This Booyah Recipe is a traditional Wisconsin Stew loaded with chicken, beef, pork and tons of veggies! Also called Green Bay Booyah, it’s a classic comfort food recipe perfect for a chilly, Fall day!
- GREAT TO FEED A CROWD – Even though this is a scaled down version of the original Booyah cooked in large pots over an open fire (we use a stove!), this recipe is so hearty that it still feeds 10 easily!
- CLASSIC COMFORT FOOD – It’s perfect to put a pot of this on the stove while the football games are on over the weekend. It’s one of those recipes that just warms you up from the inside.
- EASY TO ADAPT – If you look up 10 recipes for Booyah, you’ll get 10 slightly different versions. And that’s perfectly fine! We love our recipe, will also give you some suggestions to easily switch things up.
What Is Booyah?
Yeah, it’s a super funny name! It is usually a stew that combines chicken, pork and/or beef ribs. Or all three, like our recipe. Everyone agrees that this stew came from the Upper Midwest. Wisconsin to be particular. And….. probably Green Bay to be even more accurate. Most believe believe that it’s originally a Belgian Dish created in the 1800s.
Throughout the 20th century, and still today, Booyah was traditionally made to feed large groups of people (at church picnics, funerals, neighborhood gatherings and holidays). It was made in a huge 20 gallon pot over an open fire. Still, today, you can probably see Booyah being made at tailgating parties before a Green Bay Packers game (although, probably not over an open fire).
Why Is Booyah Called Booyah?
The theory is that, (long story short…) somewhere along the way, someone mispronounced “bouillon” as “booyah”. And it stuck. And “booyah” is both a food and an event! You can be invited to “a booyah” to eat a “bowl of booyah”!
It’s also sometimes called “booya” or “Green Bay Booyah”.
Our Booyah Recipe
We’ve scaled down our Booyah recipe, but it still feeds a crowd! For step-by-step instructions, check out our printable recipe card below. Here is the list of ingredients that you’ll need to get started:
- OLIVE OIL – Cooking oil to saute vegetables and brown the meat.
- CELERY – Chopped.
- CARROTS – Peeled an sliced into rounds. Do not use baby carrots.
- ONION – Chopped. We like to use yellow onion for it’s milder, sweeter flavor. But you can use a red onion if you’d like.
- BONE-IN CHICKEN THIGHS – You’ll need about 2 or 3.
- SHORT RIBS – Try to use bone-in short ribs. But we couldn’t find any so used boneless and it worked out great.
- PORK SHOULDER –
- CHICKEN BROTH – We just used our own. But if you want to use a homemade recipe for chicken broth or have some left over, go for it.
- FIRE ROASTED TOMATOES – 1 can. Do not drain.
- GARLIC – Minced.
- BAY LEAF – Make sure you remove before serving.
- CABBAGE – Shredded. If you want to save time, you can just use some store bought coleslaw mix.
- POTATOES – Peeled and cubed. We used Russet Potatoes.
- RUTABAGA – If you REALLY don’t want to use this root vegetable, you can substitute with more potatoes.
- PEAS – Frozen. No need to thaw.
- SALT AND PEPPER – To taste.
- LEMON JUICE – Stir in some fresh lemon juice at the end of cooking time.
Leftovers, Storage and Freezing
You may have leftover Booyah! Booyah keeps very well in an airtight container in your refrigerator. It should be good in your fridge for 4-5 days. You can reheat it on the stovetop or simply in your microwave.
You can also freeze Booyah. Let it cool to room temperature and transfer to a freezer safe container or pour into a freezer bag. It will be good in your freezer for 3-4 months. Make sure to label and date it. Thaw out overnight in your fridge before reheating.
Notes, Tips and FAQs
- USE A LARGE POT OR LARGE DUTCH OVEN – As I’ve mentioned, this recipe makes A LOT. You’ll need at 10 Quart Pot or dutch oven to be safe.
- DO YOU HAVE TO USE BONE-IN MEAT? – No. But it adds a lot of flavor. If you want a shortcut with the chicken, you could use a cooked rotisserie chicken from the store.
- WHAT OTHER VEGETABLES CAN YOU PUT IN BOOYAH? – Green Beans or Corn are two common Booyah ingredients. Or just dump some Mirepoix in. Just about any veggie could work.
- OYSTER CRACKERS – For a true Wisconsin experience, serve with oyster crackers.
We hope you enjoy this Recipe for Booyah Stew! Let us know how it turns out for you in the comments!
LOOKING FOR MORE STEW OR SOUP RECIPES? CHECK OUT:
- CHICKEN POZOLE
- CROCKPOT BLACK EYED PEAS
- CROCKPOT CORN CHOWDER
- HAM AND BEAN SOUP
- INSTANT POT TORTELLINI SOUP
- LOADED POTATO SOUP
Booyah Recipe
Ingredients
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 1 stalk celery chopped
- 2 large carrots peeled and sliced into rounds
- 1 onion chopped
- 1-1/2 lbs bone in chicken thighs (about 2-3)
- 1-1/2 lb boneless or bone in beef short ribs
- 1/2 lb pork shoulder
- 5 cups chicken broth
- 1 can 14.5 oz, fire roasted tomatoes (do not drain)
- 2 tablespoons minced garlic
- 1 bay leaf
- 4 cups shredded cabbage
- 1/2 lb potatoes peeled and cubed (about 4-6 potatoes)
- half of a rutabaga peeled and cut into cubes
- 1 cup frozen peas
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 teaspoon pepper
- 1 tablespoon lemon juice
Instructions
- Heat oil in a large stock pot and add celery, carrots and onion, cooking until onion is translucent, about 3-5 minutes. Remove vegetables from the pan.
- Add meat and brown on each side in batches. Remove skin from chicken thighs. When all meat is browned, return it to the stock pot.
- Add broth and bay leaf. Bring to a boil over high heat. Cover and simmer for 2 hours.
- Carefully remove meat and discard bones. Remove and discard bay leaf. Meat will be pretty tender and most likely fall off the bone. Shred meat and return to the broth. Add garlic.
- Add carrot and onion mixture.
- Add Potatoes.
- Add Rutabaga.
- Add Tomatoes.
- Add Cabbage.
- Cover and continue to simmer until vegetables are tender, about 30 minutes. Season with salt, pepper and lemon juice and mix well before serving.
Nutrition
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