Slow Cooker Jamaican Brown Stew Chicken — An incredibly rich-in-flavor all time Jamaican classic- Jamaican Brown Chicken Sauce right in your slow cooker. 
Ok …so I know it’s not exactly pull out the crock-pot weather for some folks but I just can’t help but share this slow cooker brown stewed chicken with you. There is so much to love here. I can’t begin to tell you how much am in love with this brown stew chicken. The chicken marinate alone would have you hooked from the get go. This will make your taste buds happy and true to my kind of recipes, you don’t need napkins. Because you are going to lick your fingers clean and nibble on the bones. 
No body is watching anyways! And who cares if they are watching. They will quickly follow your lead before the meal is over. Can you tell I have tons of experience in this domain? Grab a seat, while I tell you about this classic Jamaican Brown stew. Chicken on the bone is marinated with an aromatic blend of spices (ginger, garlic, thyme, pepper, green onions, over night (preferably) browned to enhanced its flavor, then slowly simmered in a fragrant sauce of garlic, herbs, bell peppers, ketchup, onions. Yep! Really tasty! It’s straightforward and a snap to put together. Don’t be deterred by the ingredients.
Traditionally, it is made with whole parts of chicken.However, I prefer chicken thighs – ease of preparation, rich meaty flavor and most important they can easily withstand the longer cooking time and emerge meltingly tender. 
If you don’t own a slow cooker, you can always make this on stove top too, it’s just that easy and practical. Just follow the same instructions and instead of, adding everything into the pot, you add some stock, bring it to a boil and then reduce the heat and let it simmer. Easy! Pair it with this rice and peas or this coconut rice and you are all set. Want a quicker version? Check out this brown stew chicken here 
Celebrate this Holiday Season with this Sorrel drink here. 
Tips and Notes:
- When adding chicken, it is a great idea to brown the chicken first, for a few minutes, sauté the garlic, onions stove top, before adding to the crockpot. Small step = huge flavors.
- If you want to throw everything in the crockpot and cook away, that’s fine too. I tried it and it wasn’t bad at all. But I prefer the former.
- Jamaican Browning sauce aka burnt sugar is a favorite West Indian condiment use in most households to add, sweetness and color in stews, soups, and even cakes.
- It’s available in Caribbean Markets, Wal-Mart and even some supermarkets. Don’t sweat it! You can certainly make this without burnt sugar
Watch How to Make It
Slow Cooker Jamaican Brown Stew Chicken — An incredibly rich-in-flavor all time Jamaican classic- Jamaican Brown Chicken Sauce right in your slow cooker.
- 5-6 chicken thighs bone in trimmed of excess fat
- 1 teaspoons salt
- ½ teaspoons bouillon chicken powder
- ½ teaspoon minced ginger
- 1 teaspoon minced garlic
- ½ teaspoon white pepper
- 1- teaspoon fresh thyme
- ½ teaspoon smoked paprika
- 2 green onions diced
- 2 Tablespoons or more canola oil
- 1 Tablespoon brown sugar
- 1 large onion diced
- 1- teaspoon garlic minced
- 2 Tablespoons ketchup
- 1 teaspoon browning sauce
- 1- teaspoon fresh or dried thyme
- 1- teaspoon hot sauce sub chili sauce
- 1 1/2 teaspoon smoked paprika
- 2 small bell pepper
- 1/2 teaspoon white pepper
- 3/4 cup chicken broth/water
- Salt and to taste
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Place chicken thighs in a large bowl or slow-cooker insert. Then seasoned with all marinate ingredients- salt, chicken bouillon, garlic, ginger, paprika, white pepper and thyme. Mix chicken with a spoon or with hands until they are well coated, cover tightly and set aside in the fridge Marinate for about an hour or preferably over night
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When ready to cook heat up a skillet or large sauce pan with about 2 tablespoons oil, and then brown the chicken about 3-4 minutes until chicken is golden brown: remove and place in the crockpot. Drain any excess oil from the skillet and leave about 2 Tablespoons of oil.
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Add onions, garlic, hot sauce, smoked paprika, sugar,browning sauce, ketchup, bell peppers and salt to taste. Stir for about 2-3 minutes until onions is translucent.
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Then add to crockpot, deglaze pan with about ¾ cup of water add to slow cooker, together with ketchup, brown sauce and any remaining marinate from the chicken.
