Hopkins County Stew

When husband & I did Civil War Re-enactments we went to a festival in Hopkins County, Texas. The community cooks this stew as a competition at the festivals. They have been making this kind of stew since the early 1900's and it's quite a tradition with them. We ate it then and loved it. Recently I looked for a recipe on the internet and sure enough it was there at inmamaskitchen.com. You can use fresh,frozen or canned corn.

• Ready In: 3 hrs 20 mins
• Serves: 8

Ingredients

• 2  lbs chicken parts, preferably breast
• 4  cups  unsalted chicken stock
• 2 1⁄2 teaspoons salt
• 4  medium potatoes, diced
• 1  large onion, diced
• 2  cups  diced canned tomatoes
• 1 (15 ounce) can tomato sauce
• 2  teaspoons chili powder, preferably Gebhardt's
• 2  teaspoons paprika
• 1  teaspoon  coarse-ground black pepper
• 2  cups  whole kernels  canned corn
• 1 (16 ounce) can  cream-style corn
• 2  tablespoons unsalted butter

Directions

1. Assuming you don't have a huge iron pot, use a Dutch oven or heavy stockpot for cooking the stew. Place the chicken in a pot with the stock and salt.
2. Over medium heat, simmer the chicken until it is tender and cooked through, about 15 to 20 minutes. With a slotted spoon, remove the chicken, and set it aside until it is cool enough to handle.
3. Bring the stock to a simmer, and add the potatoes and onion. Simmer until the potatoes are cooked through, about 15 minutes.
4. In the meantime, skin, bone, and shred or dice the chicken. Return it to the pot, along with the tomatoes, tomato sauce, chili powder, paprika, and pepper. Bring the mixture to a simmer again. Add both types of corn and the butter.
5. Cover the pot and continue simmering the stew for at least 30 minutes, until it is quite thick. Stir the stew up from the bottom frequently to prevent scorching, and add a little water if it starts to get dry. Don't let it boil - that would toughen the chicken. Continue to cook very low heat for a couple of hours.
6. This stew is tasty with cornbread. In Hopkins County, though, it's usually served with fistful of crackers, slices of cheese, and plenty of pickles.