I had never had this stew until we moved to North Alabama for Harold to go to college. We adapted QUICK! 🙂 In fact, this has become a family staple. Way too easy! OH! This is even the time of year that it becomes the PERFECT dinner staple!
1 fresh whole chicken
1 large can Campbell’s Tomato Soup (Yep! It makes a difference in this recipe! Non-brands or other brands make this soup a bit too runny and do not have the same taste as Campbell’s soup.)
Fresh cubed potatoes
2 cans of whole kernel corn
1 bag frozen butter beans
1 can of cream corn
Prepare your chicken by boiling in a large soup pot. Save your stock. You will use it in the soup. If you prefer salt, pepper, garlic salt or any other seasoning, add to your stock. Usually takes about one hour to fully cook your chicken.
Allow your chicken and stock to cool. De-bone your chicken and drain out all fat and bones. I usually pour my stock through a drainer several times.
Mix stock juice (I use enough to mix with the Tomato Soup so it dilutes the Soup. Then, I add enough to fill my Crock-pot after I have added all ingredients. I leave just enough room for easy stirring and addition of the Creamed Corn.) and can of tomato soup together in cleaned soup pot. Bring to a rolling boil. Add chicken and all vegetables EXCEPT Creamed Corn. I add enough vegetables to make this stew very hardy. If your soup pot or Crock-pot is large, you may have to add more vegetables than I recommended. Just be ready. Make a note on this page if your pot requires any changes! 🙂
Bring to a rolling boil again, watch carefully—this stew has a tendency to burn to the bottom of your pot. Immediately reduce heat to a simmer once it reaches a boil. Cook until vegetables are fully cooked (If I am in a hurry, I cook potatoes while I am cooking chicken. Then they can both be added together for the stew and cooked quickly!).
Once vegetables are all cooked, add can of creamed corn. Warm completely, stirring VERY frequently. Remember that at this point, the stew will thicken and be very likely to burn unless you watch it carefully. I prefer to use the Crock-pot after I have cooked my chicken and added my vegetables. I hardly ever burn this stew when using the Crock-pot, unless I add the Creamed Corn too early. When using the Crock-pot, do not add the Creamed Corn until you are almost ready to serve. Give enough time for the entire soup to warm up with the Creamed Corn added.
Serve! Serve with either Saltine crackers or rice or cornbread or alongside a sandwich of your choice (see our Pecan Chicken Salad—makes a great sandwich with this stew!).
Note: this soup can also be made in the Crock-pot. It will take a bit longer, but it is still yummy!
Sounds delicious and a lot like what we called chicken brunswick stew when I was growing up in NC. Thanks for all you do. You are such a great encouragement to me. Liz in PA