Y’all this Jamaican Brown Stew Chicken recipe just hits different. I start by marinating the chicken with spices and herbs in a browning sauce liquid overnight. Once the flavor has really gotten in the meat, I sauté then braise in a delish sauce until it’s super tender. It creates a flavorful stew once done. This recipe was adapted from my Jamaican friend who is also a chef so you know this recipe is a straight up hit. Served over rice and peas with some fried plantains, this dish is straight up Caribbean comfort. Get into it boos.
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How To Make Brown Stew Chicken
Marinate the Chicken
Step 1: Combine onions, scallions, garlic, brown sugar, browning sauce, thyme, paprika, ginger, chili powder, 1 teaspoon salt and ½ teaspoon pepper in a gallon-size plastic storage bag. Add the chicken and massage the marinade into the chicken, tossing well to evenly coat. Seal the bag and refrigerate for a few hours or overnight.
Step 2: Seal the bag and refrigerate for a few hours or overnight. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Remove the chicken pieces from the marinade and lay them on the baking sheet. Pat off excess marinade with paper towels. Set aside for a few minutes. Reserve marinade.
Sauté Chicken then Braise in Sauce
Step 3: Heat the oil in a large heavy-bottomed pot or Dutch oven over medium-high heat until hot. Working in batches if needed, add the chicken to the hot oil.
Fry the chicken, turning it occasionally, until deep golden brown on all sides.
Step 4: Stir in the stock, reserved marinade, carrots, tomatoes, ketchup, allspice and bay leaves once all chicken pieces are golden brown.
Cover the pot and bring the mixture to a boil.
Step 5: Remove the lid and reduce the heat to low. Cover and cook until the chicken is very tender and the sauce has reduced by half.
Season with salt and pepper to taste, remove bay leaves, and garnish with chopped scallions.
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Brown Stew Chicken Recipe
Want to Save This Recipe, Boo?
I’ll email this recipe to you, so you can come back to it later!
Equipment
Ingredients
- 1 cup diced yellow onion
- 1 bunch of scallions chopped
- 4 garlic cloves minced
- 2 tsp packed dark brown sugar
- 1 tsp browning sauce
- 2 sprigs fresh thyme chopped
- 1/2 tsp sweet paprika
- 1/4 tsp ground ginger
- 1/4 tsp chili powder
- Kosher salt
- Freshly ground black pepper
- 8 boneless, skinless chicken pieces
- 3 tbsp canola or vegetable oil
- 4 cups low sodium chicken stock
- 2 carrots sliced
- 1/2 cup ripe tomato chopped
- 1/2 cup ketchup
- 1/2 tsp ground allspice
- 3 dried bay leaves
- Rice and Peas recipe found here
Instructions
- In a gallon-size plastic storage bag, combine onions, scallions, garlic, brown sugar, browning sauce, thyme, paprika, ginger, chili powder, 1 teaspoon salt and ½ teaspoon pepper. Add the chicken and massage the marinade into the chicken, tossing well to evenly coat. Seal the bag and refrigerate for 2 hrs or overnight.
- Line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Remove the chicken pieces from the marinade and lay them on the baking sheet. Pat off excess marinade with paper towels. Set aside for about 10 minutes. Reserve marinade.
- Heat the oil in a large heavy-bottomed pot or dutch oven over medium-high heat until hot, about 5 minutes. Working in batches if needed, add the chicken to the hot oil and fry, turning it occasionally, until deep golden brown on all sides, about 10 minutes total.
- Once all chicken pieces are golden brown, stir in the stock, reserved marinade, carrots, tomatoes, ketchup, allspice and bay leaves.
- Cover the pot and bring the mixture to a boil, about 10 minutes. Remove the lid and reduce the heat to low. Once heat is lowered, cover again and cook until the chicken is very tender and the sauce has reduced by half, about 45-50 minutes. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Remove bay leaves.
- Serve the chicken with rice and peas recipe which you can find HERE
Notes
How To Store & Reheat Brown Stew Chicken
After cooking, allow the chicken to cool to room temperature. Transfer the stew into an airtight container. This helps to maintain its moisture and flavor, and also prevents it from absorbing odors from other foods in the fridge. They best way to enjoy reheated leftovers is to warm them on the stovetop. Heat over medium until warmed through. if the stew seems too thick, add a little water or broth to thin it out slightly. How Long Will Brown Stew Chicken Last In The Fridge? You can safely store your leftover stewed chicken within 3-4 days. Can I Freeze Jamaican Brown Stew Chicken? Yes! Brown stew chicken freezes well. Once cooled, store in a freezer safe airtight container. It can be frozen for up to 3 months. Thaw overnight before reheating.Nutrition
Recipe Tips
- Marinate Well: Do not marinate for less than 2 hours. Overnight is best for the most flavor.
- Use Fresh Herbs: Fresh thyme and other herbs will give you more flavor than dried ones.
- Simmer Slowly: This makes sure the chicken tenderizes instead of getting tough. Don’t boil.
Recipe Help
Yes! The brand suggested for this recipe is the Grace brand which is labeled as “Browning”, but if you want to make your own, all you need is cane sugar and a pinch of salt. Start by gently melting the sugar in a skillet until it gets a deep, rich brown color, then add a dash of salt to balance the sweetness, and that’s pretty much it. Homemade browning sauce in a jiffy!
More Jamaican-Inspired Recipes
- The BEST Jamaican Jerk Chicken Recipe!
- Jamaican Jerk Seasoning Recipe
- Jamaican Beef Patties
- Jamaican Oxtail Recipe
- Ackee and Saltfish
- Saltfish Fritters
- Curry Goat
- Jamaican Black Cake
*Did you make this recipe? Please give it a star rating and leave comments below!* Post a photo of how your version of the recipe came out on Instagram (using #grandbabycakes)!!
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Looks so delicious! Quick question though, the recipe indicates boneless, skinless chicken but the picture definitely shows drumsticks. Am I missing something?
You can actually use whatever chicken you prefer here.
This turned out AMAZING for me. I made this along with the linked rice and peas almost to a T. This is only my 2nd or 3rd attempt at Caribean food, and I really appreciate recipes with ingredients I might not normally use, like the browning sauce and creamed coconut.
I do have two questions, because I’d love to make this again and nail it. For the marinade, the browning sauce is the only liquid and 1 tsp did not look anything like your big in the ziploc. There wasn’t enough liquid to spread or massage around, so I ended up increasing it to about 1.5 tablespoons. Also, my stew liquid never reduced! I didn’t have any stock on hand and ended up using Better than Bouillion, so maybe that was the issue? I don’t think it mattered in the end, it just seemed like maybe I was supposed to end up with a thicker and reduced liquid? Any thoughts are appreciated, but loved this either way.
So glad you liked it! It sounds like it might have needed 10-15 more minutes to reduce. Everyone’s stove top runs differently, so sometimes it’s best to just adjust based on how something is cooking.