeps 3 to 4 days.
Freezer: Freeze for 3 to 4 months. Thaw overnight in the refrigerator.
Reheating: Reheat covered, bringing the stew to a rolling boil, until it reaches 165°F. Don’t reheat leftovers in a slow cooker.
What to Serve With It
Serve it with butter biscuits or Southern cheddar biscuit bites, plus cornbread or saltine crackers. For a vegetable, add smothered green beans.
Want a slow cooker version? Try slow cooker poor man chicken stew. More comfort in a pot: chicken and dumplings with biscuits and Instant Pot beef stew.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the best liquid for chicken stew?
The broth from cooking the whole chicken. It becomes the base of this stew.
How do you give chicken stew more flavor?
Use the chicken’s own broth, sear thighs before simmering, or add paprika, Cajun seasoning or hot sauce.
What seasoning goes in chicken stew?
This one uses just salt, pepper and a little sugar, with tomatoes, onions and corn for flavor.
How do you thicken chicken stew without flour?
Stir in potatoes cooked in broth and mashed lightly, then simmer uncovered for at least 45 minutes.
Can I use boneless chicken breasts?
Yes. Add chicken bouillon cubes to the water so the broth has enough flavor, and cook the chicken to 165°F.
Final Notes
Let the chicken make the broth, let the potatoes thicken it, and give it time with the lid off. If you add peas or green beans, tell me in the comments how it turned out.
Southern Chicken Stew
Want This Recipe Later?
We'll send this recipe straight to your inbox.
Ingredients
- 1 whole chicken 3 to 4 pounds
- 2 large onions chopped
- 7 cups water
- 4 cups canned tomatoes fresh diced tomatoes also work
- 6 medium potatoes peeled and diced
- 3 tablespoons sugar
- 2 cups whole kernel corn frozen or canned
- 2 tablespoons butter stirred in right before serving
- 5 teaspoons salt
- 2 teaspoons pepper
Instructions
- Put the whole chicken in a Dutch oven, cover it with the 7 cups of water and cook it over medium heat until the thickest part of the breast reaches 165°F on an instant-read thermometer.
- Lift the chicken out of the broth and let it cool for a bit; keep the broth. Discard the skin, separate the meat from the bones and shred it. Skim off as much fat from the broth as you can.
- Simmer the potatoes in 1 cup of the broth in a covered saucepan until tender. Do not drain. Mash the potatoes slightly, keeping them lumpy.
- Add the corn, onions, tomatoes, sugar, salt and pepper to the broth in the Dutch oven.
- Cover and simmer for 20 minutes.
- Stir in the mashed potatoes and the shredded chicken, then simmer slowly with the lid off for at least 45 minutes.
- Right before serving, stir in the butter and let it melt.
