Alabama Chicken Stew

Although I’m originally from the Midwest, I’ve been calling Birmingham, Alabama, home for eight years now. During this time, I’ve become acquainted with many dishes previously unknown to me during my upbringing in Chicago: foods like Alabama chicken stew, chow chow relish, Brunswick stew and the Birmingham hot dog with special sauce. Among the saucy, sweet and smoky foods I’ve come to find and love among Birmingham restaurants are myriad stews from various regions around the South, such as the aforementioned Brunswick stew, gumbo and jambalaya, to name a few. One regional food that’s hard to come by in Birmingham, however, is north Alabama chicken stew.

Now, I live in Birmingham, which is considered central Alabama (or could even be called north-central, depending on who you ask). So I’ve got to go up to true northern Alabama cities around the Tennessee Valley, towns like Muscle Shoals and Florence, to find the chicken stew of north Alabama. In the local communities of these northern towns, the beloved chicken stew has been alive and strong for decades.

What is Alabama chicken stew?

North Alabama chicken stew is similar to, but different from, the Brunswick stew you’ll find often around Birmingham and other southern towns. Brunswick stew (which is thought to come from Georgia) generally features plentiful beans, meats and potatoes in a rich tomato-y broth. Traditional Alabama chicken stew, on the other hand, typically features tomatoes, potatoes, onions and corn, all slow-cooked with chicken in a solid chicken stock. Depending on who’s cooking it, you might also find lima beans, various spices and seasonings, and aromatics like celery and carrots.

North Alabama chicken stew evolved with generations of European settlers living in northern Alabama and making food with what they had—often chickens and homegrown produce. Over the years, the stew has become ubiquitous at local community fundraisers, potlucks and church events. It’s a dish often made for large gatherings, as you can batch it up in bulk and end up with a good lot of stew to go around.

The stew boasts an uncomplicated ingredient list, but don’t be fooled: The devil is in the details with this recipe. Making a rich homemade chicken stock, prepping the potatoes and stirring the stew as it cooks all play a role in making this chicken stew richly satisfying without a need for too many ingredients.

Since I’m making Alabama chicken stew in the heart of winter, I’m opting for canned tomatoes and frozen corn. If you’re making this in the summer when you have these fine things growing in your own garden, use ’em!

Alabama Chicken Stew Ingredients

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• From-scratch chicken stock: You can technically make this stew recipe without making your own stock from scratch. But making your own is more cost-effective and yields a much richer-tasting stock than store-bought stock. I make stock by pressure-cooking a whole raw chicken with sweet onion, carrots, celery, garlic and water. Using the Instant Pot to make chicken broth and stock yields a bold base with great depth that doesn’t take hours to create.
• Potatoes: Potatoes are integral to the texture of this stew. Choose a starchy type of potato that will break down and meld into the stock as it cooks (I used russet here). This creates a more thickened, stew-like consistency.
• Onion: I chose sweet onion, as I like the hint of sharp sweetness it lends, but you can pick whichever type of onion suits you or is fresh (or in the garden).
• Garlic: While garlic isn’t critical in the chicken stew of north Alabama, I use some to add to the savory depth of the base. I like to crush the cloves and then coarsely chop them. This helps release the aromas and delicate flavors of the garlic without leaving the cloves susceptible to burning, which can happen when you chop them finely.
• Canned crushed tomatoes: Crushed tomatoes—instead of whole or diced—help add to the thickness of the stew. If you go with whole or diced, you’ll end up with a thinner, broth-like consistency (which you can certainly go for if you prefer!).
• Frozen sweet corn: I used a sweet corn variety because I like the hint of sweetness it adds. Pick the variety you like. If you use frozen corn, there’s no need to thaw the corn before using.
• Worcestershire sauce: This is used in some, but not all, versions of Alabama chicken stew. It adds a savory depth with that tangy, umami quality that Worcestershire sauce is known for. You can add it to taste by starting with just a few drops. Then add more until it hits the right spot for you.
• Salt and pepper: Since this stew contains a large proportion of tomatoes and potatoes—which are two ingredients that often need salt to enhance their flavors—you definitely don’t want to skimp on the salt in this recipe.
• Hot sauce: I like to serve this stew with an ample amount of vinegar-based hot sauce. Any southern-style hot sauce is perfect. I used a Carolina hot sauce (specifically Red Clay) from my local grocer.

