Authentic Jamaican Brown Stew Chicken

Make the best Authentic Jamaican Brown Stew Chicken with real Caribbean and island flavors from fresh herbs, veggies, browning seasoning and a few must-have seasonings. This rich stew is sure to become a family favorite dinner during the week. 

When I think of my Jamaican heritage, food is always at the center. From hearty curries to spicy chicken dishes, there's a lot to love about authentic Jamaican food. Growing up, Authentic Jamaican Brown Stew Chicken with white rice was a staple food including brown stew snapper fish, stew peas, oxtails, curry chicken, pigtails, and so many others that I enjoyed on a daily basis and for good reason. Brown Stew Chicken requires a little more than traditional stew recipes, but it's certainly worth it and it's a dish that both kids and adults-alike will love.

My Mother-in-Law actually makes my favorite stew chicken, which she makes a "darker" color by adding more browning sauce, however, I wanted to pay more homage to the traditional way of making Brown stew chicken-----one of my top faves! You'll want to start out by searing your chicken before creating the sauce and later letting everything simmer. And if you don't want to use browning sauce, you can literally "brown" your chicken using 2-3 Tbsps of brown sugar with the oil when searing. Of course, if you're a lover of traditional Jamaican dishes, you have to try this Authentic Jamaican Curry Chicken, Jamaican Rum Cream, Jamaican Cornmeal Porridge, and Creamy Jamaican Rasta Pasta.

So I had to make a traditional Jamaican recipe for Brown Stew Chicken. The ingredients in this dish are central to Jamaican cuisine and together make an intensely flavorful stew that will warm you from the inside out and it can easily be served with white rice, rice & peas, "cooked food" like dumplings, yam, and boiled banana, or keep things light with a few slices of hard dough bread.

What is Jamaican Brown Stew Chicken?

This dish is sometimes called stew chicken. It's a go-to dinner recipe in Jamaican and the surrounding islands. The name comes from the color of the sauce and the chicken, which gets nice and browned from searing in brown sugar, for a caramelized flavor and look.

Traditional versions are also made with veggies like carrots, garlic, onions, and potatoes----plus herbs + seasonings like thyme, scallion, pimento seeds, etc. In addition, I grew up watching my parents marinate the chicken with all of the seasonings about 1-2 days prior and refrigerating everything so that the flavors could "settle" in the chicken and cooking the sauce with ketchup as opposed to tomato sauce, which I prefer.

What is the Difference Between Brown Stew Chicken and Stew Chicken?

In case you were wondering if there was a difference---yes there is! With brown stew chicken, the cooking time takes a bit longer and the process for making it is slightly different (i.e. marinating it preferably overnight, the seasoning required, etc.).

Jump to:

• What is Jamaican Brown Stew Chicken?
• What is the Difference Between Brown Stew Chicken and Stew Chicken?
• Ingredients for Brown Stew Chicken
• How to Make Jamaican Brown Stew Chicken
• What is Brown Stew Sauce Made of?
• What is Jamaican Browning Sauce? How to Make Browning Sauce?
• How to Serve Brown Chicken
• Jamaican Brown Stew Chicken with Coconut Milk
• Common Q + A's for Brown Stew Chicken
• More Delicious Jamaican Recipes to Try!
• MADE OUR RECIPE(S)?
• Easy Authentic Jamaican Brown Stew Chicken

Ingredients for Brown Stew Chicken

The ingredients for this stew are important for developing the right flavor notes. Here's what you'll need:

• Chicken. You can use a mixture of thighs and drumsticks, just remove the skin first.
• Browning seasoning. You can find this at specialty markets or online at Amazon. You can also "brown" your chicken the traditional way by burning brown sugar and frying the chicken in that first instead.
• Carrots. For a hint of sweetness.
• Tomato sauce. If you prefer a sweeter flavor, use ketchup.
• Brown sugar. I like to use organic sugar.
• Red onion. In a pinch, a yellow onion or shallots will work.
• Garlic and scallions. Don't skimp on these!
• Thyme. I recommend fresh, but if you only have dried, use a half teaspoon.
• Flavo Rice. This is optional for Jamaican Brown Stew Chicken, but it adds to the signature Jamaican flavor. You can also substitute with all-purpose seasoning.
• Spices. The other seasonings in this dish come from smoked paprika, fresh ginger, allspice, bay leaves.
• Scotch bonnet. If you don't like spice, use less of the peppers.
• Chicken stock. Make your own or use low-sodium store-bought stock.

How to Make Jamaican Brown Stew Chicken

Cooking Jamaican brown stew chicken is generally an easy process---in total about 35-40 minutes:

• You first start by cleaning and washing your chicken pieces to ensure that they are clean and ready to be seasoned. I like to wash my chicken with both vinegar and lemon to help keep things clean and sanitized.
• Once your chicken is clean, then it's seasoning time! I'm all about seasoning every "layer" of my food, therefore, the chicken gets direct seasoning and so does the sauce. Let everything marinate for 5-10 minutes or overnight tightly wrapped in the refrigerator for the best results.
• In a deep skillet or pot over medium-high heat, add the olive oil and once fully heated, add the chopped onions and garlic, sautéing until fragrant and translucent, about 2-3 minutes.
• Add the marinated chicken and cook on each side until seared, about 3-4 minutes each side. Once brown on each side, add in the carrots, brown sugar, tomato sauce, and chicken stock, stirring everything together until combined.
• Let the mixture boil for a minute or so before adding in the thyme sprigs, scallions, scotch bonnet peppers, bay leaves, and reduce heat to simmer for about 20-25 minutes or until sauce thickens and the chicken is cooked through and tender, stirring occasionally. Remove from heat once done.

What is Brown Stew Sauce Made of?

In this recipe, I love using browning sauce to make the sauce darker in color, which is traditionally used in many recipes. In addition, the browning sauce helps to deepen the flavors in this dish.

What is Jamaican Browning Sauce? How to Make Browning Sauce?

Jamaican browning sauce combines brown sugar and hot boiling water to form a syrup-like sauce and it's used to enhance the flavors of many dishes like stews, gravy, cakes, etc. In addition, it give a rich color to your dish.

How to Serve Brown Chicken

You can serve this stew as-is. I like to add a veggie side and some rice to sop up all of the rich brown stew flavors. It would pair great with white rice, brown rice, traditional rice & peas, yellow rice, roasted veggies, mashed potatoes, or a fresh salad.

Jamaican Brown Stew Chicken with Coconut Milk

This specific recipe doesn't ask for coconut milk, however, much like my Authentic Jamaican Curry Chicken, you can always use 1 (14oz.) can of full-fat coconut milk  as a part of the sauce and reduce the chicken stock to about 1-2 cups. Adding coconut milk definitely creates a creamier sauce, which is a win, win for stew chicken.

Common Q + A's for Brown Stew Chicken

More Delicious Jamaican Recipes to Try!

• Best Jamaican Jerk Chicken Pizza
• Spicy Jamaican Beef Patties
• Jamaican Chicken Soup
• Traditional Vegan Jamaican Carrot Juice
• Vegan Jamaican Beef Patties
• Creamy Jamaican Shrimp Rasta Pasta

MADE OUR RECIPE(S)?

If you tried this Authentic Jamaican Brown Stew Chicken or any other recipe on my website, please please leave a 🌟 star rating and let me know how you go in the 📝 comments below. I love hearing from you.

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