Brunswick stew may just be one of the best stew recipes of all time. It’s almost like a smoky barbecue flavored blitz full of roasted chicken, succulent pulled pork, and tender veggies all in a savory barbecue broth. This stuff is so good you’ll get a bigger spoon! This is true southern cooking at its finest.
Want to consider some more fabulous stews? My chicken stew is so deeply layered with flavor, it will knock your socks off. Believe me, this is no average bland chicken dish. My pork stew is loaded with succulent pork chunk, bacon, and all the right veggie. The gravy is thick and velvety, just like stew gravy should be.
How about a quick beef stew? Usually quick and stew are two words that don’t go together! My instant pot beef stew will change all of that for you. The flavor is everything you want a stew to be and, again, it’s quick!
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What I Love About Brunswick Stew Recipe
- Layers of intensely delicious smoky barbecue flavor
- Lots of tender pulled pork and succulent roasted chicken
- Single pot Dutch oven preparation concentrates flavor and contains the mess
- Great for meal prep and pleasing large crowds
Recipe Notes
This recipe is quite similar to the Georgia Brunswick stew recipe which typically uses pork but our version also uses chicken.
We won’t exactly be showing you how to make old fashioned Brunswick stew but we can give you an idea of how the traditional Brunswick stew recipe is made. Games like rabbit, opossum, and squirrel were used in the original Brunswick stew recipe along with potatoes, lima beans, and okra.
Personally, I’m a citified gal, I love the convenience of buying my meats at the supermarket!
This is not as complicated as the traditional version, but here are some few notes remember to prefect this stew:
- Pot: Part of the beauty of Brunswick stew recipes is preparing them in a Dutch oven. This simple high-quality piece of kitchen equipment performs so many different tasks that can make your stew Ah-ma-zing! BUT if you don’t have a Dutch oven you can use a deep soup pot made of heavier-gauge metal.
- Saute: Be sure to sauté your garlic, onions, and celery until soft. I know everything’s going into the same pot, but it matters. Taking the time to sauté veggies before adding them to a dish brings out their sweeter more mellow side.
- Mock Mirepoix: Technically, a Mirepoix is onions, celery, and carrots sautéed in butter. For this recipe, we’re using garlic, onions, and celery – no carrots.
- Better Than Bouillon: Chicken flavor Better Than Bouillon is a concentrated flavor paste that’s easy to measure and so much tastier than those salty cubes.
- Meat(s) – You’ll be using pulled pork and roasted chicken for this recipe. If you make the pulled pork at home, then be sure to add the pan drippings too. It’s totally acceptable to pick up a rotisserie chicken here. It’s a good shortcut for a chicken Brunswick stew.
- Frozen Veggies – Frozen corn and lima beans, aka butter beans, are a must-have. Plus, they mix nicely with the other veggies already in the pot.
How Long Can You Keep This In The Fridge?
You can store this easy Brunswick stew recipe for up to 4 days in the fridge when stored properly. Be sure to let your stew cool completely and seal it properly before tossing it in the fridge.
This will keep just fine in an airtight container. This is one of those awesome recipes where the flavor continues to develop as it sits, and the ingredients mingle. If you need space in the fridge, it’ll store well in gallon-sized Ziplocs as well.
Can You Freeze This?
Yes, you can! Just be sure to let the stew cool completely before preparing it for the freezer. Store in an airtight container. I like to store this in quart-sized resealable bags, frozen flat, for best storage.
Make Ahead Tips
Prepping isn’t just about throwing something in the freezer, I get it. There are a few things you can do to make things easier on yourself when you know you’re gonna’ be making Brunswick stew.
You can chop your onions, garlic, and celery ahead of time and store them together. The meat can also be pulled/shredded and stored until Brunswick stew time.
If you wanted to, you could technically pre-mix the liquid ingredients so they’re ready to go when you are. The frozen veggies can just stay frozen until you need them.
Serving Recommendations
I like to serve southern Brunswick stew with my Southern cornbread, or my Bisquick biscuit recipe. Both are equally delicious for dunking in the stew. And really, how fun is dunking?!
For something fresh and crunchy, I serve my KFC coleslaw. This recipe is sooo delicious! Don’t take my word for it, check out all the reader comments!
More Chicken Soup Recipes
- Chicken Taco Soup
- Mexican Chicken Soup
- Creamy Chicken Wild Rice Soup
- Instant Pot Chicken Noodle Soup
- Chicken Potato Soup
Brunswick Stew
Ingredients
- 4 tablespoons butter
- 1 large onion, diced
- 4 cloves garlic, minced
- 2 stalks celery, diced
- 1 (15-ounce) can diced tomatoes with liquid
- 4 cups chicken broth
- 2 tablespoons chicken flavor Better Than Bouillon
- 2 tablespoons Worcestershire
- 1 tablespoon liquid smoke
- 2 tablespoons apple cider vinegar
- 1 teaspoon Tabasco sauce
- 1 cup barbecue sauce
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 teaspoon black pepper
- 1 pound pulled pork, shredded into bite size pieces and any pan drippings
- 1 roasted chicken, meat removed and shredded into bite size pieces
- 1 1/2 cups frozen corn
- 16 ounces frozen lima beans
Instructions
- In a large Dutch Oven set over medium heat, melt butter and saute onions, garlic, and celery until soft, about 4-5 minutes
- Add the diced tomatoes with their liquid, chicken broth, Better Than Bouillon, Worcestershire, liquid smoke, barbecue sauce, apple cider vinegar, Tabasco sauce, salt, and pepper then bring the mixture to a boil, reduce to a simmer and cook over medium-low for 30 minutes.
- Add pulled pork, roasted chicken, frozen corn, frozen lima beans and adjust heat to bring stew back to a simmer. Continue to simmer for 30-45 minutes or until stew is nice and thick
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