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Virginia Brunswick Stew

A chicken stew with tomatoes, corn, butter beans, potatoes, onion, and seasonings.

From the Recipes Wiki (Fandom) · 11 ingredients
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Why it works: Onion and potato are a kitchen classic. They rank in the top 3% of all ingredient pairs, and cooks put them together in 9,023 recipes. Both carry 2-isopropyl-3-methoxypyrazine, which smells earthy, pea. The science ↓

Virginia Brunswick Stew

Time1 hour

Ingredients

Directions

Cook the vegetables

  1. Cook vegetables together in broth in large pot for 1 hour, watching for sticking.

Add chicken and serve

  1. Add chicken.

  2. Let stand for awhile to blend flavors.

  3. Serve hot.

Nutrition, whole recipe (rough)

635Calories
42 gProtein
17 gFat
84 gCarbs

Counts 10 of 11 ingredients. The other 1 aren't in our nutrition table and add nothing above, so the real totals are higher.

What these numbers assume: 10 portions
IngredientPortion assumedkcal
Chicken100g cooked165
Potato1 medium (173g) baked161
Butter1 tbsp (14g)102
Corn1/2 cup kernels (82g)77
Sugar1 tbsp (12.5g) granulated49
Onion1 medium (110g)44
Tomato1 medium (123g)22
Soy Sauce1 tbsp (15ml)9
Black Pepper1 tsp ground (2.3g)6
Salt1 tsp (6g)0
Beannot in our table0

One typical portion per ingredient; the recipe's quantities are not counted. A rough guide only, not for medical or dietary planning.

Recipe from the Recipes Wiki (Fandom).

Steps grouped into stages for easier reading; the method is the source's own.

Explore the science

The flavor team

The pairs that carry this dish. Each one is judged two ways: how much their aromas overlap, and how often cooks already put them together.

  1. Onion + potatotop 3% of all pairs
    Smell alikemoderate
    Cooked together9,023 recipes

    Shared aroma: 2-isopropyl-3-methoxypyrazine (earthy, pea).

  2. Corn + potatotop 5% of all pairs
    Smell alikestrong
    Cooked together938 recipes

    Shared aroma: (e)-2-octenal (fatty, green).

  3. Tomato + potatotop 5% of all pairs
    Smell alikestrong
    Cooked together2,798 recipes

    Shared aroma: 2-isopropyl-3-methoxypyrazine (earthy, pea).

  4. Tomato + corntop 6% of all pairs
    Smell alikestrong
    Cooked together2,099 recipes

    Shared aroma: 2-nonenal (fatty, green).

  5. Tomato + peppertop 7% of all pairs
    Smell alikemoderate
    Cooked together17,923 recipes

    Shared aroma: 2-isopropyl-3-methoxypyrazine (earthy, pea).

Ranks compare each pair with 20,000 random ingredient pairs on CompKitchen. How we score pairs

What each ingredient does

Chicken
Supplies the main protein and savory, meaty flavor that the broth carries through the stew.
Tomatoes
Add acidity and body, giving the stew its tangy base.
Corn
Adds natural sweetness and a tender bite.
Butter beans
Add starch and a creamy texture that gives the stew body.
Potatoes
Release starch as they cook, thickening the broth and adding substance.

The step that matters

Watch for sticking while the vegetables cook. Tomatoes, corn, and potatoes contain sugars and starches that settle on the pot bottom during the hour-long simmer. They can scorch and turn bitter, so stir often and keep the heat controlled.

Swap the onion

How well each one fits the dish's main ingredients (chicken, tomato, corn, butter, potato, pepper, sauce):

  1. Capsicumfits better
  2. Asparagusfits about as well
  3. Carrotfits about as well
  4. Onionthe original

Fit is the average pairing score against chicken, tomato, corn, butter, potato, pepper, sauce. Candidates are from the same food group and used in at least 100 recipes.

“What each ingredient does” and “The step that matters” were written by Claude from this recipe’s own method and reviewed in samples by CompKitchen.

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