Jamaican Brown Stew Chicken (Brown Stew Chicken)
Brown Stew Chicken Say it: brown stoo CHIK-en
Brown stew chicken is a Jamaican Sunday staple: bone-in chicken slowly simmered in a glossy, savory gravy until the meat is tender and the sauce clings to every piece. The chicken is first seasoned with scallion, thyme, garlic, allspice, and scotch bonnet, then browned in oil and cooked down with onions, carrots, and a little soy and browning sauce. The result is rich, slightly sweet, gently spicy, and deeply comforting, served with rice and peas or fried plantains.
Jamaican Brown Stew Chicken (Brown Stew Chicken)
Brown Stew Chicken
Pronounced brown stoo CHIK-en
- Serves
- 4
- Prep
- 25 min
- Cook
- 50 min
- Total
- 1 hr 15 min
- Level
- Medium
Also nut-free and egg-free.
Allergens: contains soy, gluten. Check labels on packaged ingredients.
Ingredients
Amounts are scaled. Cooking times and pan sizes stay the same.
For the chicken and marinade
For cooking
Method
Pat the chicken dry and place in a large bowl. Add the soy sauce, browning sauce, salt, black pepper, paprika, allspice, thyme, half the scallion, half the onion, half the garlic, and the scotch bonnet. Rub all over the chicken, cover, and marinate at room temperature for 20 minutes or refrigerated up to overnight.
Heat the oil in a wide heavy pot or Dutch oven over medium-high heat. Shake excess marinade from the chicken (reserve the marinade) and brown the pieces in batches, skin-side down first, for 4 to 5 minutes per side, until deep golden brown. Transfer the chicken to a plate.
Lower the heat to medium and add the remaining onion, scallion, and garlic along with the bell pepper. Cook, stirring and scraping up the browned bits, for 3 to 4 minutes, until softened and fragrant.
Stir in the reserved marinade and 1/2 cup (120 ml) of the water, scraping the pot clean. Return the chicken and any juices to the pot, add the remaining 1 cup (240 ml) water, and bring to a gentle simmer.
Cover and simmer gently for 25 minutes, turning the chicken once, until the meat is starting to become tender and the sauce is brothy.
Add the carrots and potato, then simmer uncovered for 15 to 20 minutes, until the chicken is fully tender, the vegetables are fork-tender, and the gravy coats the back of a spoon.
Taste and adjust salt and pepper; if the gravy is thin, simmer a few minutes more, and if it is too thick, add a splash of water. Let the stew rest off the heat for 5 minutes before serving.
Regional variants
Some cooks add a spoonful of ketchup or tomato puree for a redder, slightly tangier gravy; others use all chicken wings or a whole cut-up chicken instead of thighs and drumsticks.
Cook's notes
- For the deepest color, let the browning sauce and marinade caramelize on the chicken before adding liquid.
- If you do not have Jamaican browning sauce, cook 2 tbsp (25 g) brown sugar in the hot pot until dark and smoky, then brown the chicken; watch closely so it does not burn.
- Bone-in, skin-on chicken gives the best gravy; if using boneless thighs, reduce the covered simmer to 15 to 20 minutes.
Serve with
Steamed white rice, rice and peas, fried plantains, or boiled yam and dumplings.
Make ahead and storage
Cool, cover, and refrigerate up to 3 days; reheat gently on the stove with a splash of water. The flavor improves the next day.
