About Chicken Stew

Although there are many types of chicken stews, one of the most popular is known to come from North Carolina. The stew is made by parboiling a whole chicken in a cream or milk broth, butter, salt, pepper and other vegetables and spices. Traditionally, the stew is served at events called "chicken stew" during the late fall and early winter months, because of the cooler weather.

Types

While no two people make chicken stew in the same way, the dish is made quite similarly by cooks in North Carolina. Variations include using all-white boneless and skinless meat instead of the whole chicken and a thickening flour added to the broth. Some stews have onions, green and red peppers, potatoes and scallions. More daring people add Texas Pete hot sauce. When it is a full meal at the chicken stew event, the main meal goes with homemade coleslaw, rice or grilled cheese sandwiches.

Socials

Because this dish involves little money and time to cook, it is a delight at social events, such as church gatherings, family reunions and community fundraisers. At these outings, the stew is cooked in a huge cast iron or stainless steel pot, often over an open fire. The charcoal taste adds to the flavor.

Booyah

Chicken booyah is a type of chicken stew that dates to the mid-1800s in northeast Wisconsin. This is another thick chicken broth that sticks to your ribs. It is believed that the word "booyah" is a derivation of the word "bouillon," which Belgian immigrants said when they came to the United States speaking the language called Walloon. Similar to the stew, it is very popular at festivals, picnics and bazaars. The soup is made in 10- or 20-gallon quantities over a wood fire.

First Domestication

In 1988, archaeologists B. West and B. Zhou found evidence of the first domestic chicken at China's Yangshao and Peili-gan Neolithic site, circa 6000 to 4000 B.C. However, it is believed that it most likely was even earlier that the chickens were domesticated, because wild forms were absent in the area. Perhaps they came from India or Thailand instead.

Geography

All types of fowl, including chicken, have been around for thousands of years and are cooked in many different types of stews and soups by almost every nationality. Each culture has a unique form of the dish, such as the Moroccan spicy chicken stew, African peanut butter chicken stew and Jewish chicken soup and matzo balls.