Brown Stew Chicken – incredibly rich in flavor Jamaican classic stewed chicken that’s primarily sweet and spicy. So easy to make and it comes together quickly. Great for regular weeknights or when entertaining!
If you’ve ever wanted to make Jamaican food at home, you have to try this!
Now, where do I start? I am obviously going to tell you that this Jamaican Brown Chicken Stew is amazingly good, which they are.
I looooove spicy things in general (if you haven’t figured that out yet). I come from a background of spice lovers. That’s why I am so in love with this chicken stew. The aromatic blend of garlic, ginger, pepper, thyme, and green onions are one of my favorite spice blends.
It sort of reminds me of Christmas Eve – all the meat marinating that takes place. Believe it or not, you could smell the spice a mile away. You just want to get drowned with that smell wafting through the air. As for my family, they make the table right away (rice and other sides) so they can have their own chicken slices even before the pot of stew touches the table.
What is Brown Stew Chicken?
Words couldn’t describe best what makes this brown stew chicken a FAVORITE Jamaican classic. All I know is that it’s tender yet juicy; coated with aromatic spices and some vegetables in a lip-smacking good brown stew gravy seasoned mainly with a Caribbean household staple – browning sauce. And did I mention how good it smells? That distinct smell reminds you of weekend home cooking with mom.
What is Browning Sauce?
One of the major flavor enhancers of this chicken stew recipe is the browning sauce. It is a popular condiment in Caribbean households that is a blend of caramel color, vegetable concentrates, and seasonings. This sauce is mostly used on meat to deepen its flavor and to darken the broth in soups and stews. You can buy it in Caribbean Markets, Wal-Mart and even some supermarkets in prepared and dry gravy mix with brand names such as Gravy Master, Grace or Kitchen Bouquet.
What is a Substitute for Browning Sauce?
Don’t sweat it though, if you can’t really find it, you can easily make one at home. Simply mix 1/2 cup of brown sugar with 1 cup of water and cook it on low or medium heat until it turns nearly black. Remove from heat and add a teaspoon of beef or vegetable stock concentrate. Put it back on low heat while stirring until it’s thoroughly mixed.
What to Serve with Brown Stew Chicken?
Honestly, I couldn’t think of anything better than rice to serve with this easy and delicious Jamaican Brown Stew Chicken. But if you’d ask me how’s our dining table would look like when we have this chicken stew for dinner, here’s what I usually put on the menu:
- Caribbean Rice and Beans or this Coconut Rice
- Fried Plantains
- Steamed veggies
- Sorrel Drink (a must-have refreshment 😉)
- Rum Cake with rum glaze (’cause why not?)
Want to cook this in a slow cooker? Check out this slow cooker version HERE.
More Jamaican Recipes
- Jamaican Oxtail Stew
- Jamaican Cornmeal Porridge
- Jamaican Meat Pie
- Jamaican Jerk Chicken
- Jamaican Easter Spice Bun
- Slow Cooker Jamaican Curry Chicken
Here is another great chicken dish – Trinidad Chicken Roti. Get the recipe HERE.
How To Make Brown Chicken Stew
Pat dry the chicken chicken with paper towels. Place chicken in a bowl and season chicken with salt and pepper according to preference. Followed by the chicken bouillon powder, ginger, garlic, white pepper, thyme, paprika, and green onions. Thoroughly mix chicken with a spoon or with hands until they are well coated, cover tightly and set aside in the fridge. Marinate for about at least an hour or preferably overnight. When ready to cook, remove any particles from the chicken and reserve the marinate for later use .
Heat up a large pan (I used a 12 inch cast iron ) with about 2 tablespoons oil, and then brown the chicken about 3-4 minutes until chicken is a golden brown; remove and place on a plate. Drain any excess oil from the skillet and leave about 2-3 tablespoons of oil.
In the same pan, add onions, garlic, thyme, hot sauce, paprika, sugar, browning sauce, ketchup, bell peppers (if desired add some or all of the bell peppers towards the last 10 minutes of cooking), and salt to taste. Stir for about 2-3 minutes until onions is translucent. Add remaining marinate from the chicken. Deglaze pan with water. Bring to a boil and return the brown chicken back to the pan.
Cover and cook for about 25 minutes, more or less or until chicken has been cooked through and no longer pink and sauce thickens, slightly. Adjust for salt, pepper and soup consistency. Turn off the stove, remove and serve with Caribbean Rice and Beans.
Watch How To Make It
This post was first published in May 2014 and has been updated with a new recipe, photos, additional write up and a video.
Brown Stew Chicken
Ingredients
Chicken Marinade
- 1 3 1/2 - 5 pound chicken , cut in 10 pieces
- salt and pepper to taste
- 1 teaspoon (2g) bouillon chicken powder
- ½ teaspoon (1g) minced ginger
- 1 teaspoon (5g) minced garlic
- ½ teaspoon (1g) white pepper
- 1 teaspoon (0.80g) fresh thyme
- ½ teaspoon (1g) paprika
- 2 green onions , diced
Brown Chicken Stew
- 2 tablespoons (28ml) or more canola oil
- 1 medium onion , diced (about 1 ¼ cups)
- 2 teaspoons (10g) minced, garlic
- 1 teaspoon fresh thyme
- 1 teaspoon (4.7g) hot sauce sub chili sauce
- 1 ½ teaspoon (3g) paprika
- 1 tablespoon (12.5g) brown sugar
- 1-2 teaspoons (5-10ml) browning sauce
- 2-3 tablespoons (32-48g) ketchup
- 2 small bell pepper , red or green, sliced
- salt and to taste
- 1-2 cups (237-474g) chicken broth/water
Instructions
- Pat dry the chicken with paper towels.
