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An easy and authentic Jamaican Brown Stew Chicken is generously seasoned with aromatic spices, then braised in a rich and savory yard style gravy. Experience the epitome of Jamaican cuisine by sampling this succulent Caribbean-style chicken stew. Serve it on Sunday for a comforting meal that will transport you to an island vacation with every bite!

Stewed chicken is a favourite amongst English speaking Caribbean islands. It is traditionally eaten with rice and peas (or peas and rice). Though times are changing and with cultural trends taking a different direction, don’t be surprised if the masses pair this with plantains.

I absolutely love Jamaican Brown Stew Chicken and other variants of island-style stewed chicken. Yes I am being biased, but there’s reason for me to be partial to my roots.

This chicken dinner is SO flavoursome, I promise you it will impress your guests. Heck, it’s the most delicious Jamaican brown stew chicken recipe you will ever make!!

What Is Brown Stew Chicken? It is a classic Jamaican stew made with chicken, vegetables and a heavy amount of aromatic spices. The end result is rich, braised chicken in what we like to call a yard-style gravy. No similar it’s what is featured in it’s cousin recipe called Brown Stew Fish The name brown stew derives from the distinctive dark hue that’s created from browning the chicken with brown sugar. I cannot emphasize the importance of yielding that detectable dark brown colour. It’s crucial for that wonderful deep coffee coloured gravy to accompany the browned chicken. The taste is heavenly, it’s not too spicy it’s more of generously seasoned dish with deep flavour thanks to the gravy. Sunday would be the day that we would serve brown stew chicken, although there’s no reason why you cannot make this any day of the week. Like most dishes, each Caribbean island has their own variation and some people like to include potatoes and carrots. For now, I’ll be showing you how to make it the Jamaican way.

It’s very simple to pull off! Once you master this the first time, you’ll be making this Jamaican chicken dinner all the time!

What Is Browning Sauce?

I do recommend preparing the chicken overnight and leaving it to infuse the flavours. To begin, we need to create the marinade. It’s a simple concoction that includes some homemade browning and coconut sugar. Browning sauce is crucial to achieving that depth of flavour, so make sure not to skip this step. Browning is used for that rich, deep colour and NOT the same as burnt sugar, which yields a dark colour and subtle sweetnote. Coconut palm sugar is a low glycemic index sweetener made from ‘tapping’ the sap of the coconut palm tree. This is by far more superior to the overly processed brown sugar, albeit expensive. Keep in mind it’s nutritional properties are retained through its minimal processing.

How To Make Brown Stew Chicken



1, The chicken is cleaned and washed using the lime and vinegar technique, a traditional way of washing chicken and one that I still uphold as per cultural practice. It’s now ready for the seasoning.

2, Add your condiments that form the marinade – pink salt, black pepper, scallions, coconut sugar and garlic.

3, Add the homemade browning sauce to complete what will be your marinade and let sit overnight.

4, The next day, scrape off the excess marinade and store in the fridge. As you can see in the photo above, the chicken has now taken on the slight tint from the sugar and browning.

5, Preheat the oven to 230 degrees C (450 degrees F) or gas mark 8. Put the chicken on a baking sheet with plenty of space as to not overcrowd and roast for 20-25 minutes until brown, making sure to turn over halfway through. Remove from the oven and set aside.



6, In a large skillet, heat the coconut oil over medium heat and sautee the onions until translucent in appearance.

6, Cook the remaining vegetables along with the ginger, pimento berries, dried thyme, tomato puree and hot pepper sauce.

7, Finally add the browned chicken, 1-2 Tablespoons of the chicken drippings and the remaining marinade before pouring the hot water into the pan. Reduce the heat to low, cover the pan and allow to braise for 30 minutes. Once ready, skim off any oil that rises to the surface. Serve with rice and peas!

Slow Cooker Style

There’s always the option of making this recipe in a Slow Cooker or CrockPot. There’s not much difference with the stovetop vs slow cook method.

You would still need to follow the exact same principles;

Marinate the meat with the ingredients listed below

Brown the meat in the oven (scrap off the seasoning prior to doing this)

Sautee onions then add the rest of the ingredients for a few minutes

Add the chicken + some of the dripping along with the sauted vegetables to your crock pot

Add the water switch and set to high and cook for 4 hours (keep eye on the liquid levels and add more if needed)

Healthier Than Frying Chicken



Yes, my version is!! As you already know, being healthy is my middle name, so expect a few adjustments to this traditional recipe.

For instance, I roasted the chicken instead of frying it in a large quantity of oil.

My philosophy is to avoid deep fat frying where possible. If there’s a healthier alternative, Charla will gladly pursue that root!

How Long Does The Chicken Cook In The Oven?

The chicken shouldn’t take too long to brown in the oven. The chicken takes roughly 20-25 minutes to cook in the oven.

Yes, it will take longer than frying, but as I said before, this is a great oil-free method to follow through while yielding the same results – a win-win situation!

Do I Have To Use Chicken Thighs?

No. You can use any part of the chicken – breasts, drumsticks, legs or even wings!

Serving Suggestions

Notes and Tips I recommend making this recipe Note that browning sauce is not the same as Worchestershire sauce.

