Published: 07/27/2020 | Updated: 03/29/2024
Jamaican Brown Stew Chicken is a popular Caribbean dinner right up there with Jamaican jerk chicken! Tender, marinated chicken is bursting with flavor and spices and served with the most amazing Jamaican brown gravy! Try this chicken dish once and it will quickly become a family favorite dinner recipe!
It’s been about 4 years since the last time I was in the Caribbean, but I can still taste some of their food! It’s so packed with flavor and cooked to perfection. While we adored the jerk chicken, fried plantains and some of those tropical cocktails, Jamaican Brown Stew Chicken was another favorite that we’ve since recreated at home!
How to Make Jamaican Brown Stew Chicken
The key to getting those amazing depths of flavors is making sure you allow enough time for the marinade to work. If you get your chicken in the marinade the night before you want to cook it, not only will your next evening be easier, but you’ll be thrilled with the results!
This is not a recipe that you will find filed under “quick” or “less than 5 ingredients”, though. While it isn’t a hard jamaican stew recipe, there are a lot of ingredients needed to get all those flavors to meld together so perfectly. But I promise that it is so worth it! Try now this favorite meal at your home.
Ingredients for Brown Stew Chicken
- Bone-in chicken pieces
- Soy Sauce
- Honey
- Green onions
- Garlic cloves
- Salt
- Black pepper
- Brown Sugar
- All spice
- Smoked paprika
- Vegetable or canola oil
- Onion
- Carrots
- Ketchup
- Hot Sauce
- Chicken stock
- Bay Leaves
Whew! But if your pantry looks anything like mine, most of those ingredients are already staples in your house!
For the marinade, mix all the marinade ingredients from the soy sauce down to the smoked paprika in a large, resealable bag. Add your chicken pieces and turn over a couple times to make sure they’re evenly coated. Then refrigerate overnight or at least for 8 hours.
One kitchen tip, when I refrigerate marinated meat, I usually put my resealable bag in a large bowl just in case there’s even the smallest of leaks. I’ve had it happen before and it is no fun at all. I also go in the fridge once or twice while it’s marinating and flip the bag over to make sure everything is evenly marinated.
The next day, when it’s time to cook it, make sure you use a heavy-duty pan. This is actually a really important step otherwise your brown gravy and chicken might burn. You need to also make sure you use a pan that has a lid that fits well.
My Dutch Oven is my very favorite heavy-duty pan to use for this recipe. You can also use a cast iron pan if you have one with a lid that fits, but hands down I prefer using my Dutch Oven.
How to Stew Chicken on the Stove Top
Heat a small amount of oil in your heavy-duty pan and once it’s hot, add your chicken pieces in a single layer. You want to brown your pieces on each side until they have a nice, seared coating. I brown for about 2-3 minutes on each side for a total of about 10 minutes until it’s browned the whole way around.
Remove the chicken and then add the chopped onions and carrots to the hot pan. Stir and cook until translucent. Remove any excess oil from the pan.
Slowly add the chicken stock to the pan with the onions and carrots. I use a flat, wooden spatula to stir and scrape the bottom of the pan. You want to remove all those browned bits from the bottom of the pan so you get all that flavor added to your gravy.
Then add the remaining ingredients and stir to combine. Add the chicken back in and bring to a boil. Boil for about 10 minutes.
Reduce to a slow simmer, cover and cook for about 45 minutes. You want the chicken cooked through and the sauce reduced by about half.
Remove the bay leaves and serve over rice with a sprinkle of green onions on top!
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What To Serve It With?
Jamaican Brown Stew Chicken is a delicious and flavorful dish that pairs perfectly with a variety of sides. For a complete meal, serve it with white or brown rice, mashed potatoes, or roasted vegetables. You can also pair it with steamed greens such as kale or spinach for an added nutritional boost. For a lighter option, try serving the stew over quinoa or couscous.
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Jamaican Brown Stew Chicken
Ingredients
- 2 lbs Chicken Pieces bone-in
- 2 Tbsp. Soy Sauce
- 3 Tbsp. Honey divided
- 4 Green Onions Sliced, white and green parts divided
- 3 cloves Garlic minced
- 1 tsp. Salt
- 1/2 tsp. Black Pepper
- 1 Tbsp. Brown Sugar
- 1 tsp. Ground All Spice
- 1 tsp. Smoked Paprika
- 1/4 cup Vegetable Oil
- 1 large Onion chopped
- 3 large Carrots chopped
- 1/4 cup Ketchup
- 1 Tbsp. Hot Sauce
- 2 cups Chicken Stock
- 2 Dried Bay Leaves
Instructions
- In a resealable, gallon bag, add soy sauce, 1 tablespoon of honey, white parts of green onions, garlic, salt, pepper, brown sugar, allspice and smoked paprika. Mix well. Add chicken and toss to coat all chicken evenly. Refrigerate for at least 8 hours or overnight.
- When you're ready to cook, add oil to a heavy duty pan (Dutch oven or cast iron pan). Heat to hot and then add chicken making sure to brown on all sides- about 2-3 minutes per side until it is evenly browned. Remove to a plate.
- Add chopped onions and carrots to pan and saute until translucent. Remove most of the oil.
- Slowly add chicken stock to pan, scraping the bottom to remove all the loose bits. Add remaining 2 tablespoons of honey, ketchup, hot sauce and bay leaves. Stir to combine and then add chicken to pan. Bring to a boil and let boil for 10 minutes.
- Reduce to a simmer, cover and let simmer for 45 minutes or until the chicken is cooked through and the sauce is reduced by half. Remove bay leaves.
- Garnish with the reserved green onion slices and serve. We usually serve over white rice.
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