A bunch of folks have been asking me to make a Brunswick Stew for quite some time now (my Southern and Canadian friends, in particular). But seeing as this Jewish Yankee never heard of it before, I had to do some research and come up with my own. So what is it? No, it’s not affiliated with the bowling company, but it will bowl you over! It’s a hearty stew featuring the likes of pulled pork, rabbit or, in this case, chicken and loaded with lima beans, corn, and diced tomatoes. Also infused with the sweet and savory of barbecue flair, it’s beyond delicious, quick and simple to make and goes great with cornbread!
Instant Pot Brunswick Stew
A bunch of folks have been asking me to make a Brunswick Stew for quite some time now (my Southern and Canadian friends, in particular). But seeing as this Jewish Yankee never heard of it before, I had to do some research and come up with my own. So what is it? No, it's not affiliated with the bowling company, but it will bowl you over! It's a hearty stew featuring the likes of pulled pork, rabbit or, in this case, chicken and loaded with lima beans, corn, and diced tomatoes. It's also infused with the sweet and savory of barbecue flair. It's beyond delicious, quick and simple to make and goes great with cornbread!
Ingredients
- 2 tablespoons (1/4 stick) salted butter OR 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil (to keep it dairy-free)
- 1 sweet/Vidalia onion, diced
- 2 medium carrots, sliced into 1/4-inch disks
- 6 cloves garlic, minced or pressed
- 2 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce
- 6 cups ham or chicken broth
- 1 (15-ounce) can diced tomatoes
- 1 (7-ounce) can diced green chiles
- 1 cup barbecue sauce
- 1/2 cup ketchup
- 2 1/2 pounds chicken boneless, skinless chicken thighs or breasts
- 10 ounces frozen corn
- Package frozen lima beans
- 1 tablespoon light or dark brown sugar OR molasses
- 2 teaspoons Creole/Cajun/Louisiana seasoning (I use Tony Chachere's)
- 1/4 - 1 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes OR cayenne pepper (optional)
Instructions
- Add the butter or olive oil to the Instant Pot. Hit Sauté and Adjust so it's on the More or High setting. Once the butter's melted or after 3 minutes of the oil heating, add the onion and carrots and sauté for 3 minutes, until fragrant. Add the garlic and sauté 1 minute longer.
- Add the Worcestershire sauce and, if anything's stuck to the bottom of the pot, deglaze (scrape the bottom). Add the broth, diced tomatoes, diced green chiles, barbecue sauce, and ketchup. Stir well.
- Nestle the chicken into the pot and top with the frozen corn and lima beans but do not stir. Just smooth them out so they're submerged. Secure the lid, move the valve to the sealing position and hit Cancel followed by Pressure Cook or Manual at High Pressure for 8 minutes. Quick release when done.
- Using tongs, remove the chicken and place in a large mixing bowl. Using either two forks or a hand mixer (which makes things even easier), shred the chicken.
- Add the brown sugar or molasses, Creole seasoning and red pepper flakes (if using). Return the shredded chicken to the pot, ladle into bowls and serve.
Jeffrey's Tips
The reason I chose chicken over pork for this recipe is because the pork will produce a LOT of fatty oil once pressure cooked - which isn't too ideal for a stew. That said, if you prefer pork over chicken (or want to add it in addition), add around 1-3 pounds pre-cooked pulled pork in Step 5 when adding the final seasonings.
If lima beans aren't your thing, use up to 10 ounces of any other kind of frozen bean OR a drained and rinsed 15.5-ounce can of beans you enjoy. You can also double the beans and/or corn in place of the other (just don't go above 25 ounces total so the pot doesn't have issues coming to pressure).
msSally
So excited you finally did this! Great recipe.
I put chicken AND pulled pork in mine as well as potatoes.
Love it. Thanks so much.
Lauren
I made this tonight. It’s an awesome recipe with just enough heat and sweet.
Loco
This is delicious! And I never knew you could shred meat with a hand mixer. That’s a game changer.
Jeffrey
Total game changer for sure!