Jamaican Brown Stew Chicken
The classic Jamaican brown stew chicken recipe is incredibly flavorful. All the complementary sweet and spicy notes you’ll want to whip up for a weeknight meal and entertaining. And besides being delicious, it’s an absolute breeze to make!
I love spicy things in general (just in case you haven’t figured that out yet). I come from a lengthy background of spice-loving people, which is one reason I am so in love with this stew. The aromatic blend of garlic, ginger, pepper, thyme, and green onions makes my mouth water long before serving up a plate.
This recipe is downright comforting! It makes your house smell amazing and will remind you of long weekends spent at home with family while your mom cooked everyone’s favorite meals. In fact, don’t be surprised if this dish turns into one of your own family’s favs.
Why It’s Called Brown Stew
Browning sauce is one of the major flavor enhancers of an authentic Jamaican brown stew chicken recipe. Thus, the name of a popular Caribbean condiment that blends caramel color, vegetable concentrates, and seasonings. This sauce enhances the flavor of meat and darkens the broth in soups and stews.
How to Make Brown Stew Chicken
- Season with salt and pepper according to your taste, then add the chicken bouillon powder, ginger, garlic, white pepper, thyme, paprika, and green onions. (Photos 1-4)
- Marinate in the fridge for at least an hour or overnight.
- Sear the chicken, reserving the marinade for later, for 3-4 minutes until golden. Set it aside. (Photo 5)
- Sauté the onions, garlic, thyme, hot sauce, paprika, brown 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. A scotch bonnet pepper is also a nice addition for more heat. (Photos 6-8)
- Add the leftover marinade from the chicken, and deglaze the pan with the chicken stock or broth. Bring to a boil. (Photo 9)
- Return the chicken to the pan and simmer for about 25 minutes or until it becomes fall-off-the-bone tender and the sauce thickens slightly. (Photo 10)
- Add the rest of the bell peppers and scotch bonnet if desired, adjust seasonings to taste, and adjust the sauce consistency as desired. Enjoy!
Recipe Notes and Tips
- Make this recipe in a slow cooker or Instant Pot for an even easier meal! Just brown the chicken and sauté the seasonings, then toss all the ingredients into the crock pot (on high for 3-4 hours) or pressure cooker (10 minutes on high, then natural release for 10 minutes).
- You can also make this in an Instant Pot following the same instructions as the slow cooker.
- Leave out the hot sauce for a mild version of brown chicken stew.
Make-Ahead and Leftovers
This stew will stay good for a few days in the fridge, so feel free to make it a couple of days ahead. Then, you can heat it up on the stovetop on medium-high heat.
Store your leftover stew in an airtight container in the fridge. It should keep for 3-5 days. I prefer reheating this stew on the stovetop on medium heat, but you can microwave it if in a hurry.
What Goes With Brown Stew Chicken
Honestly, this stewed chicken is fantastic all on its own. Still, if you’re asking me what’s on my dinner table, you’d probably find coconut rice, fried plantains, and steamed veggies.
I’d also be serving sorrel drink over ice because it is another island classic that is beautifully refreshing. And for dessert? Rum raisin cake with rum glaze for dessert.
More Soul-Satisfying Jamaican Recipes to Try
By Imma
Watch How to Make It
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This post was first published in May 2014 and has been updated with a new recipe, photos, tips, and a video.
Brown Stew Chicken
Ingredients
Chicken Marinade
- 1 3½-5 pound (1.75-2.5k) chicken, cut into 10 pieces
- salt and black pepper to taste (see notes)
- 1 teaspoon (2g) chicken bouillon powder
- 1-2 teaspoons (2-4g) minced ginger
- 1 teaspoon (5g) minced garlic
- ½ teaspoon (1g) white pepper
- 1 teaspoon (2g) fresh thyme (¼-½ teaspoon dried thyme)
- ½ teaspoon (2g) paprika
- 2 green onions, finely sliced
Brown Stew Chicken
- 2 tablespoons (30ml) canola oil (more if needed)
- 1 medium onion, diced (about 1¼ cups)
- 2 teaspoons (10g) minced garlic
- 1 teaspoon (2g) fresh thyme (¼-½ teaspoon dried thyme)
- 1 teaspoon (5g) hot sauce (or sub chili sauce)
- 1½ teaspoons (5g) paprika
- 1 tablespoon (12g) brown sugar
- 1-2 teaspoons (5-10ml) browning sauce
- 2-3 tablespoons (30-45g) ketchup
- 2 small bell peppers, sliced (red or green)
- 1-2 cups (236-470ml) chicken broth (or water)
Instructions
- Pat the chicken dry with paper towels, then place it in a bowl and season it with salt and pepper (see notes on how much salt).
- Add the chicken bouillon powder, ginger, garlic, white pepper, thyme, paprika, and green onions. Thoroughly mix the chicken with a spoon or your hands until well coated, cover tightly, and marinate in the fridge for about an hour (or overnight).
