Booyah is a hearty soup originating from my hometown of Green Bay, Wisconsin. It is a summertime staple that you simply must try. Here in Green Bay, we call it Chicken Booyah because it’s made with boiled chicken and a medley of fresh vegetables. This is my personal favorite recipe, it also happens to be my mother’s recipe that she gave me permission to share- so if you want an authentic Green Bay Booyah recipe, you’re in the right place.
Booyah is a traditional chicken stew that originated in the Midwest region of the United States. It is typically made in a large kettle over an open fire or in a large pot on a stove.
Growing up and living in Green Bay has made me somewhat of a chicken booyah expert, and I can attest that this dish is a must-have and is often found at church picnics or fireman’s fundraisers during the summer. Don’t forget to bring an empty ice cream pail to fill with booyah for a satisfying and delicious dinner!
Booyah (pronounced boo yah) is traditionally made with several types of meat such as beef, chicken, oxtail and/or pork along with loads of vegetables with cabbage being a staple ingredient. It’s Wisconsin food at its best.
When you’re making a smaller quantity, it’s common to make this recipe with only chicken and use any veggies to customize this dish to your liking.
Booyah can be made to feed a small family or a large crowd. A single batch of this recipe yields 20 servings. Easily adapt to feed your group or use this recipe to meal prep by storing the leftovers in the fridge and freezer (storage instructions provided below).
You’ll quickly find that Wisconsin booyah is a labor of love but worth every second. Typically taking all day to simmer, keep reading to find directions on how to make it on the stovetop.
I hope you are looking forward to learning how to make chicken booyah and adopting this Wisconsin tradition. You might also be interested in our how to boil chicken guide.
To get started, gather the equipment and ingredients then follow the written instructions or printable recipe card. Enjoy!
Table of Contents
Ingredients
- 3-4 pound chicken ✅
- 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
- 2 tablespoons salt
- 1 tablespoon pepper
- 1 tablespoon poultry seasoning ✅
- 2 1/2 teaspoons Accent flavor enhancer
Gluten-Free Guide: If you’re new to eating gluten-free we understand it’s overwhelming trying to figure out which foods may contain gluten and which ones don’t. All of our gluten-free recipes marked with this symbol ✅ represent foods that need to be checked for gluten.
How To Make
This recipe uses boiled chicken. It’s super easy to cook this way and is often times made the day ahead and chilled. If you decide to do this make sure to chill to leftover stock as well as that is the base of the soup.
Add the chicken to the large stockpot. Fill the pot with water covering the chicken by at least an inch. Add 1 tablespoon of salt. Cover and bring to a boil. Boil for 1 -1.5 hours.
Carefully remove the chicken from the pot, keeping the broth in the pot. Let the chicken cool then remove the meat from the bones and shred the chicken.
Add the ingredients to the broth
To the broth in the stockpot add the shredded chicken, celery, carrots, potatoes, cabbage, onions, diced tomatoes, peas, the rest of the salt, pepper, poultry seasoning, and Accent. Stir.
Cook
Bring the soup to a boil then turn the heat down and simmer for at least 2 hours. Traditional booyah gets simmered all day, but by simmering for at least 2 hours you get similar results.
Serving Suggestions
This chicken booyah soup is a complete meal served as is. Commonly served with oyster crackers, I have found that any gluten-free cracker is just as tasty. It is also delicious to dip Gluten Free Artisan Bread or Gluten Free Dinner Rolls into the broth.
I often pull leftovers from the freezer to serve accompanied by a gluten-free grilled cheese. My kids love this comforting combo, especially during the winter!
Turn it into a thermos meal for school lunch by reheating in the morning then packing in a lunchbox with a spoon. Your kids will be thankful for a hot lunch.
Last but not least, never hesitate to serve booyah as a side with my Vegetable Strata or Veggie Nuggets.
Kids In The Kitchen
Cooking tips and suggestions for kids making this recipe.
- Stockpots filled with water can be very heavy. Always ask for help if transferring a pot with water from the sink to the stove.
- To “simmer” means to cook the recipe over low heat. There should not be any bubbles forming in the pot as the booyah cooks.
- When chopping the vegetables, wear a cut glove on the hand that is not holding the knife to practice safe knife skills.
- Place a damp paper towel over the microwave-safe bowl for mess-free reheating.
Tips
- To save on time, use pre-chopped vegetables and a coleslaw mix instead of slicing fresh cabbage.
- Use frozen or canned peas.
- You can cook the chicken the day before and refrigerate the chicken and the broth separately. Then you can remove the solid fat that forms on the broth cutting calories and fat.
- Other vegetables such as corn, green beans, bell peppers or jalapeno peppers can be added to booyah.
- Swap the potatoes with sweet potatoes, parsnips or rutabagas.
- Add your favorite hot peppers or hot sauce as an ingredient for a spicy version.
- Use a large stockpot or Dutch oven to be prepared for the large amount this chicken booyah recipe makes.
- Make the soup as thick or thin by adding more water to the pot.
Frequently Asked Questions
Russets are my go-to for this recipe but can easily be swapped with Yukon if that’s what you have on hand or prefer.
If you have a lot of leftovers, it can be helpful to separate the leftovers into small or shallow containers to cool quicker.
Yes, chicken or vegetable broth can be used if preferred. Keep in mind that as the ingredients cook in the water, the end result will be a rich and flavorful homemade chicken broth.
Storing Chicken Booyah
In the fridge: Store up to 3 days in the fridge in a covered container once cooled.
