Jamaican brown stew chicken is a dish that reminds me of friendship. My college roommate, Sade, is a gorgeous Jamaican woman who taught me how to make this dish. She introduced me to Jamaican food, and since then I’ve been hooked! This dish is a simple stew with complex flavors, it’s sweet, salty and spicy all at the same time. Stews are one of my favorite types of dishes, they’re a great way to stretch small amounts of protein to feed a big group of people. One pot meals like this Jamaican brown stew chicken are perfect for a quick weeknight dinner, and leftovers taste even better!
2 pounds skinless chicken legs and/or thighs
1/4 cup canola or sunflower oil
2 tablespoons soy sauce
3 tablespoons honey
3 sliced green onions, white and green parts divided
3 garlic cloves, grated
1 teaspoon Adobo seasoning
1 teaspoon Italian seasoning
2 cups low sodium chicken broth
1 onion, diced
1 red, orange or yellow pepper, sliced into strips
1 teaspoon dried thyme
3 tablespoons ketchup
1 tablespoon Tobasco hot sauce (use more or less to your taste)
3 dried bay leaves
White rice, for serving
Fried plantains, for serving
Season the chicken pieces with the soy sauce, 1 tablespoon of honey, green onion (white parts only), grated garlic, Adobo, and Italian seasoning. Allow the chicken to marinate for an hour, or up to overnight.
Heat a Dutch oven to medium-high heat. Add the oil in, then shake the seasonings off the chicken, and add the pieces into the pan. Brown each side for 2-3 minutes, then remove the chicken from the pan.
Pour the oil out of the pan, then add the peppers and onions. You’ll notice the bottom of the pan has a brown crust, that’s perfect, it’s what you want.
Saute the onions and peppers for 3-4 minutes, until translucent. Then slowly pour in the chicken stock, making sure to scrape the bottom of the pan to loosen the delicious brown crud (known in French as fond); this will give the stew its brown color, hence brown stew chicken!
Add the ketchup, honey, hot sauce, thyme, and bay leaves and stir to combine. Bring the gravy up to a boil, then add the chicken in. Bring the heat down to a simmer, then cook for 25-30 minutes, until the chicken is tender and cooked through.
Serve with white rice and fried plantains and garnish with the leftover green onion…One love!
Ingredients
- 2 pounds skinless chicken legs and/or thighs
- 1/4 cup canola or sunflower oil
- 2 tablespoons soy sauce
- 3 tablespoons honey
- 3 sliced green onions white and green parts divided
- 3 garlic cloves grated
- 1 teaspoon Adobo seasoning
- 1 teaspoon Italian seasoning
- 2 cups low sodium chicken broth
- 1 onion diced
- 1 red orange or yellow pepper, sliced into strips
- 1 teaspoon dried thyme
- 3 tablespoons ketchup
- 1 tablespoon Tobasco hot sauce use more or less to your taste
- 3 dried bay leaves
- White rice for serving
- Fried plantains for serving
Instructions
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Season the chicken pieces with the soy sauce, 1 tablespoon of honey, green onion (white parts only), grated garlic, Adobo, and Italian seasoning.
-
Allow the chicken to marinate for an hour, or up to overnight.
-
Heat a Dutch oven to medium-high heat.
-
Add the oil in, then shake the seasonings off the chicken, and add the pieces into the pan. Brown each side for 2-3 minutes, then remove the chicken from the pan.
-
Pour the oil out of the pan, then add the peppers and onions. You'll notice the bottom of the pan has a brown crust, that's perfect, it's what you want.
-
Saute the onions and peppers for 3-4 minutes, until translucent. Then slowly pour in the chicken stock, making sure to scrape the bottom of the pan to loosen the delicious brown crud (known in French as fond); this will give the stew its brown color, hence brown stew chicken!
-
Add the ketchup, honey, hot sauce, thyme, and bay leaves and stir to combine.
-
Bring the gravy up to a boil, then add the chicken in.
-
Bring the heat down to a simmer, then cook for 25-30 minutes, until the chicken is tender and cooked through.
-
Serve with white rice and fried plantains and garnish with the leftover green onion.
30 Responses
this dish came out absolutely delish !! and was not hard to make at all ! my bf totally loved it !
Could I used boneless/skinless chicken breasts for this? I get that the flavour might not be as intense. What are your thoughts? 🙂
I think the chicken would be too dry if you use chicken breast, but if you try it, let me know! I would probably recommend using boneless skinless chicken thighs instead. They tend to hold up better in stews.
I have made this several times one thing I do different is at a little bit of crab boil to it okra and some seafood and now is like a gumbo
OMG that sounds amazing!!!!
Finally, I am leaving a review. I have made this probably over 7 times the past year, and it is fabulous each and every time. Getting that fond, is the key for sure. I even passed this recipe to my mom, who is not willing to try new flavors, and she even loved this. I’ve never had this anywhere else, but why would I. Great go to recipe!
Thank you so much! This means the world to me!
So, you don’t cook the marinade? Is this just discarded then?
Hi Amy! The marinade doesn’t consist of a lot of liquid, so there’s nothing to discard. Just shake off any excess beforehand putting the chicken in the pan.
Thank you for the quick reply! It’s marinating now, can’t wait to taste the results x
I don’t understand where the gravy came from? So if you fry it down first, where did u make the gravy?
Hi Laura, the gravy comes from adding 2 cups of chicken stock (see the recipe card).
Just finished up this recipe… smells great and tasted even better! This is how you do brown stew chicken!
I tried this dish in a restaurant and this was a very close recipe. To make it exact I added 2 teaspoons of liquid smoke! AWESOME!
It’s looking kinda watery not sure where I went wrong, any way to thicken it? Lol
Hi Ashley, you can continue cooking the liquid until it reduces to your liking. Or add a corn starch slurry.
Amazing!!! I have been looking for the perfect brown stew recipe and you nailed it. Thank you thank you thank you.
Thank you Marlene!
Is it ok that the brown crust was a little burnt?
Hi Shenika,
As long as it’s brown and not black, you’re fine.
I’m 18 and love cooking for my friends and boyfriend, this recipe is so simple and yummy, everyone loved it! Thank you so much ! Xx
Glad your enjoyed it!
Is there a way to make this without a dutch oven?
Hi Jessica, you can make this in any sauce pan with a lid.
This recipe has become a staple in my house! The whole family loves it, especially when I pair it with your fried green plantain recipe. Thank you laying out all the steps so clearly.
So glad you love it! Happy cooking!
Well done Jannese! Your recipe is legit. That’s the way you make true authentic brown stew chicken.
Thanks Stephen!
I made this tonight an it’s delicious with a strawberry salad
This looks great! I hope to try it in the near future. Thanks.