The Best Jamaican Brown Stew Chicken Recipes

JAMAICAN BROWN STEW CHICKEN

Steps:

• Place habanero, thyme, garlic, ginger, light parts of green onions, brown sugar, black pepper, kosher salt, smoked paprika, allspice, and vinegar for marinade into a large mixing bowl and whisk to combine.
• Make 2 slices into the skin side of each thigh, perpendicular to the bone, about 1 inch apart, cutting all the way down to the bone. Add chicken thighs to the marinade and toss thoroughly until evenly coated. Place a piece of plastic wrap over the chicken and transfer to the refrigerator, 12 hours or overnight. If possible, toss several times during the marinating time.
• Remove the chicken from the marinade. Scrape off any chunks of marinade from chicken into the bowl and reserve for later.
• Heat 2 tablespoons oil in a large, deep, heavy-bottomed skillet or Dutch oven over medium-high heat until almost smoking hot. Add chicken and brown well on both sides, about 5 minutes, working in batches if necessary. Once all the chicken is browned, remove to the marinade bowl and reserve.
• Heat the same pan over medium-high heat. Add onion and a pinch of salt; saute in the fat until golden brown, 3 to 5 minutes. Add 1 tablespoon brown sugar and cook until everything caramelizes and turns a dark brown, 3 to 5 minutes more.
• Carefully add chicken broth, ketchup, and bay leaves to the pan; bring to a boil. Add carrots, bell peppers, browned chicken thighs, and reserved marinade.
• Reduce the heat to medium-low and simmer, stirring occasionally, until the chicken is tender and no longer pink in the centers, and the sauce has reduced and thickened, 1 to 1 1/2 hours, skimming the excess fat that comes to the top and basting the chicken with the sauce occasionally. Taste and adjust seasoning. Toss in reserved sliced green onions. Serve immediately.

THE BEST JAMAICAN BROWN STEW CHICKEN

Steps:

• In a large bowl or gallon-sized ziplock bag, add in the onion, bell pepper, scallions, garlic, brown sugar, paprika, allspice, ginger, and salt/pepper- to taste. Use your hands (fitted with disposable gloves, if desired) or a utensil to stir the ingredients together. Pat the chicken dry with paper towels and then add the chicken pieces and browning sauce. Use your hands to massage all the aromatics and spices into the chicken, massaging very well to ensure the chicken pieces are nicely coated.
• Cover the bowl with a lid/plastic wrap or seal ziplock bag and transfer to refrigerator to allow flavors to marinate for at least 2 hours or- more preferably, overnight (for the best results!). If marinating overnight, just be sure to go back and stir/massage the chicken at least once. This will ensure even flavor marination throughout.
• Remove the chicken pieces from the marinade mixture, shaking off excess onion/bell pepper/scallion bits- but do not discard the marinade, set aside. Set the chicken aside on a medium baking sheet or large plate/platter.
• In a large heavy-bottomed pot, dutch oven/braiser; heat the oil over medium-high heat. Once the oil is shimmering, gently swirl the pot around to evenly coat the bottom. Add a few chicken pieces into the pot, working in batches, careful not to overcrowd. Sear the chicken on all sides until a deep brown crust appears, about 2-3 minutes on each side. Transfer the browned chicken onto a clean, medium baking sheet or large plate/platter and repeat the process until all the chicken pieces are browned- adding a slick more of oil in between batches, only as needed. Then set the browned chicken aside and reduce the heat to medium.
• Add all the reserved marinade mixture into the same pot and use a wooden utensil to sauté until lightly tender, scraping up any caramelized bits on the bottom of the pot, about 2-3 minutes. Then add all browned chicken pieces back into pot, nestling them right on top of the marinade mixture, along with any residual juices that have collected. Add the carrots, tomato sauce, fresh thyme, bay leaves, scotch bonnet pepper, and chicken stock. Gently stir everything together until well combined.
• Reduce the heat to medium-low and cover the pot with a lid. Allow the chicken to stew for 1 1/2 - 2 hours, covered- until the chicken pieces are meltingly tender and falling off the bone.
• Discard the herb stems, bay leaves, and scotch bonnet pepper from the pot. If you'd like to thicken the stew liquid in the pot, place over medium-high heat. Cook, gently stirring, for a bit until the liquid reaches your desired consistency. Afterwards, taste and adjust with more salt/pepper, as desired.
• this brown stew chicken immediately. I love serving this brown stew chicken in shallow bowls alongside some rice and peas (and plantains, too!) with extra stew gravy poured right over it all. Enjoy!

AUTHENTIC JAMAICAN BROWN STEW CHICKEN

Steps:

• Squeeze lime over chicken and rub well. Drain off excess lime juice.
• Combine tomato, scallion, onion, garlic, pepper, thyme, pimento and soy sauce in a large bowl with the chicken pieces. Cover and marinate at least one hour.
• Heat oil in a dutch pot or large saucepan. Shake off the seasonings as you remove each piece of chicken from the marinade. Reserve the marinade for sauce.
• Lightly brown the chicken a few pieces at a time in very hot oil. Place browned chicken pieces on a plate to rest while you brown the remaining pieces.
• Drain off excess oil and return the chicken to the pan. Pour the marinade over the chicken and add the carrots. Stir and cook over medium heat for 10 minutes.
• Mix flour and coconut milk and add to stew, stirring constantly. Turn heat down to minimum and cook another 20 minutes or until tender.