This Jamaican Brown Stew Chicken is full of Caribbean flavor and a perfect main dish for any day of the week. It’s the perfect stewed chicken dish when you want to have a taste of the islands.
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We had brown stewed chicken quite often growing up and it quickly became one of my favorite stew recipes. It was on a weekly rotation in our house and we would have it more often than we had these amazing oxtails.
Brown stew chicken takes a little more time than most traditional stew recipes you will find. The meat is washed and then marinated in “seasoning” which includes chopped aromatics and a few dry seasonings. The meat is then lightly browned on the stovetop or in the oven, and then stewed for about 30-40 minutes until the meat is fall off the bone tender.
I’ve ventured from my parent's recipe by using boneless and skinless chicken, mainly because I’m not a fan of chicken skin in stew. You could use chicken with skin and bone on it, just expect to cook it longer.
How to Make Brown Stew Chicken
First, rinse your chicken with some vinegar and water. I’m sure some will wonder why. This is just a rule from my mom and almost anyone from the Caribbean. So I do it. No questions asked.
Place your chicken pieces in a bowl along with the brown sugar, browning, garlic powder, onion powder, salt, paprika, dried thyme, black pepper, allspice, garlic cloves, ginger, onions, and peppers. That's a lot, but oh so necessary if you want those deep flavors. Mix ingredients, making sure the chicken is fully covered. Cover and place in the fridge and allow the meat to marinate for at least 1 hour. If you can, allow it to marinate overnight.
When ready to cook, remove the onions, peppers, garlic, and ginger from the chicken and place in a separate bowl.
Heat a large skillet over medium heat, add oil, and then add chicken pieces and brown on each side, for about 2 minutes.
Remove chicken and add reserved seasonings to the pot and sauté until softened, for about 5 minutes.
Add chicken back to skillet along with chicken broth, water, and ketchup. Bring mixture to a simmer and cover and simmer for 30 minutes, stirring occasionally. Remove cover and simmer for an additional 10 minutes, to reduce the gravy.
Serve and enjoy.
Recipes to serve with:
Other Jamaican Recipes to Try:
- Brown Stew Fish
- Jamaican Curry Chicken
- Jamaican Jerk Chicken
- Rum Punch
- Corned Beef and Cabbage
- Callaloo and Saltfish
- Jamaican Banana Fritters
- Jamaican Stew Peas
or have a look at all my Caribbean inspired recipes.
Watch this video tutorial and see how I make this brown stew chicken from start to finish.
Brown Stew Chicken
Ingredients
- 3 lbs chicken thighs boneless, skinless
- 1 Tablespoon brown sugar
- 2 teaspoons browning
- 2 teaspoons garlic powder
- 2 teaspoons onion powder
- 2 teaspoons salt or to taste
- 1 teaspoon paprika
- 1 teaspoon dried thyme
- ½ teaspoon black pepper
- ¼ teaspoon allspice
- 1 yellow onion chopped
- 3 spring onions chopped
- ½ green bell pepper chopped
- ½ red bell pepper chopped
- 1 scotch bonnet pepper seeds removed and chopped
- 4 garlic cloves chopped
- 1 inch ginger chopped
- ¼ cup oil
- 2 Tablespoons ketchup
- 1 cup chicken broth
- ½ cup water
Instructions
- Add chicken, brown sugar, browning, garlic powder, onion powder, salt, paprika, dried thyme, black pepper, allspice, onions, green pepper, red pepper, scotch bonnet, garlic cloves, and ginger to a bowl and mix, rubbing seasoning into the chicken. Cover and marinate in the fridge for at least 1 hour or overnight.
- Remove peppers, onions, garlic, ginger and thyme from chicken and set aside. Heat oil in large skillet over medium heat and add chicken, brown for about 1-2 minutes per side. Remove chicken and add reserved onions and peppers to the skillet and sauté until softened, for about 5 minutes. Add chicken back to skillet along with chicken broth, water, and ketchup.
- Bring mixture to a simmer and cover and simmer for 30 minutes, stirring occasionally. Remove cover and simmer for an additional 10 minutes, to reduce the gravy. Serve and enjoy.
Notes
- Brown stew chicken is traditionally cooked with a whole chicken that has been chopped into smaller pieces. Feel free to skip this by using chicken thighs or legs.
- With any stew, dark meat works best as chicken breast can overcook and dry out. Dark meat also has more flavor. I generally opt for chicken thighs, chicken legs, and chicken wings when it comes to this recipe.
