This BRUNSWICK STEW is a thick, flavorful, and hearty one-pot stew with vegetables and meat on a chicken broth and BBQ-base sauce seasoned with Creole seasoning for a deeper complex flavor that melds beautifully. A must-have dish on colder days! 
Soup and stew season is officially up, folks! I hope you had a wonderful and fun summer season. But if you’re already missing all the summer food, wait until you have your first bowl of this popular Brunswick Stew. Snuggling up on my couch with a big bowl of this hearty stew is what I’m intending to do this fall and winter nights. 😉
What is Brunswick Stew?
To all those who are curious, Brunswick stew is said to be a traditional popular dish in the Southern part of the U.S. Although there’s no exact place of origin, some would claim that it first originated in Brunswick County, Virginia, and the city of Brunswick in Georgia. Generally, this popular stew involves tomato as its base, local beans, corn, and other vegetables. On top of that is a double dose of meat in the form of pork, chicken, beef, OR basically whatever meat is around.
Brunswick Stew Ingredients
First off, don’t let the long list of ingredients scare you. Coz I promise you that this is all going to be worth it. As for the meat, you may actually use whatever you have on hand. Pulled pork and chicken are rather convenient for us, but you may always sub them with leftover Thanksgiving turkey or beef. Got some leftover holiday ham? Throw them in! This hearty stew is actually what I call my “go-to post-holiday stew”. 😉 Here are the rest of the ingredients that you’ll be needing:
- butter
- diced onion
- minced garlic
- minced thyme
- diced tomatoes
- tomato paste
- Creole seasoning (You don’t want to skip this.)
- Worcestershire sauce (May be subbed with oyster sauce, fish sauce, or soy sauce. But don’t go overboard with it.)
- BBQ Sauce (see my HOMEMADE HERE)
- chicken broth
- cayenne pepper
- frozen corn and lima beans
- salt and pepper to taste
The Old-fashioned Version
But don’t you know that the traditional Brunswick stew would call for squirrel, rabbit or possum meat? Along with the squirrel or rabbit meat, lima beans, barbecue sauce, and a touch of cayenne are also added to add flavor and depth to a classic Brunswick stew recipe. It’s safe to say then that this recipe here is a traditional meets the modern version. I use pulled pork and cooked chicken as my meat and a touch of my homemade barbecue sauce (👈 click for recipe) and cayenne to add flavor along with lima beans and corn for texture.
Can You Freeze Brunswick Stew?
One of the best things about this Brunswick stew is that you can make a big batch in a pot, and store whatever is left in a freezer bag. It’ll last up to 3 days in the fridge and up to a month in the freezer. You just have to heat them up before serving.
What to Serve with It?
You may enjoy this stew recipe on its own or serve it along with favorites below:
- Southern Cornbread
- Buttermilk Biscuits
- Hush Puppies
- Green Salads
- Crusty Bread
More Southern Recipes to Try
How to Make Brunswick Stew
Heat butter or oil in a large pot over medium heat. Then add onions, garlic, thyme, saute for about 3-4 minutes until onions are wilted. Add tomatoes, tomato paste, Creole seasoning, and Worcestershire sauce. Continue cooking for another 3 minutes. Pour in chicken broth and bbq sauce. Season with salt and cayenne pepper. Bring to a boil and let it simmer for about 7-10 minutes. 
Throw in chopped cooked chicken and pork, cook for about 15 minutes. Finally, add corn and lima beans. Continue cooking until for about 7-10 minutes or to desired consistency. Adjust seasonings and thickness of stew with broth. Serve warm. 
Watch How To Make It
This post was first published in September 2018 and has been updated with an additional writeup and a video.
Brunswick Stew
Ingredients
- 4 tablespoons (56g) butter
- 1 medium onion , diced
- 2-3 teaspoons (10g-15g) minced garlic
- 1 teaspoon (1g) minced thyme
- 1 (14 1/2-ounce) can diced tomatoes
- 1 tablespoon (16g) tomato paste
- 1 teaspoon (4g) Creole seasoning (adjust to taste)
- 1 tablespoons (17g) Worcestershire sauce
- 2 cups (500ml) chicken broth
- ½ -¾ cup (142.5g-213.75g) BBQ Sauce
- salt and pepper to taste
- ½ teaspoon (1g) cayenne pepper or more , (adjust to taste)
- 1 pound (453.59g) cooked pulled pork
- 1 pound (453.59g) cooked chicken or turkey
- 1 ½ cups (247.5g) frozen corn
- 1 ½ cups (265.5g) frozen lima beans
Instructions
- Heat butter or oil in a large pot over medium heat. Then add onions, garlic, thyme, saute for about 3-4 minutes until onions are wilted.
- Add tomatoes, tomato paste, Creole seasoning, and Worcestershire sauce. Continue cooking for another 3 minutes.
- Pour in chicken broth and bbq sauce. Season with salt and cayenne pepper. Bring to a boil and let it simmer for about 7-10 minutes.
- Throw in chopped cooked chicken and pork, cook for about 15 minutes.
- Finally, add corn and lima beans. Continue cooking until for about 7-10 minutes or to desired consistency. Adjust seasonings and thickness of stew with broth.
- Serve warm.
Tips & Notes:
- You can make a big batch in a pot, and store whatever is left in a freezer bag. It'll last up to 3 days in the fridge and up to a month in the freezer.
- You can use either pork, turkey, or chicken. Your call.
- You may sub Worcestershire sauce with oyster sauce, fish sauce, or soy sauce. But don't go overboard with it.
- Please keep in mind that nutritional information is a rough estimate and can vary greatly based on products used.
Douglas says
Yummy Emma,,,loved it
Mirek says
2 pounds of cooked meat seems to be too much.
ImmaculateBites says
Cut it down to 1 1/2 pound if it is too much.
odena says
Hi Imma,your dishes are always appealing to the eyes. Am from Nigeria,is there a substitute for the Worcestershire sauce please.thank you
imma africanbites says
Hi, Odena. I haven’t tried substituting Worcestershire sauce in this recipe so I can’t really tell which is a good replacement. But I think oyster sauce or fish sauce would work fine. You can use soy sauce too but don’t go overboard with it. Let me know what works for you. Thank you!