- Then place chicken in a bowl and season with salt and pepper according to preference.
- Followed by the chicken bouillon powder, ginger, garlic, white pepper, thyme, paprika, and green onions. Thoroughly mix chicken with a spoon or with hands until they are well coated, cover tightly and set aside in the fridge. Marinate for about at least an hour or preferably overnight.
- When ready to cook, discard any excess particles from the chicken and reserve for later use. Heat up a large pan (I used a 12 inch cast iron ) with about 2 tablespoons oil. Brown the chicken about 3-4 minutes until chicken is a golden brown; remove and place on a plate. Drain any excess oil from the skillet and leave about 2-3 tablespoons of oil.
- In the same pan, add onions, garlic, thyme, hot sauce, paprika, sugar, browning sauce, ketchup, bell peppers (if desired add some or all of the bell peppers towards the last 10 minutes of cooking), and salt to taste. Stir for about 2-3 minutes until onions is translucent. Add the remaining marinade from the chicken .
- Deglaze pan with water. Bring to a boil and return the brown chicken back to the pan.
- Cover and cook for about 25 minutes, more or less or until chicken has been cooked through and no longer pink and sauce thickens, slightly. Adjust for salt, pepper and soup consistency with more water as you cook.
- Turn off the stove, remove and serve with Caribbean Rice and Beans.
Tips & Notes:
- Please keep in mind that nutritional information is a rough estimate and can vary greatly based on products used.
Nutrition Information:
William O'Reilly says
Great recipe. Added a little allspice, but otherwise followed it as is. Making it for the third time tonight.
Immaculate Bites says
Awesome! Thank you, William!
Nubian says
Stew chicken was the one recipe I never felt I could execute until I tried this version. This is my second time and it was such a delight. Instead of eating with the usual Caribbean rice and peas, I made coconut dumplings and boiled green bananas and it was a hit with my family! They licked their platters clean. Thanks for always posting such easy to follow and tasty recipes.
Barb says
There are 2 ice storms coming my way this weekend and my husband asked specifically for this dish because it’s such a lovely, comforting meal. Especially with your rice & peas.
James says
Brilliant receipe
Ron D says
Delicious recipe. Been using for years. Thought I lost it, though. Had to put “immaculate bites” in the google bar to get to the site. Please fix. The world needs your recipes. Anyway I believe you answered this question but I always forget. How long should I set my pressure cooker for?
Angelessa Nouhou says
This came out awesome the family loved it
TYJ says
I loved the recipe. I followed it to the “T”…it came out great can’t wait to try more.
ImmaculateBites says
Thanks so much!
Anna Felkins says
This recipe is incredible! Delicious just as written, and after I’d made it a few times I added both sliced jalapeno and a tiny pinch of Carolina Reaper powder to give it a bigger kick. My meat-and -potatoes husband now asks for this instead at least once a week! Thank you!!!!
ImmaculateBites says
Thanks so much! Glad to hear hubby enjoys it as much as we do.
Carolina says
I am a little nervous about making this because I’m used to making Spanish style stew chicken. But I absolutely love Jamaican brown stew chicken and I’m looking forward to putting all this together. I will post an update of the results. Heading to the store now
ImmaculateBites says
You will love this one too! keep us posted.
Joanna Vargha says
I am anxious to try this beautiful recipe. However, I was wondering if you can suggest a substitute for the browning sauce? Where I live there would not be anything like that available in the tiendas or markets? Thank you,cans love your recipes.
ImmaculateBites says
Browning sauce is burnt sugar. Do you have molasses? or leave it out completely. Will be updating blog soon with a good substitute .
Rana Overall says
I’ve been making your recipes for a few years now. This is my favorite go to dish for ANYTHING! Thank you for such tastiness!!
ImmaculateBites says
Oh my! Thanks so much for your continuous support . Happy Holidays.
Kelly says
This is an amazing meal – so easy and so flavourful. Thanks so much!
Imma Adamu says
Thank you for the feedback, Kelly!
Kenyatta Stubbs says
Can I use boneless, skinless chicken thighs instead of a whole chicken?
ImmaculateBites says
Yes you sure can.
Adrienne says
Just like the wonderful Jamaican place down the street. I did leave in the green onions and garlic. I added some cornstarch to thicken a bit, otherwise just as written.
ImmaculateBites says
Great! Thanks for the feedback.
Brooke says
Hi!
When do you add the brown sugar? I’m assuming with the rest of the spices and browning/ketchup to make the gravy?
Thank you
imma africanbites says
Hi. Yes, it’s along with the browning sauce and ketchup in step #5.
Monty says
This recipe worked out perfectly! I was surprised that it tasted so authentic. I did throw in a scotch bonnet instead of the chilli hot sauce. I would recommend definitely recommend doing that. I took out the bonnet at the very end since it can get extremely spicy but cooking it in the sauce with a few fork marks in the bonnet released a lot of its flavour.