The crockpot is officially out for the season. This stew is one of my favorites for its distinctively tangy flavor, and the option of more or less spicy heat that's added with hot pepper sauce.
Add greens and cornbread on the side and you've got a seriously scrumptious meal!
What's in it:
5 cups chopped onion
6 (6 oz.) skinless, boneless chicken breast halves
2 (14.5 oz.) cans no-salt added cream-style corn
2 (14.5 oz.) cans no-salt added diced tomatoes, undrained
1 (14 oz.) can fat-free, less-sodium chicken broth
1 (12 oz.) bottle chili sauce
1/4 cup butter, cut into small pieces
2 tbsp. Worcestershire sauce
2 tbsp. cider vinegar
2 tsp. dry mustard
1/2 tsp. freshly ground black peper
1/2 tsp hot pepper sauce
How to make it:
1. Place onion in crockpot and top with chicken. Add all ingredients and stir well. If you tend to shy away from spicy heat, leave out the hot pepper sauce, and bring the bottle to the table so you can add to "suit your taste" once stew is served.
The hot pepper sauce should be the kind that has whole peppers packed in vinegar:
2. Cover and cook on high 1 hour, and reduce to low for 6 hours, or until chicken is tender. Remove chicken and shred with 2 forks, return to stew.
Serves: 9
I tend to freeze a portion for later use since this makes such a large batch.
Note on the "bottle of chili sauce": Instead of using store-bought, it's possible to make your own chili sauce to use in this recipe. Chili sauce usually involves tomato sauce, vinegar, all-spice, and sugar. But if you start doing research, you'll notice there are a variety of ways to make it. If I'm in a time crunch, sometimes I just combine salsa with green chili sauce, or whatever else is in the fridge, instead.
I used tomatoes out of the garden instead of canned ones for this round, which gives it an even fresher taste.
*Warning: the smell of this dish cooking fills the entire house and wafts out into the yard all day. Might cause symptoms of drooling or impatience for the chicken to just get cooked already.
Side-note from the recipe book:
Controversy surrounds the folklore of this dish: Some say it was created in Brunswick County, Virginia, in 1828; others insist its origin is Brunswick, Georgia. Virginians usually add butter beans to the mix, which is something Georgians would never do when cooking their barbecue-based stew. Regardless, this spicy stew of chicken, onions, corn, and tomatoes usually has to be tended for hours over a hot stove. This slow-cooker version takes care of itself.
Source: Cooking Light Slow Cooker © 2006 by Oxmoor House, Inc.