Directions

Step 1: Make the stock

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Place the chicken, onion, carrots, celery and garlic into a 6- or 8-quart electric pressure cooker. Add water to cover, ensuring not to pass the fill line on the cooker insert (about three-quarters full). Lock lid; close pressure-release valve. Adjust to pressure-cook on high for 45 minutes. Once the cook time finishes, allow the pressure to release naturally for 10 minutes and then quick-release any remaining pressure.

Step 2: Start the stew

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Strain the stock into a large stockpot. Carefully remove the chicken and transfer it to a cutting board to cool. Discard the remaining strained solids. (If desired, remove the fat from the top of the stock using a fat separator and discard the fat.) Add the potatoes, onion and garlic to the stock in the stockpot; bring it to a boil over high heat. Reduce the heat to medium and simmer, uncovered, for 20 to 25 minutes.

Editor’s Tip: Simmering allows the potatoes to start breaking down while the onion and garlic soften and release some flavor into the stock.

Step 3: Cool and shred the chicken

Once the cooked chicken is cool and easy to handle, remove the meat from the carcass. Break the meat into large chunks and set it aside. Discard the skin and bones.

Editor’s Tip: It should take about 10 minutes for the chicken to cool down.

Step 4: Finish the stew

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Add the chicken meat, tomatoes, corn, Worcestershire, salt and pepper to the potato mixture in the stockpot. Return the mixture to a simmer over high heat. Reduce the heat to medium and simmer, stirring vigorously every five minutes or so, until the mixture reduces slightly and the chicken chunks become a shredded texture, about 30 minutes.

Editor’s Tip: While you don’t need to stir the stew continuously as it cooks, you want to give it a good solid stir every time you do stir it. This helps the starches in the potatoes break down and thicken the stew, giving it a richer consistency with more of a cohesive stewy base. When serving, don’t be afraid to top off each bowl with salt, pepper and hot sauce before digging in.

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Alabama Chicken Stew Variations

• Include aromatics: Add chopped celery and carrots to your stew along with the garlic and onions.
• Try another meat: Of course, this is Alabama chicken stew, but that doesn’t mean you can’t experiment with leftover turkey meat over the holidays. You could even try some slow-cooker pulled pork.
• Add herbs: Some recipes call for bay leaves to add herbaceousness to the stew base. You could also try dried thyme, oregano or other woody herbs.

How to Store Alabama Chicken Stew

As with any stewed dish, the flavors and textures of this really develop over a few days. So while it’s great served fresh, Alabama chicken stew is better on day two and best on day three. The starches in the potatoes also continue to break down in the fridge over a couple of days, making the consistency even thicker and almost creamy. My tactic is to enjoy it fresh for lunch or dinner for the first three days, then toss the rest in the freezer to enjoy in the weeks and months ahead.

How long does Alabama chicken stew last?

This dish will keep in the fridge for three to five days. Let it cool before you store it in the fridge.

Can you freeze Alabama chicken stew?

Yes, you definitely can freeze stew. Let it cool completely, then transfer it to a freezer-safe container. Store it in the freezer for up to three months. Let it thaw in the fridge before you reheat it.

How do you reheat Alabama chicken stew?

You can reheat Alabama chicken stew in the microwave or on the stovetop. Reheat it in the microwave for about three minutes, stirring halfway through. On the stovetop, reheat it over medium heat until heated through, stirring occasionally.

Alabama Chicken Stew Tips

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Can you use leftover chicken for Alabama chicken stew?

Yes, you can definitely turn this into a leftover chicken recipe. I developed this with a 4-pound chicken, which would yield around 5 cups of cooked meat. You can eyeball it to use more or less meat depending on how meaty you like your stew. If you go the leftover chicken route, you may not plan to make the stock from scratch. Pick up one of our picks for the best store-bought chicken broth brands and then put the rest to use in a different recipe using chicken stock.

What else can you serve with Alabama chicken stew?

To keep this dish southern, you could serve it with some buttered biscuits or cornbread. For me, I love dipping a crusty boule into stews. I’d probably go for a round sourdough loaf from the bakery (yum!). Otherwise, this dish is really hearty and contains protein, veggies and starch, so it’s pretty balanced on its own. I’d say serve it with a second bowl of stew!