Brown Stew Chicken

This classic Jamaican brown stew chicken dish is incredibly flavorful. All the complementary sweet and spicy notes will make you want to whip this up for a weeknight meal and entertaining. And besides being delicious, it’s an absolute breeze to make!

Mouthwatering brown stew chicken ready to impress

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 chicken stew. The aromatic blend of garlic, ginger, pepper, thyme, and green onions makes my mouth water long before serving a plate of this stew.

Honestly, this stew is just 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 favorites.

Serving up insanely good brown stew chicken

Why It’s Called Brown Stew Chicken

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 deepens the flavor in meat and darkens the broth in soups and stews.

How to Make Brown Stew Chicken

Marinate the Chicken

Prep Chicken – Pat the chicken dry with paper towels. Next, place the chicken in a bowl and season it with salt and pepper according to your taste.
Season – Then add the chicken bouillon powder, ginger, garlic, white pepper, thyme, paprika, and green onions. Thoroughly mix everything with a spoon or your hands until every piece of chicken is well-coated. (Photo 1)
Marinate – Cover tightly and set aside in the fridge. Marinate for at least an hour or overnight. (Photo 2)
Ready to Cook – When ready to cook, remove particles from the chicken and reserve the marinade for later.

Make the browning base, then cook the chicken

Make the Stew

Sear Chicken – Heat the oil in a large pan (I used 12-inch cast iron), then brown the chicken for 3-4 minutes until golden. (Photos 3-4)
Set Aside – Remove the chicken pieces from the pan and set it aside on a plate.
Saute – Drain excess oil from the skillet, leaving 2-3 tablespoons of oil behind. Add 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 5-6)
Stir for about 2-3 minutes until the onions are translucent. Add the leftover marinade from the chicken and deglaze the pan with the chicken stock or broth. (Photo 7)
Add Chicken – Bring everything to a boil and return the browned chicken to the pan. (Photo 8)
Simmer – Cover the pot and simmer for about 25 minutes, until the chicken becomes fall-off-the-bone tender and the sauce thickens slightly.
Adjust Seasoning – Do a taste test and adjust salt, black pepper, and the soup consistency as needed.
Serve with rice, and enjoy!

Serving brown stew chicken with rice and peas for an amazing comfort food dinner

Recipe Notes and Tips

In a hurry? Make this recipe in the crock pot! Just toss all the ingredients into the slow cooker after browning the chicken. Cook it on high for 3-4 hours and serve over rice.
Leave out the hot sauce for a mild version of brown chicken stew.
Browning the chicken and sautéing the onions isn’t necessary, but this small step results in colossal flavor. So, I recommend not skipping it.
When you deglaze your pan with cool water, stir frequently. The broth combined with stirring lifts flavorful bits sticking to the pan, prevents it from burning, and makes your stew incredibly tasty.

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.

Slicing into a fork-tender chicken thigh with rice and beans

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

This classic Jamaican stewed chicken dish is incredibly rich in flavor. All the complementary sweet and spicy notes will make you want to whip this up for a weeknight meal and entertaining. And besides being delicious, it’s an absolute breeze to make!

Prep: 15 minutes

Cook: 35 minutes

Marinating Time: 1 hour

Total: 1 hour 50 minutes

Caribbean

Instructions

Pat dry the chicken with paper towels.
Then place chicken in a bowl and season with salt and pepper according to preference.
Then season with the chicken bouillon powder, ginger, garlic, white pepper, thyme, paprika, and green onions. Thoroughly mix the chicken with a spoon or hands until it is well coated, cover tightly, and set aside in the fridge. Marinate for about at least an hour (preferably overnight).
When ready to cook, remove excess marinade from the chicken and reserve for later. Heat up a large pan (mine was a 12-inch cast iron skillet) 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 excess oil from the skillet, leaving 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 2-3 minutes until onions are translucent. Add the reserved chicken marinade.
Deglaze pan with the broth or 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 is cooked through (no pink showing) and sauce thickens, slightly. Adjust for salt, pepper, and consistency with more broth or water as you cook.

Tips & Notes:

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.