In the freezer: Store up to 3 months in the freezer in a labeled container or freeze in a Ziploc bag to save on space once completely cooled.
Reheating Instructions
Microwave: Add leftovers to a microwave-safe bowl and heat in 30-second increments until heated through. Thaw frozen booyah in the fridge overnight or use the defrost function on your microwave.
Stovetop: Pour leftovers into a pot to reheat over low heat until hot then carefully transfer to a serving bowl. Thaw frozen booyah in the fridge overnight or place in the pot straight from the freezer.
More Soup Recipes
- Crockpot Stuffed Pepper Soup
- Green Chili Chicken Soup
- Instant Pot Loaded Potato Soup
- Gluten Free Chicken Tortilla Soup
- Gluten Free Dairy Free Cream of Chicken Soup
- Crockpot Butternut Squash Soup
- Easy Crockpot Potato Soup
More Midwest Recipes
- Pineapple Pretzel Salad
- Brandy Slush (Wisconsin Version)
- Old Fashioned Sweet Potato Pie
- How To Cut A Watermelon into Slices
- Gluten-Free Rice Krispy Treats
- Williams Chili Recipe
- Salisbury Steak With Homemade Gravy
- Instant Pot Ground Beef Stroganoff
- Ground Turkey Sloppy Joes
CKC Features both Gluten-Free Guidance and Kids Cooking Instructions: If you’re new to eating gluten-free we understand it’s overwhelming trying to figure out which foods may contain gluten and which ones don’t. All of our gluten-free recipes marked with this symbol ✅ represent foods that need to be checked for gluten or cross-contamination.
The ⭐️ symbol in the recipe below denotes the steps in which kid cooks may need a helper (depending on age). If there is no ⭐️ symbol, that step (or recipe) doesn’t require a helper.
Chicken Booyah
Equipment
Ingredients
- 3-4 pound chicken ✅
- 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
- 2 tablespoons salt
- 1 tablespoon pepper
- 1 tablespoon poultry seasoning ✅
- 2 1/2 teaspoons Accent flavor enhancer
Instructions
- ⭐️Boil the chicken. Add the chicken to the large stockpot. Fill the pot with water covering the chicken by at least an inch. Add 1 tablespoon of salt. Cover and bring to a boil. Boil for 1 -1.5 hours. Carefully remove the chicken from the pot, keeping the broth in the pot. Let the chicken cool then remove the meat from the bones and shred the chicken.**You can cook the chicken the day before and refrigerate the chicken and the broth separately. Then you can remove the solid fat that forms on the broth cutting calories and fat.3-4 pound chicken, 2 tablespoons salt
- Add the ingredients to the broth. To the broth in the stockpot add the shredded chicken, celery, carrots, potatoes, cabbage, onions, diced tomatoes, peas, the rest of the salt, pepper, poultry seasoning, and Accent. Stir.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, 1 tablespoon pepper, 1 tablespoon poultry seasoning, 2 1/2 teaspoons Accent flavor enhancer, 2 tablespoons salt
- ⭐️Cook. Bring the soup to a boil then turn the heat down and simmer for at least 2 hours. Traditional booyah gets simmered all day, but by simmering for at least 2 hours you get similar results.
Notes
- To save on time, use pre-chopped vegetables and a coleslaw mix instead of slicing fresh cabbage.
- Use frozen or canned peas.
- You can cook the chicken the day before and refrigerate the chicken and the broth separately. Then you can remove the solid fat that forms on the broth cutting calories and fat.
- Other vegetables such as corn, green beans, bell peppers or jalapeno peppers can be added to booyah.
- Swap the potatoes with sweet potatoes, parsnips or rutabagas.
- Add your favorite hot peppers or hot sauce as an ingredient for a spicy version.
- Use a large stockpot or Dutch oven to be prepared for the large amount this recipe makes.
- Make the soup as thick or thin by adding more water to the pot.
Nutrition
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Cindy Bodart says
I’d love to make your booyah recipe but I cannot get it to print. When I click on print recipe it flips me to the top of your page. Could you please check the link? I printed your GF Rice Krispie recipe with no problems.
Thanks so much!
Jodi Danen, RDN says
Hi Cindy! Thanks so much for making me aware of this problem. I have it fixed!
Barb says
Tasted booths for the first time this weekend in Shawano WI, from a roadside stand. It was incredible. Wish I had bought more. It was with chicken and seemed like a beef broth. I will try to make this winter. 😊
Jodi Danen, RDN says
This is the charm of booyah! Driving by and stopping to pick up an ice cream pail full. I’m glad you had the opportunity to enjoy this Wisconsin classic at its best!
Barbara Tabb says
I am so happy to find your recipe! I grew up in Green Bay and remember chicken booyah fondly. I’ve been looking for a good recipe, the way I remember, and this is it 🙂 So many of the recipes I found while searching had noodles, or rice, etc and that’s not the way I remember it. I love this and thank you so much for posting. I will indeed cook the chicken the day ahead and then remove the bones, I have memories of having to work with the soup picking out the bones while eating. This eliminates that problem. I recently heard a theory that the name originated because Booyah might be a form of the Belgium pronunciation of bouillon…over the generations ?? That sounded plausible to me, A lot of Belgium descendants live in the GB/Brown County area, Again thanks for posting this authentic recipe!! Barb from Michigan but originally from GB WI
Jodi Danen, RDN says
Hi Barbara! I’m so happy to hear this! It is definately a local favorite and the “right” way to make Booyah! 😉 I hope you enjoy!!