Easy Chicken Booyah

Get ready to make the most soul-warming, crowd-pleasing soup that’ll have your whole neighborhood asking for the recipe!

This isn’t just any ordinary chicken soup – booyah is a Wisconsin tradition that transforms simple ingredients into pure comfort food magic.

One pot, endless flavor, and enough to feed an army.

The secret is in the long, slow simmer that lets every single vegetable meld together while that tender shredded chicken practically falls apart at the touch of your spoon.

Fair warning: your kitchen is about to smell absolutely incredible for hours, and you might find yourself sneaking tastes way before it’s ready.

Trust the process – this recipe feeds 20 people and freezes like a dream!

Ingredients

For the Chicken Base:

• 3-4 pound chicken
• 2 tablespoons salt (divided)

For the Vegetables:

• 6 stalks celery, diced
• 8 large carrots, diced
• 3 large potatoes, peeled and cubed
• 1/2 head cabbage, chopped
• 2 large onions, diced
• 28 ounces diced tomatoes
• 16 ounces peas

For the Seasoning:

• 1 tablespoon pepper
• 1 tablespoon poultry seasoning
• 2 1/2 teaspoons Accent flavor enhancer

Steps

1. Boil the chicken. Add the whole chicken to your extra large stockpot and fill with water until the chicken is covered by at least 1 inch. Add 1 tablespoon of salt to the water. Cover the pot and bring to a rolling boil over high heat, then reduce to medium-high and boil for 1 to 1.5 hours. The chicken is done when the meat easily pulls away from the bone and the internal temperature reaches 165°F (74°C).
2. Remove and shred the chicken. Using tongs, carefully lift the chicken from the pot – it will be very tender and may start falling apart. Place on a cutting board and let cool for 10-15 minutes until safe to handle. Keep all that golden broth in the pot! Remove all meat from the bones and shred into bite-sized pieces. Discard the skin and bones. • Pro tip: You can cook the chicken the day before and refrigerate the chicken and broth separately. This lets you easily remove the solid fat that forms on top of the chilled broth, cutting calories and fat.
3. Add all ingredients to the broth. Return the shredded chicken to the stockpot with the broth. Add the diced celery, carrots, cubed potatoes, chopped cabbage, diced onions, diced tomatoes, peas, remaining 1 tablespoon salt, pepper, poultry seasoning, and Accent flavor enhancer. Stir everything together with your large spoon until well combined.
4. Simmer to perfection. Bring the entire mixture to a boil over high heat, then immediately reduce heat to low and maintain a gentle simmer. Cover and let simmer for at least 2 hours, stirring occasionally to prevent sticking. The vegetables should be fork-tender and the flavors fully melded. Traditional booyah gets simmered all day, but 2 hours minimum gives you those same incredible results. • Visual cue: The potatoes should be tender enough to cut with your spoon, and the broth should have a rich, golden color from all the vegetables.

Smart Swaps

• Low-sodium broth instead of salted water for the chicken base – reduces sodium by about 400mg per serving
• Cauliflower florets instead of half the potatoes (1:1 ratio) – cuts carbs significantly while maintaining heartiness

Make It Diabetes-Friendly

Replace the 3 large potatoes with 2 cups cauliflower florets and 1 medium potato to reduce carbs from 15g to 8g per serving. Use no-salt-added diced tomatoes to cut sodium by 200mg per serving. Consider serving 1 cup portions instead of larger bowls – this provides about 12g carbs per serving instead of 18g. The high fiber from all the vegetables (6g per serving) helps slow glucose absorption. Pair with a small side salad to add even more fiber and reduce the glycemic impact.

Pro Tips

• Cut all vegetables to similar sizes so they cook evenly – aim for 1/2-inch pieces
• Taste and adjust seasoning during the last 30 minutes of cooking – the flavors concentrate as it simmers