- When ready to cook, remove excess marinade from the chicken and reserve it for later. Heat a large pan (mine was a 12-inch cast-iron skillet) with about 2 tablespoons of oil.
- Brown the chicken for 3-4 minutes until golden brown, remove it, and set it aside. Drain excess oil from the skillet, leaving 2-3 tablespoons.
- To the same pan, add the 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 2-3 minutes until onions are translucent. Then, add the reserved chicken marinade.
- Deglaze the pan with the broth or water. Bring to a boil and return the brown chicken to the pan.
- Cover and cook for about 25 minutes or until chicken is cooked through (no pink showing) and the sauce thickens slightly. Adjust the seasonings and consistency to taste.
- Turn off the stove, and serve the stew with fried plantains and Caribbean rice and beans.
Tips & Notes:
- While the amount of salt and pepper is up to personal tastes, ½-¾ teaspoon of salt per pound of chicken is a good start. Then add a pinch at a time while cooking as needed, tasting as you go.
- You don’t have to brown the chicken and sauté the onions and spices before making the stew, but this small step results in big flavor. I recommend you don’t skip it!
- When you deglaze your pan with cool water (or broth), stir frequently. The cool water on the hot pan, combined with your stirring, will lift any flavorful bits sticking to the pan, prevent them from burning, and make your stew incredibly tasty.
- Please keep in mind that nutritional information is a rough estimate and can vary greatly based on the products used.
This is the best recipe for Brown Stew Chicken. I have been using it well over three years. I just noticed you changed the photos since I first discovered this recipe. Keep doing what you do we appreciate and love you.
Thank you Ms. Erica 🙂
Your recipes are wonderful. I made this stew chicken, and my Gen Z sons loved it. The layers of spices really blend well and taste amazing. I remove the skin from chicken before I cook it to reduce the fat content. The marinade really enhances the flavor.
Thank you for your culinary gift. It is greatly appreciated.
Thank you so much for your kind words, Linda. That makes my day 🙂
Fantastic recipe
Thank you, Brenda.
Thank you so much for this recipe! I spent this Thanksgiving with a new guy I am seeing from Ethiopia and wanted to make a dish that would impress and have more complex flavors he may be used to. I asked if it was good and he said “No, it’s VERY GOOD!” He took more with him to lunch at work today! Thank you for helping me make a good first impression.
Absolutely love this!! Thanks for sharing, Jewel :)!
I love this recipe and have made it several times. This time I put too much water. Have any suggestions on making it thicker? I feel like the rule is to add flour to make sauce thicker but not sure with this one.
I have one more recipe to add to my repetoire, and this one has been welcomed in like nothing else. With the house being chaotic, kids coming and going, parents being around to pick them up and whatnot, at least two other mouths were fed than I planned to – and both those guys were impressed.
Then there is having to account for several small, finnicky mouths – most of my nieces can’t handle anything spiced (different ball-game from spicy), so finding agreeable meals that aren’t bland is another challenge. At least with the oldest, she was a fan of this.
The chicken was tender, plus the different flavours with hot sauce, ketchup, browning sauce (which I made from scratch – slim pickings in New Zealand), paprika and the ilk created a complex tappestry on the palate. This sort of finding that has me excited to continue coming back into the kitchen. It is likely to get served up several more times in the future.
Hi Mikey,
I’m delighted to hear that this recipe has become a hit in your busy household and has impressed even the unexpected guests! It’s particularly rewarding to find a dish that appeals to a wide range of tastes, especially when catering to the preferences of children with different sensitivities to spices. Your effort in making the browning sauce from scratch, especially with limited resources in New Zealand, shows your dedication to creating a flavorful meal.
The combination of hot sauce, ketchup, paprika, and other ingredients creating a complex flavor profile is a testament to your culinary skills and creativity. It’s wonderful that this recipe not only satisfies various palates but also reignites your excitement for cooking. Knowing that it’s versatile enough to be served multiple times and still be enjoyed is the hallmark of a great recipe. Keep enjoying your cooking adventures and sharing these delightful meals with your family and guests!
This has been my go to recipe for quite some time. My family absolutely loves it.
“Thank you so much for trying out this brown stew chicken ! I’m delighted to hear it turned out great for you.
We love this stew! I don’t measure anything (which is why my baking skills are lacklustre). I just throw everything together but I do brown the chicken and sautée off my veg and seasonings – it makes a massive difference!! I cook quite slow in my oven and then grill the top so my chicken gets a nice crisp to it. I also add baby new spuds which although is probably sacrilege they just taste amazing having soaked up all that spicy juice!!!! Love. Love. Love this recipe.
Amazing!!!!! That looks absolutely delicious!! Glad you loved it. Looking forward to you trying more of my recipes.
It’s so delicious! Easy to make, we really love it and will make it again!
The variation I made was to cook it in a wok rather than the skillet so the chicken can be fully immersed.
Thanks Imma.
Thank you so so much, Anna! It’s a pleasure to have you here! Stay tuned and try my thanksgiving special recipes:)