Chowing's Tavern Brunswick Stew

Chowning’s Tavern has been serving this stew in Colonial Williamsburg for decades, and the recipe itself reaches back to 18th-century Virginia cooking. Brunswick stew is a cornerstone of Southern home cooking, originally made with whatever small game (squirrel, rabbit) was on hand. This tavern version swaps in a stewing hen and leans hard on the garden: lima beans, sweet corn, okra, crushed tomatoes, and cubed potatoes all tumbled into the pot.

The method is dead simple but the timing matters. An hour of simmering the cut-up hen in water pulls out the collagen and builds a deep chicken broth. When the vegetables go in for the second hour, they break down just enough to thicken the stew without turning to mush. The okra does double duty here, both vegetable and thickener, releasing its natural pectin into the pot.

Kitchen Tips

• Use a real stewing hen (older, tougher bird) if you can find one; the flavor is miles deeper than a supermarket roaster.
• Pull the meat off the bones after the first hour, shred it, and return it before adding the vegetables.
• Fresh or frozen okra both work; canned okra turns slimy. Skip it.
• Season in layers. A generous pinch of salt with the chicken and another round with the vegetables.

Variations

• Add a smoked ham hock for extra depth, as many traditional recipes do.
• Stir in a splash of Worcestershire and hot sauce at the end for the Virginia tavern feel.
• Swap the hen for 2 pounds of mixed chicken thighs and a pound of pulled pork for a meatier, more modern take.