Chicken Booyah

New England has its chowder. Texas has its chili. And New Orleans has its gumbo. In Green Bay, we’ve got our own hearty regional favorite in Chicken Booyah.

Booyah is a thick chicken stew that many believe was created in Northeastern Wisconsin by Walloon Belgian settlers. A respected historian of Walloon culture traces the origin of the rather unusual word to “bouillir,” a French word meaning “to boil.” Although variations of this dish are found in many cultures worldwide, the wonderfully hearty dish called “booyah” is found only in Wisconsin.

Ingredients
3 chickens
2 quarts water (or enough to cover the chickens)
1-2 tsp poultry seasoning
2 bay leaves
1 bunch celery, topped and chopped
½ jar beef stock
½ jar chicken stock
1 tbsp garlic powder to taste
½ small head of cabbage, finely chopped
1 – ½ lbs. carrots chopped
2-1/2 lbs. potatoes chopped
2 cans stewed tomatoes
2-1/2 lbs. onions chopped (or 3 bags frozen chopped onions)
¼ cup finely chopped fresh parsley (optional)
1-1/2 tsp lemon juice, or juice of one lemon freshly squeezed
1 can beer

Wash chicken thoroughly. In at least a 20-quart kettle, rapidly boil the three chickens along with the bay leaves, celery tops and a pinch of poultry seasoning. While chicken is boiling, chop all vegetables with the exception of the potatoes (cutting potatoes too early makes them turn yellow.)

Allow chicken to cook at a low boil for one hour, or until the chicken becomes loose on the bones. Remove the chicken and the bay leaves from the kettle. Do NOT dump broth—keep it simmering at a low boil.

Let chicken cool, and pick it into fine pieces. Meanwhile, simmer the stewed tomatoes for 10 minutes in a separate pan.

Add cabbage to the broth, and allow it to cook for 15 minutes, then add the celery, onions, carrots, tomatoes, potatoes and parsley, if used. Add beef stock and chicken stock, the can of beer and garlic to taste.

Allow to cook for 1 hour before adding chicken. Add chicken, cover chicken booyah, and simmer together for 5 to 6 hours on low heat.