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Cover and cook on high for about 3-4 hours. Remove and serve with rice and beans
- When adding chicken, it is a great idea to brown the chicken first, for a few minutes, sauté the garlic, onions stove top, before adding to the crockpot. Small step = huge flavors.
- If you want to throw everything in the crockpot and cook away, that’s fine too. I tried it and it wasn’t bad at all. But I prefer the former.
- Jamaican Browning sauce aka burnt sugar is a favorite West Indian condiment use in most households to add, sweetness and color in stews, soups, and even cakes.
- It’s available in Caribbean Markets, Wal-Mart and even some supermarkets. Don’t sweat it! You can certainly make this without burnt sugar.
Heat up a skillet or large sauce pan with about 2 tablespoons oil, and then brown the chicken about 3-4 minutes until chicken is golden brown 
Drain any excess oil from the skillet and leave about 2 Tablespoons of oil. Add onions, garlic, hot sauce, smoked paprika, and bell peppers. Stir for about 2-3 minutes until onions is translucent. 
Add to crockpot, deglaze pan with about ¾ cup of water/stock then add to slow cooker, together with ketchup, brown sauce and any remaining marinate from the chicken. 
Cover and cook on high for about 3-4 hours.
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What is browning sauce?
Hi Mary. Browning sauce aka burnt sugar is a condiment use in most Caribbean households to add sweetness and color in stews,soups, and even cakes. You can find it in Caribbean markets and even in Walmart.
Your recipes make my husband fall more in love with me! It’s not even 6 am and I am dreaming of what I will cook tonight. Bless you for sharing your knowledge with us, I feel like you are my Internet Auntie. Much love from Philadelphia
Awww, you are too sweet Cristina.That is such a nice thing to say .
Your husband is very lucky to have you to cook such amazing food for him. All my love !!!
Made this tonight for myself girlfriend and kids…was a total hit especially with my 2 yr old and 10 yr old….sick girlfriend said it was delicious….followed recipe but cooked in dutch oven. On stove top….great recipe highlt recommended…great job #chefsheen
Glad to hear it was a hit to the kids,Chef Sheen. Send my warm regards to your girlfriend. Happy cooking! 🙂
Followed the recipe except for Browning sauce and green onions. It still turned out great! Hubby requested this dish and he liked it.
I’m so glad you both liked it! Thank you for taking the time to share your feedback.
Hi there! I recently found your food blog & i am so happy that i did……I made this recipe last Friday and it was huge hit! It has definitely been added to my recipe book. I plan to try many more of your recipes in the very near future, more like this Friday lol!……… I’m not sure if you have a recipe for Jollof Rice the Ghana way, if you do could share it please?
HI, Natasha. Thanks for the kind words. I don’t have it exactly the “Ghana” way but this is the closest (and easier) I have >>> https://www.africanbites.com/jellof-riceoven-baked/ and https://www.africanbites.com/jellof-rice/ . Please let me know how it turns out for you. 🙂
I’m not sure how to get rid of the 2 stars on my rating! That was an accident. I haven’t tried the dish yet, but it seems like a 5 star to me
Hi, Jill. I’ve tried dumping everything in the crockpot too and it wasn’t bad at all. As for missing those two ingredients, there’d be a slight difference in flavor and aroma. But it’d work fine.
No crockpot how would I go about cooking it on the stove top
Check out this other recipe here https://www.africanbites.com/jamaican-browned-chicken-stew/, no crockpot needed.
This recipe looks great. I am cooking your Slow Cooker Tuscan Chicken Stew right now. I have a question. When I cook with thighs, it takes so long for the prep because my boneless & skinless chicken thighs always have so much fat that I trim off as best I can. Am I being to fussy about trimming the fat or is their a trick to trimming the fat that will reduced the prep time? I’m thinking about using chicken breasts next time.
It happens to me too! I usually trim the visible fat , to avoid excess oil. Then pan brown the chicken on each side, discard the excess fat and scoop out excess oil , if any after cooking . With that said, if you discard the skin it would make a HUGE difference. Hope this helps
This looks delicious and will definitely give this a go this week! Can you pressure cook instead and if so for how long?
Thanks ! Cook it for about 7 minutes or more , depending on how well you like your chicken – The recommended time is between 8-10 minutes.
This is truly authentic! Excellent! I made this last night! My Jamician husband actually gave me a compliment!(Im not allowed to make Jamiacan food [ he normally does] I’m American and I might have made a couple of mistakes in the past.) Thank you!!
