No stirring or pot watching necessary with this easy slow cooker Brunswick stew recipe. Make some for a crowd or freeze it!
Brunswick stew may end up being my salvation.
It happens every fall. I’ll be driving along, then three words will summon me to the nearest church parking lot.
BRUNSWICK STEW SALE!
Can I get an amen?
Oh how I love Brunswick stew. It is the taste of fall in the South.
But, Brunswick stew season is fleeting. Because it is such an undertaking to make, most churches and community organizations only cook up one big batch of stew a year.
I’ll buy some cartons for now and some to free. But I never seem to buy enough stew to last me through the winter or through my cravings.
Luckily I have an easy, delicious slow cooker Brunswick stew recipe so I can get my stew fix any time of year. And I don’t have to haul an iron cauldron to make it.
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Just my Crock-Pot.
Before I share the recipe, a little history about Brunswick Stew, in case you’re from part of the world that has been deprived of this delicacy.
Brunswick Stew is a rich, thick chicken stew chock full of vegetables — potatoes, lima beans, corn, stewed tomatoes and green beans, if you’re from my neck of the woods. The taste is somewhere between spicy and sweet; I’ll call it tangy.
Traditionally, Brunswick Stew is cooked in a large iron pot over an open flame. The stew is cooked slow and low, allowed to simmer for hours before it is served.
Now, here in the South, we love a food fight. So, there’s some disagreement over the exact origins of Brunswick Stew. Some say it originated in the early 1800s in Brunswick County, Virginia. But Brunswick, Georgia, also lays claim to the delicacy.
You’ll also find regional differences in recipes. Some versions use only chicken, while others incorporate squirrel meat, pork and rabbit. I’m pretty sure I only like the chicken version, and I’m pretty sure that’s what most churches serve.
My version, which I adapted from a Cooking Light recipe, uses only chicken. I prefer my Brunswick Stew what we call “Eastern Style,” as in the style served at barbecue restaurants in the Eastern part of the state. So, I add potatoes, green beans and lima beans to mine.
The original Brunswick stew recipe is light, and I don’t think my additions would change the calorie or fat content significantly. A bowl of this is still better for you than a cheeseburger. Or a plate of barbecue.
Easy Slow Cooker Brunswick Stew
Ingredients
- 5 cups chopped onion
- 3 boneless skinless chicken breasts you can add more if you like
- 2 14.5 ounce cans cream-style corn
- 2 14.5 14.5 ounce cans diced or stewed tomatoes
- 1 14.5 ounce can potatoes
- 1 14.5 ounce can cut green beans
- 1 14.5 ounce can lima beans
- 1 14-ounce can chicken broth
- 1 12-ounce ounce bottle chili sauce
- 1/4 cup butter cut into small pieces
- 2 Tablespoons Worcestershire sauce
- 2 Tablespoons cider vinegar
- 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
- 1/2 teaspoon hot sauce
Instructions
- Place chopped onion in the bottom of a 6- to 8-quart slow cooker and top with chicken.
- Add corn and the remaining ingredients, stirring well.
- Cover and cook on high for 1 hour.
- Reduce heat to low setting and cook for 6 hours or until chicken is tender.
- Remove chicken, shred and return to the stew.
- Serve with Saltine crackers to get the true Southern Brunswick stew experience.
Nutrition
When you make this slow cooker Brunswick stew recipe, you’ll really load up your Crock-Pot. Make sure it’s big enough to handle the volume of chicken and vegetables. You can easily reduce the amount of vegetables without affecting the flavor.
This recipe makes a lot of Brunswick stew, probably more like 10 servings than eight. So you may want to invite some folks over to share in the feast or freeze the leftovers for later.
I wish I had a bowl right now!
For more comfort food favorites, check out these recipes:
Hearty Italian Minestrone Soup
Betsy Joyner
I made the stew today and it was really good.
Cyndi
Oh my goodness… just what I’v been looking for! A decent Brunswick Stew for the slow cooker!!
Thank you!!!
Suzy @ Worthing Court
Yummers, Yummers! This looks sooo good! Love me some brunswick stew.! Thank you for sharing your recipe.
Shirley@Housepitality Designs
We love Brunswick Stew!!…I am making this over the holidays…I love to just put a great pot of soup or stew on for Christmas Eve…..and planning on your coming over to my house…we shall set a date!!! 🙂
Holly
Amy, you are a girl after my own heart! Yum… you’ve got me craving Brunswick stew and it’s 6:30 in the morning. I will definitely have to try the crock-pot recipe (my favorite kind of cooking!).