Easy Southern Chow Chow

Name: Easy Southern Chow Chow
Prep time: 30 min
Cook time: 25 min
Yield: Makes 64 servings (or 1 quart)
Ingredients: 2 1/2 cups white vinegar; 1 1/2 cups granulated sugar; 1 tablespoon salt; 1/2 tablespoon whole cloves; 1/2 tablespoon whole mustard seeds; 1/2 tablespoon whole peppercorns; 1/2 teaspoon mustard seed; 1/4 teaspoon celery seed; 1/4 teaspoon red pepper flakes (or more to taste); 1 bay leaf; 1/8 teaspoon allspice; 2 green tomatoes or tomatilloes, chopped; 1 orange bell pepper, seeded and chopped; 2 Cubanelle, banana, or jalapeno peppers, seeded and chopped; 1 small onion, chopped; 1 (12 oz) package shredded cabbage or slaw mix

You’ll be putting this relish on everything.

Rose Heichelbech

If you’re not from the South then you might now know what chow chow relish is. For me it reminds me of my mom and grandma who made sweet pickles and chow chow often when I was a kid. It’s not altogether unlike giardiniera, the Italian relish made from a variety of vegetables. In fact many of the spices are the same for both recipes. But, chow chow is its own thing and is more of a relish than a pickle.

This easy version minimizes chopping and requires no pressure canning. That said, this is refrigerator chow chow and no relish will be shelf stable without proper canning techniques. I also adapted this recipe to be smaller so that you can actually finish the entire jar before it has a chance to spoil.

At my house chow chow is served on hot dogs, sandwiches, and alongside a long list of savory dishes. The sweetness of the relish adds the perfect compliment to just about any salty flavors. However, this recipe isn’t too sweet at all. It’s just right.

To cut down on the chopping I used a bag of shredded coleslaw mix. Because I used one with a bit of red cabbage my chow chow turned a bit pink. I don’t mind that at all, but if you do pick a slaw mix without any red cabbage.

I like my chow chow just a bit spicy so I used 1 chili pepper and 1 Cubanelle pepper in addition to 1 orange bell pepper and a hefty sprinkling of red chili flakes. For a milder version you can omit all the spicy peppers and just stick with the bell. It will still be wonderfully delicious.

To get the spices to “activate” as it were bring to a simmer the sugar, vinegar, and spices for 5 minutes before adding the veggies. Once the veggies are in give it a stir and set the burner to low and then cover. You can pretty much forget about it for the next 15-20 minutes.

While the veggies were cooking I used the time to clean my jars and bake them in the oven. Then use a wide-mouth funnel to get the chow chow into the jars. I didn’t have a 1-quart jar so I used a 15 ounce and a 27 ounce and it worked great.

For a simple, easy, and very special relish this chow chow recipe is hands down one of the best. Once you try this Southern delicacy you’ll be craving it all the time!