Awesome! Thank you so much! So happy to hear hubby enjoyed it as well.
Happy Holidays!!!
I made this tonight and it was AMAZING. I did it in the pressure cooker so it was done in 25 minutes which was even more exciting. Thanks so much! I’ll be making this again!
Awesome! Thanks for letting me know . Love the pressure cooker tip.
it’s now our favorite meal! thanks so much
I’m going to try this recipe today I think. It looks great! However, I believe you may have a typo in the cooking directions. Near the end you have: 5. Cover and cook on high for 3 – 4 hours. You do mean low, correct. Cooking on high for 3 to 4 hours we would probably burn the house down and would loose the beautiful meal.
Hi David!
It’s not a typo.I used a slow cooker not a dutch oven. So it cooks slowly. It would definitely take less than an hour if you are using a dutch oven. Thanks for taking the time to comment.
Hi I’m from the uk so I need to adjust the recipe slightly. But could you tell me what hot sauce is please
Hot sauce is any sauce made with hot peppers- there are endless variations. Its’ available in most supermarkets.
Hello
I’m going to be making this tomorrow. jI’mjust curious where the chicken stock comes into play? I don’t think I see it in the cooking instructions.
You can use chicken stock or water. Just replace the water with stock. Will update recipe to make it clearer. Thanks.
That’s what I thought. But wasn’t sure. Thank you for the quick response. I made it last night and it was fabulous. Even my wife (who’s a plain jane and creature of habit when it comes to her palate) went back for seconds. And it was even better today as leftovers for lunch. I will be making this again!
Awesome! Glad your wife enjoyed it too! Appreciate you taking the time to let me know.
Have a Great Day Anthony!!!
Thanks for this recipe! It was really delicious. I used chicken seasoning instead of salt as I used chicken stock which is already quite salty. So easy to make! Thank you!
Awesome! Glad it worked out well for you.
What size crock-pot did you use?
I used a 7 quart . 5 quart would work as well
Great recipe! Easy to make and very tasty!
Awesome! Thanks for letting me know
This is, in a word, amazing. It’s the second time I’ve made it in a month. My husband was over the moon with this recipe. I paired it with your rice and peas. Oh, that sauce!! I just finished off our third day of leftovers and they were as tasty as Day 1. I cannot wait to try out more of your recipes.
AWESOME!! So glad it worked out well for you Valerie. Thanks for taking the time to share your thoughts.
Happy Holidays!!!
Making this for an office “potluck” tomorrow. I’m not using bone-in thighs, but thigh and breast meat cut down to bite size. Smells delicious and I’ve only put the chicken in the marinade!
OH My! You’re co-workers are going to love it Mike! Thank you for taking the time to let me know.
Quite right – it was a hit, lots of compliments! I liked it so much that I made it again on Saturday for dinner! Fabulous both times, thanks for sharing it!
I currently have this yummy recipe cooking in the crock pot, I am so excited to see how it turns out! My husband is a big fan of brown stew chicken and he is anxious to say the least! Its also my first time making brown stew chicken *fingers crossed* .. going to use this wait time to look for more recipes on your site; Thank you!
Am so flattered . Thank you so much for trying out my recipes. Am working on it – only wish I had 48 hours in a day. Hopefully soon.
Hello!
I love buying brownstew chicken from the takeaways near me, but want to try it myself. Here in London it always has carrots in it. Have you cooked it in the slow cooker with carrots? Very interested to know and am going to have a go, so fingers crossed!
Hi,
Carrots or no carrots this is a win. You can’t go wrong either way.
Thank you Imma for sharing your wonderful recipes. Your blog is the first that I’ve subscribed to and I must admit that I’ve been on it daily since discovering this recipe. OMG! Delicious! Just as good or even better than the Jamaican restaurants that I’ve eaten from when I lived in Florida. I tripled the recipe and prepared it with ease as your instructions are easy to follow. Definitely a winner with the family. The flavors are so developed. Makes me feel like a grandmother prepared it which is awesome and very comforting. I think I’ll have to put all of your recipes in a hat and draw them out one at a time since there are sooo many that I’m anxious to try lol. Thank you again.
Yay!!!. Your comment put a smile on my face . Thank you so much . You are too kind Franny. Can’t wait to see what you end up drawing out of the hat – hahaha! Happy Cooking!