Gomesy says
Perfect. The recipe is amazing!
Tanya says
Thank you Gomesy! So happy you like it.
Dorcas says
I made this today and it is sooooo good. Thank you so much. Other stew chicken recipes just do not hit like this one. My family loved it.
Tanya says
Thanks so much, Dorcas!
Marsha says
Excellent recipes. I have tried the stew brown chicken, rice and peas and sorrel all are 5 stars
Tanya says
Thanks so much, Marsha! So happy you liked the recipes 🙂
Sarah says
Absolutely delicious! I made this tonight for dinner with rice and peas. I let the chicken marinate overnight and used a habanero in place of a scotch bonnet. It was like a hug! I batched the chicken in the skillet so it all got properly browned. Definitely making this again!
Tanya says
Thanks Sarah! So happy you liked the recipe 🙂
Caryl says
I can’t believe I made such an amazing meal. The leftovers tasted even better. This is a delicious recipe.
Tanya says
Thanks so much, Caryl! So glad you like the recipe 🙂
Grace says
Very good! We couldn’t find scotch bonnets so used habaneros instead. Flavor and spice were perfect. We will be making this again for sure.
Tanya says
Thanks, Grace! So happy you liked the recipe 🙂
Amanda says
This was amazing I added some potatoes at the end . The whole family enjoyed it . I also substitute for jalapeños peppers . Amazing and thank you for sharing this recipe with us.
Tanya says
Thanks Amanada, so happy you all liked it 🙂
Gwendolyn Blackman says
Tried your recipe for the brown stew chicken (minus scotch bonnets--just a tad too much heat. Used red pepper flakes instead) So very good. Thanks for sharing.
Tanya says
Thanks Gwendolyn, so happy you liked the recipe 🙂
Sean says
Hi!
Could I just ask when the spring onions are used?
Are they in the marinade, or just for garnish?
Many thanks... 😁
Tanya says
Hi Sean, the spring onions are used in the marinade. I hope you enjoy the recipe 🙂
Vicki Pringle says
Oh wow! This was incredible and my new favorite dish to make once a week. I order a Caribbean chicken in Tampa when I have meals catered to the office. I could eat the whole tray of it. So when i got home the last time, I searched the web for a recipe. This was the only one I could find that was closest to appearance and ingredients. Angelo’s sauce/liquid is more red than this but the flavors are almost spot on. I also used your browning recipe and so glad I didn’t have to spend money for some store bought stuff. Very simple to make. I always prefer homemade. Super easy to make and amazingly delicious. Oh, I couldn’t find Scottish peppers so I left them out and added a couple sprinkles of crushed red pepper. Husband and daughter loved it. I’ve served it over brown rice, Caribbean yellow rice and this week over some homemade hummus. The later was my favorite. Thanks again!!
Tanya says
Thanks Vicki! So happy you liked the brown stew chicken recipe.
Addie says
Hi, again, Tanya
When I made this wonderful recipe the first time I had a lot of the sauce left (only 2 of us) so I froze it an ice cube tray. Can I use these to have the dish again by simply cooking the chicken and using the cubes? I have ten cubes of sauce.
Hoping to do this tonight if you see this post in time!
Tanya says
Hi Addie! That should work fine. However, the key to the intense flavor is the marinade. Next time, I would freeze the chicken in the marinade and defrost in the fridge before cooking.
Addie says
@Tanya, Oh, well I didn't have any chicken left over the first time. Maybe I'll just defrost the sauce and let the raw chicken marinate in it before cooking it?
Mare says
This was wonderful, Tanya! I made your boiled dumplings to go with it. It was a big hit!
Tanya says
Thanks so much Mare! So happy you liked the recipes 🙂
Shanda says
I made this last night 4/25/23, first time with steamed cabbages. I used thigh fillet and wings. It was delicious. I tweaked the spices to my liking. Overall it was a 10/10.
Tanya says
Thanks so much Shanda! So glad you liked the recipe.
Layla says
Hi Caribbean Queen!
When you wrote "red pepper" and "green pepper," were you referring to bell peppers?
Thank you
Tanya says
Hey Layla, yes, it's bell pepper. Thanks for asking, I'm going to update that in the recipe card.
Joy says
First time I made a Jamaican dish and was absolutely delighted with the taste. (I must admit I cheated by using my instantpot.) Thank you for a great recipe!
Tanya says
Thanks Joy! So happy you enjoyed the recipe.
Bijou says
@Joy, how did you cook it in your instant pot? What time and settings?