This Caribbean chicken stew is Paleo and Gluten-Free!

If you cannot find pimento berries, use 1/4 tsp ground allspice instead.

use 1/4 tsp ground allspice instead. I substituted tomato ketchup for organic tomato puree, which doesn’t compromise the taste at all.

which doesn’t compromise the taste at all. Use warm water to keep the temperature consistent – a slow simmer will create a deep, enriched brown gravy.

– a slow simmer will create a deep, enriched brown gravy. Feel free to use dried thyme if you can’t buy it fresh.

if you can’t buy it fresh. This recipe is freezer friendly, simply down any leftovers.

More Jamaican Recipes

Jamaican Chicken Soup Jamaican Curry Chicken Jamaican Stew Beef Jamaican Oxtail Stew Originally published in April 2015, updated March 2020 with updated copy and recipe card.

**Don’t forget to comment below and star rate if you have tried my recipes. Let’s be friends and engage on Facebook and Instagram I also like to pin on Pinterest, where you can find more amazing recipes.**

Authentic Jamaican Brown Stew Chicken (Paleo) An easy Jamaican brown stew chicken recipe - experience the epitome of Jamaican cuisine by sampling this succulent chicken with yard style gravy. 4.9 from 19 votes Print Pin Prep Time: 10 minutes Cook Time: 45 minutes Total Time: 55 minutes Servings: 4 servings Calories: 849 kcal Author: Charla Ingredients Marinade 3 lbs chicken thighs washed and cleaned as instructed in the post 3 lbs chicken thighs washed and cleaned as instructed in the post

2 tsp himalayan pink salt 2 tsp himalayan pink salt

1 tsp black pepper 1 tsp black pepper

3 medium-sized scallions sliced 3 medium-sized scallions sliced

2 tsp coconut palm sugar 2 tsp coconut palm sugar

4 cloves garlic minced 4 cloves garlic minced

1/4-1/2 tsp browning sauce 1/4-1/2 tsp browning sauce Yard Style Gravy 2 tbsp coconut oil 2 tbsp coconut oil

1 medium sized onion sliced 1 medium sized onion sliced

1 small red bell pepper 1 small red bell pepper

1 small green bell pepper 1 small green bell pepper

a thumb sized piece ginger a thumb sized piece ginger

2 pimento berries or 1/4 tsp allspice 2 pimento berries or 1/4 tsp allspice

1/2 tbsp dried thyme or 3 sprigs fresh thyme 1/2 tbsp dried thyme or 3 sprigs fresh thyme

1 tbsp organic tomato puree 1 tbsp organic tomato puree

1 tsp hot pepper sauce 1 tsp hot pepper sauce

2 cups hot water 2 cups hot water Instructions Place the chicken thighs with all of the ingredients for the marinade into a large bowl and rub the entire marinade into the chicken, then store in the refrigerator overnight.

Preheat the oven on 230 degrees celsius (450 degrees F) or gas mark 8.

Scrap off the excess marinade and store in the refrigerator. Proceed to put the chicken in the oven in a roasting pan and roast for 20-25 minutes until brown, making sure to turn over half way through.

Once browned, remove from oven and set aside.

Heat a large frying pan with the coconut oil on medium heat and add the onions, sauteing for 1-2 minutes until translucent.

Then add the bell peppers, ginger, pimento (allspice), dried thyme, tomato puree and hot pepper sauce.

Flip the pan - stir and fold the entire contents.

Now add the chicken with a tablespoon or two of the drippings and scrap the rest of the marinade which was stored in the refrigerator into the pan.

Finally pour in the two cups of water and stir.

Reduce the heat to low, cover pan with the lid and allow to slowly simmer for 30 minutes.

The water levels will reduce by half and thicken slightly into a rich brown sauce as it simmers. Check the pan to see if any oil is suspeneded on the surface. If so, skim this off with a spoon.

Once the gravy has formed, remove from heat and serve accordingly. Notes Notes and Tips: I recommend making this recipe Note that browning sauce is not the same as Worchestershire sauce.

This Caribbean chicken stew is Paleo and Gluten-Free!

If you cannot find pimento berries, use 1/4 tsp ground allspice instead.

use 1/4 tsp ground allspice instead. I substituted tomato ketchup for organic tomato puree, which doesn't compromise the taste at all.

which doesn't compromise the taste at all. Use warm water to keep the temperature consistent - a slow simmer will create a deep, enriched brown gravy.

- a slow simmer will create a deep, enriched brown gravy. Feel free to use dried thyme if you can't buy it fresh.

if you can't buy it fresh. This recipe is freezer friendly, simply down any leftovers.

simply down any leftovers. Nutrition Calories: 849 kcal | Carbohydrates: 11 g | Protein: 57 g | Fat: 64 g | Saturated Fat: 21 g | Cholesterol: 333 mg | Sodium: 1469 mg | Potassium: 907 mg | Fiber: 2 g | Sugar: 5 g | Vitamin A: 1436 IU | Vitamin C: 68 mg | Calcium: 62 mg | Iron: 3 mg Tried this Recipe? Tag me Today! Mention @ThatGirlCooksHealthy or tag #ThatGirlCooksHealthy