Just made this and it was so yummy. I’m from the UK and I couldn’t find any browning sauce in my local supermarket so i left it out, does it just add darkness to the dish?
I will definitely be doing this again.
Thanks
It adds darkness and some flavor too, but not that much.
im tryn it right now….i will let you know imma
Awesome! Can’t wait
So happy I found this recipe….its exactly what ma-belly wanted 🙂 I doubled the recipe because I double the chicken portion. This is a keeper, thank you for sharing. Now I just need to make it thicker and not as watery…any advice? Thank You! Dee (FL)
So happy you enjoyed it, Dee. You can use 1 tablespoon tomato paste to thicken it up. Or add about a tablespoon or two to the vegetables while you saute them and then add to the slow cooker. Hope this helps.
How Long does this recipe take to cook inside I regular stove top pot ???
About 45 minutes depending on chicken size.
Hi
Wanting to cook this recipe at the weekend.
I’m in the UK. Can you browning sauce in supermarkets and when you say ketchup is that brown or red ketchup?
Thank you
It’s red ketchup.Am not too familiar with the supermarkets in the U.K. But you would definitely find it in international markets or Caribbean markets.
Yes – awesome recipe. Ive recently been getting into my slow cooking so i’ll def give this a try. (Might also swap out the chicken for the beef)
If you do try it. Do let me know how it works out for you. Thanks.
Hi Imma! I’m so excited to try this today- have been marinating the chicken since yesterday! Question, is there a reason you cook it on High for 3-4 hours versus on Low for a longer time?
None at all Nicole. Just want it to cook quicker. Feel free to cook it on low for a longer period of time. Do let me know how it work for you. Thanks !
I made this tonight. I used chicken drums but otherwise followed the recipe. It was not the taste I was aiming for, but it was definitely quite tasty. Thank u for the recipe. Question though. I saw with the oxtail u use allspice, why not with chicken, if they are both stewed?
Just a matter of preference and what I do have on hand . You can certainly add it to this brown stew chicken or any caribbean chicken meal. Glad to hear you enjoy the chicken and thanks for taking the time to share your thoughts.
Forgot the rating! Thank you again!
I can’t wait to make this recipe this week! Do you remove the skin from the chicken?
No, I don’t.
Thank you for responding so quickly! The recipe is absolutely delicious! Will definitely make again.
Made this with the rice and peas. Absolutely delicious.
AWESOME! Glad it worked out well for you!!!! Thanks for taking the time to share.
I have been eyeing this recipe for some time. I finally made it this past weekend and paired it with some veggies for ahealthier carb options. MAN oh MAN the stew came out perfect…..it is so yummy! Imma fan! (PUN INTENDED)
My mom is Kenyan so I will have to check out the other recipes for sure since she never gave me any of hers lol
AWESOME! Glad you to hear you enjoyed it. Love the fact that you paired it with veggies. Good Choice
Made this yesterday and it was absolutely incredible! The best Jamaican dish I’ve made myself so thank you for the recipe. I had to make the browning from scratch but it was really straightforward so I had no problems.
Yay! You go girl. Thanks for feedback!
I just made tonight. I kinda wish for a little more spice kick. Also I used less water and more meat yet the gravy is very watery. What do you suggest I do too thicken and get a little kick
I would suggest you double the garlic , thyme, pepper sauce, smoked paprika and add 1 tablespoon tomato paste, thicken the sauce. Do let me know how it works out for you thanks
Hi,
When you say to add all of the chicken marinate ingredients and let the chicken marinate overnight, you didn’t include the green onions. Are those to be added when you’re marinating the chicken as well? Thanks
Yes, you should include them.
I made this the other night. It was very good. Thank you
Hi Ima,
I’ve been going through your blog ever since I tried out your Mozambique Peri-Peri Chicken..
I’m not a good cook, but that chicken turned out great so I’m trying this one out.. I even made browning sauce just for this..
Do you have a recipe for oxtails?
I sure do have it right here https://africanbites.com/jamaican-oxtail-stew-2/
This looks delicious and I’d love to try this dish during the weekend. I am in Milan and I have never seen browning sauce here but I am going to hunt for it! I don’t have a slow cooker though. So if I cook the chicken in the pan does the cooking time vary or does it remain 3-4 hrs?
Thank you so much!!
Hi Pradnya! The cooking time definitely varies- stove top would take about 30 minutes or more depending on the chicken.Be sure to check Caribbean markets for it. Good luck in your search.
