Brunswick-Style Chicken Stew with Corn and Butter Beans

By Sprig Originals ✓ · cooked up in Sprig

A big pot of smoky, tangy Southern chicken stew built for the freezer: shredded chicken thighs simmered with tomatoes, barbecue sauce, sweet corn and butter beans. There's no cream or flour to split or go grainy, so it thaws and reheats exactly as good as day one. Make it Sunday, stack flat bags in the freezer, and you have four weeknight dinners waiting.

Ingredients

• 2 tbsp olive oil
• 1 large yellow onion, finely chopped
• 2 tsp smoked paprika
• 1 28 oz can crushed tomatoes
• 2 cups chicken broth
• 3/4 cup barbecue sauce
• 1 tbsp Worcestershire sauce
• 2 lb boneless skinless chicken thighs
• 2 cups frozen corn kernels
• 2 cups frozen baby lima beans (butter beans)
• 1 tbsp apple cider vinegar
• salt and black pepper

Instructions

1. Heat the olive oil in a large Dutch oven or heavy pot over medium heat. Add the onion and a big pinch of salt and cook, stirring often, for 7 to 8 minutes until soft and golden at the edges. Stir in the smoked paprika and cook 30 seconds until fragrant.
2. Add the crushed tomatoes, chicken broth, barbecue sauce and Worcestershire sauce. Stir well and bring to a gentle simmer.
3. Nestle the chicken thighs into the liquid, lower the heat so it barely bubbles, cover partway and simmer for 25 minutes, until the chicken pulls apart easily. Lift the thighs onto a board, shred with two forks, and return the meat and juices to the pot.
4. Stir in the frozen corn and lima beans and simmer uncovered for 12 to 15 minutes, until the beans are tender and the stew has thickened enough to coat a spoon. Stir in the cider vinegar and season generously with salt and pepper.
5. To serve now: ladle into bowls straight from the pot. To freeze: cool the stew quickly by spreading it in a wide dish or setting the pot in a sink of cold water, and get it fully cool within 1 hour.
6. Pack into zip-top freezer bags in 2-cup portions (about 2 servings each), press out the air, seal, and lay flat to freeze solid. Label with the date; it keeps for up to 3 months.
7. To reheat from frozen: tip a block into a saucepan with 3 tablespoons of water, cover, and set over medium-low heat for 12 to 15 minutes, breaking it up and stirring often, until steaming hot throughout (165°F). Thawed overnight in the fridge, it needs 6 to 8 minutes in a pan or 4 to 5 minutes in the microwave, stirring halfway.

Chef's tips

Nutrition (per serving, estimated)

More from Sprig Originals

Dark Roux Seafood Gumbo with Quick Shrimp Stock

Chilled Watermelon Gazpacho with Cucumber-Chile Relish

One-Skillet Blackened Cajun Chicken Pasta

Are you this recipe's original author or publisher? Report a problem