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
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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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Nora says
Hello imma actually i did not try any jamaican food in my whole life but i will definitely give it a try and the good part is i love chicken.
Kfaison says
Omg, I made this and let’s just say my family thought we was at a Caribbean restaurant thanks for this recipe ❣️
supastasma says
I made this and I’m making it again Saturday. I also added a can of coconut milk and potatoes during the last hour in the crock ….served over a bed of rice with a side of cabbage and vegetables.
ImmaculateBites says
That sounds delicious! So happy to hear it worked out well for you.
Chelcie says
I made this dish for the first time tonight, along with the rice and peas recipe (recommended to go alongside) and it went down a treat. Me, my partner and daughter loved it ! This is a brilliant recipe and look forward to following and cooking more of your tasty recipes. A big up from me in the UK.
ImmaculateBites says
Yay! Thank you so much Chelcie. Can’t wait to hear which ones you try out.
Evita Montgomery says
I just tried your recipe last night and it was a HIT!! I am soooooo proud of my self because this was my first time ever making a Jamaican/Carribean dish!!!! Needless to say , my husband was HAPPY and FULL!!! This is going in my recipe files.
Thanks Imma!!!
ImmaculateBites says
That’s terrific to hear Evita! Glad to hear you nailed it .
Carrie says
Hi.
Can I use Soya sauce instead of browning sauce?
I cannot wait to try this recipe, it looks delicious.
LauraHS says
Delicious, the whole family loved it. Will be making more of your recipes going forward!
imma africanbites says
Wohooo! Can’t wait for you to try my other recipes.
Deborah says
Delicious. Thanks
EMMA TANN says
I love it very flavorful
MARY says
What is browning sauce?
imma africanbites says
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.
Cristina says
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
ImmaculateBites says
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 !!!
Chef Sheen says
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
imma africanbites says
Glad to hear it was a hit to the kids,Chef Sheen. Send my warm regards to your girlfriend. Happy cooking! 🙂
Hightower says
Followed the recipe except for Browning sauce and green onions. It still turned out great! Hubby requested this dish and he liked it.
imma africanbites says
I’m so glad you both liked it! Thank you for taking the time to share your feedback.
Natasha says
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?
imma africanbites says
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. 🙂
Jill says
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
imma africanbites says
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.
Sasha Ramos says
No crockpot how would I go about cooking it on the stove top
ImmaculateBites says
Check out this other recipe here https://www.africanbites.com/jamaican-browned-chicken-stew/, no crockpot needed.
BJB says
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.
ImmaculateBites says
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
Monica says
This looks delicious and will definitely give this a go this week! Can you pressure cook instead and if so for how long?
ImmaculateBites says
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.