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.
Nobody 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, overnight (preferably) browned to enhance 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
Ingredients
Chicken Marinate
- 5-6 5-6 chicken thighs bone-in trimmed of excess fat= , bone-in
- 1 teaspoon salt to taste
- 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
Brown Chicken Stew
- 2 tablespoons or more canola oil
- 1 tablespoon brown sugar
- 1 large onion , diced
- 1 teaspoon minced garlic
- 2 tablespoons ketchup
- 1 teaspoon browning sauce
- 1 teaspoon fresh or dried thyme
- 1 teaspoon hot sauce , sub chili sauce
- 1 ½ teaspoon smoked paprika
- 2 small bell pepper, red or green , sliced
- ½ teaspoon white pepper
- ¾ cup chicken broth/water
- salt and to taste
Instructions
- Place chicken thighs in a large bowl or slow-cooker insert. Then seasoned with all marinade 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 overnight
- When ready to cook heat up a skillet or large saucepan with about 2 tablespoons oil, and then brown the chicken about 3-4 minutes until chicken is a golden brown: remove and place in the crockpot. Drain any excess oil from the skillet and leave about 2 Tablespoons of oil.
- Add onions, garlic, hot sauce, smoked paprika, bell peppers and salt to taste. Stir for about 2-3 minutes until onions is translucent.
- Then add to crockpot, deglaze the pan with about ¾ cup of water add to slow cooker, together with ketchup, brown sauce and any remaining marinade from the chicken.
- Cover and cook on high for about 3-4 hours. Remove and serve with rice and beans
Tips & 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.
- Please keep in mind that nutritional information is a rough estimate and can vary greatly based on products used.
Nutrition Information:
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 marinade from the chicken. 
Cover and cook on high for about 3-4 hours.
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Monica P says
I do not love to cook but I have been making your recipe for over 2 years and love it every single time! Even my very picky teens look forward to it when I make it! There are lot of ingredients but most are already in my cabinet/fridge and it really is a cheap meal and easy to prepare but delicious!! I allow chicken to marinate at least 24 hours and the flavors are incredible and even better as leftovers the next day. I am finally going to try other recipes from your site (dont know why I haven’t done that yet). Any favorites that you would suggest? Thank you so so much for one of my all time favorite recipes!
ImmaculateBites says
Aww, I am so glad this is a hit with your family! I can’t wait for you to try out other recipes. As for favorites… it is soo hard for me to choose lol!! I would say, start with what you have at hand, especially in the midst of all that is going on, and go with something easy.. something you feel comfortable with. I know you will do great! Let me know how it works out!
Esjay says
Thanks to Covid I was home and desperate to find something different to do with chicken breasts. This was the first recipe I found although I did not use a slow cooker. The list of ingredients looks long it is very easy and quick to pull together especially using a cast iron pan to brown the chicken. I used a separate saucepan to cook the onion/pepper mix. I gave it four stars because my husband felt it needed something. He added some sriracha and thought it made a great addition but he likes everything with heat. I will definitely make this on a regular basis- my gut feeling is pineapple would be an amazing finish on the dish–or maybe put pinepapple in the rice once it is cooked. Thanks so much for this recipe!!
Victoria says
Add a habanero pepper next time, only one, and don’t forget to take seeds out of the pepper
Imma Adamu says
Great Tip. Thanks Victoria
Dee says
My family loves this recipe. How would I adjust it for an instant pot?
ImmaculateBites says
Hello Dee. I am so glad this recipe is a hit with your family. Please check out this link https://amindfullmom.com/pressure-cooker-as-a-slow-cooker/ . on how to use your instant pot as a slow cooker. I hope this helps. Thanks for stopping by!!
Jeanne Menefee says
I would like to freeze it so I can prepare before my company arrives. Is this possible?
Thank you,
Jeanne Menefee
ImmaculateBites says
Hi Jeanne, Do you mean freezing the stew after cooking it?
Charlotte says
Authentic and DELICIOUS! My parents are Jamaican so we ate brown stew chicken for dinner most Sundays. I didn’t realize that’s what it was though, my mom always called it “cook up chicken”. Tasting this brought back so many memories. Definitely adding this to my rotation!
Zizi02 says
I made this dish and served it with Imma’s Caribbean Rice and Beans…goodness gracious! I enjoyed every bit of this dish. Very delicious! Thanks so much!
Hillary says
Wonderful! I cooked on low for 6 hours since I was going to be out of the house all day. It went wonderful with the Carribean rice, and the house smelled soooo good. It also makes excellent leftovers—a great meal prep idea. Definitely follow Imma’s advice to marinate the meat and to first brown the ingredients suggested.
ImmaculateBites says
Awesome! Thanks for the feedback.
Erich says
This was outstanding. The chicken (bone in, skin on) literally fell off the bones. And very flavorful. I found Jamaican browning sauce at Ingles. Served with Caribbean confetti rice and drinks called Jamaican Me Crazy! Quite a meal.
Kendall says
Great recipe! This is my second time around. I added potatoes. Please share out more crockpot recipes for us working moms.
ImmaculateBites says
Hello Kendall. I am glad you loved it. And thanks for sharing on the tip on potatoes. More crockpot recipes coming soon!:)
Viojon says
If I want to make this for about 15-20 people; would I have to increase the cook time in the crock-pot? ( i know i will need to increase the ingredient amounts)
Thanks
ImmaculateBites says
Hi Viojon,
No you don’t have to. The cooking time remains the same.
Karen says
Can you use boneless thighs?
imma africanbites says
Yes, you can, but please adjust cooking time.
Pearl says
What would you suggest the cooking time to be for the boneless thighs please?
Immaculate Bites says
It would be about 2 hours, you can check from time to time to make sure. Thank you, Pearl!
Danielle says
Greetings!
Can you make this with boneless breast? That’s all I have right now?
Chantelle says
Hi, it’s more flavourful with the bone for next time.
Terry says
do i really only put a half teaspoon of each seasoning in the marinade for SIX pieces of chicken? or do i multiply by chicken pieces help!!
ImmaculateBites says
Hi Terry, you use half a teaspoon of each seasoning . Do not multiply – 3 teaspoons all together.
Mary says
My whole family LOVES this recipe with your rice! So much flavor. I just discovered your blog and am going to be trying a ton more recipes! This was my first and I can’t wait to try more.
Kim can cook says
Giving it a try tonight in the dutch over. My chemo ran waaayyy long so I’m tryong to speed it up some. Looks and smells delicious so far. Thanks for the recipe!
Mae says
I am an Latina woman with a African fiance and let’s just say I have been following your recipes and it’s a hit EVERYTIME!! THANK YOU IMMA..
more crockpot ideas please.
Anouska says
Hi, I’ve cooked this recipe before and it was delicious, what can I use instead of chicken bouillon? As I can’t seem to find it anywhere.
Thanks Anouska
ImmaculateBites says
Hi Anouska .Leave it out if you can’t find it.
Robin says
I found it in the Chinese section of an international market. Hope that helps