I am the only lady in a house full of men…who eat lots of food…LOL! If I were to use 12 chicken legs would I need to increase the ingredients? I am prepping this tonight for dinner tomorrow! Thanks for the great recipes! Everything I have tried from your site is delicious!
Hi Kymmie, I would add more seasonings to spice up the chicken.Please let me know how it turned out. Thanks!
I thought that I came back…but I did not…LOL! This dish is absolutely delicious. I just added a little more spice like you said. The boys and my husband devoured it. I came back today to pull the recipe again…LOL!
Thanks Kymmie! Glad you liked it!
This is my kind of meal! It looks so delicious and savory! Love all the flavors of this meal. Sharing.
This is my kind of recipe! I don’t mind busting out the crockpot in the middle of summer for amazing recipes that are as gorgeous and flavorful as this!
OMG, yes!
I am always ready for a crock pot recipe – especially one that looks as good as this! This is going on my list of things to make ASAP
Sarah, you are going to love this one , please let me know how it works for you.
Yum, this looks very flavorful!
Thanks Kristin!
Oh, this sounds so good! Anything in one pot or a slow cooker is great but when it sounds this good, it is worth waiting out that long cook time!
Hi Chris! Waiting is the worst part, but it is all worth it at the end.
Imma you know I adore your culinary skills, thank you for doing this Jamaican recipe some justice, well done, looks divine.
Thank you so much Charlene! This Jamaican chicken needs to shine , you know how flavorful it is.
This looks really delicious. I’m loving all of your recipes and your photography great.
Thanks Cristie! So glad to hear this this.
This looks great, I am going to try it with the coconut rice. I think it will be fantastic together!
Yes, coconut rice and stew chicken are a perfect match! Let me know how it worked out for you. Thanks Elizabeth.
This recipe looks so flavorful and it’s so pretty to look at. I’m always looking for crockpot recipes for night when my son has things like soccer. This is perfect. Pinned!
Rachel you are so sweet. This would be great , let it cook while you take your son to the game.
Love your site…I have bookmarked to check each day.
Went looking for info on browning sauce and found a neat video and demo on how to make browning sauce using an empty can (even how to fold the lid to make a handle.
Besides the color how much flavor is added freom the sugar? would a touch of molasses give some of the same body and flavor?
Thanks Becky! There is a slight difference in taste, but not overwhelming. Molasses definitely adds flavor but some color but not the same as browning.
Oh Immaculate, I love slow cooker meals year-round! The winter for obvious reasons, but the summer is great too because it keeps the kitchen way cooler than turning on the oven, even just for even just 30 mins!
Love the color and flavors in this dish! I can imagine just how wonderfully tender and juicy it is! Pinned for sure!
Thank you so much kathleen. Totally agree with a slow cooker keeping the house cooler, than turning on the oven on.
Imma,
This recipe looks delicious! I’ve actually been looking for a quick and tasty crockpot meal to cook this weekend and I just found it!! If the browning sauce is not used, will the broth still have the dark brown color? If not, what can be used as a substitute for the browning sauce? Is it similar to a roux (but using brown sugar instead of flour)? Thanks!
Hi Cassandra! Browning definitely helps in achieving the rich dark color- It’s made with sugar, water and flavoring aka burnt sugar. Without the browning sauce it will look like this one here.https://africanbites.com/?p=8298. Hope this helps.
Immaculate,
I tried the recipe out the weekend and the flavors are delicious! I pared the meat with coconut rice and some cabbage. To further brown my chicken, I placed it in the oven on high broil after it cooked in the crockpot for a few hours. I didn’t have browning sauce so my sauce was more of an orange-ish color. I will definitely make this again!
This recipe calls for 1/4 cup of canola oil, in the directions only 2 tablespoons are used. Where does the remaining oil get used in this recipe? Should it be mixed withe the marinade ingredients ? Please advise
I have made adjustment to the recipe. Start with 2 Tablespoons and add more as needed to saute the spices and vegetables. Thanks! Happy Cooking!!!!!
Do you eat this recipe with rice?
Yes, you sure can Abigail! You can pair it with this Caribbean Rice and Peas >> https://www.africanbites.com/caribbean-rice-and-beans/ OR simply this Savory Coconut Rice >>> https://www.africanbites.com/savory-coconut-rice/ . Happy cooking!