Authentic Jamaican Brown Stew Chicken

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Brown stew chicken is a classic Caribbean braised chicken dish with a rich, dark, spiced sauce. It's typically associated with Jamaican cuisine but is also popular in other Caribbean communities. Often made with an entire chicken cut into pieces, this recipe simplifies the process by using only chicken thighs and/or drumsticks.

Jamaican brown stew chicken and rice and peas in a white shallow bowl with blue trim.

I first discovered brown stew chicken about a decade ago at a long since closed Jamaican restaurant in Providence, RI. It was instant love. Even though I enjoyed other menu items, like the jerk chicken of course, I would keep going back to the brown stew chicken!

In technical terms it's more of a braised chicken dish than an actual chicken stew because the chicken pieces are larger and typically bone-in. Regardless of semantics, it's a super traditional and truly beloved dish in Jamaica and around the Caribbean.

The chicken itself is so flavorful, juicy, and tender that it practically falls apart. It's really is the ultimate Caribbean comfort food. The sauce will thoroughly coat the chicken to give it its signature dark brown color, and will enhance the flavor of the chicken beyond compare. Without a doubt, this has quickly become one of my favorite chicken recipes to make!

Ingredient notes

Ingredients for Jamaican brown stew chicken on a white marble background.

Chicken: Although Jamaican brown stew chicken is often made with an entire chicken cut up into parts, you can easily use any types of chicken parts you prefer, but ideally dark meat. It's most conducive to braising and won't dry out the way white meat might. Use bone-in chicken thighs and/or drumsticks (skin-on or skinless). You may even purchase chicken leg quarters and divide them yourself into thighs and drumsticks. You can also make this recipe with boneless thighs. In that case perhaps reduce the cooking time a bit in that case since boneless chicken cooks faster. I've shared some notes under the Expert Tips section below if you want to make this with chicken tenders instead.
Browning Sauce: Browning or browning sauce is a key ingredient to brown stew chicken. Not only does it deepen the flavor of this stew, but it's also responsible for the dark brown color. Browning is a popular condiment in Caribbean kitchens, and is typically made with cane sugar, seasonings, and caramel color. Brands for browning sauce include Grace, Gravy Master, and Kitchen Bouquet. No browning? No problem? I share some details below in my Expert Tips and FAQs section on how to make your own!
Brown Sugar: You can use either light or dark brown sugar for this recipe. For longevity, store your brown sugar in its tightly sealed original bag placed inside a sealed freezer bag with all the air pressed out. The key is to squeeze out all the air from both the original bag (do the best you can) and then put it in another airtight container. This will keep your brown sugar soft and fresh much longer!
Scotch Bonnet Pepper: These intensely spicy chile peppers are traditional in brown stew chicken (and other Jamaican dishes). If you're unable to find them you can substitute habanero peppers which are similar. They're what I typically use because they're more readily available in American supermarkets than Scotch bonnet peppers. When the Scotch bonnet or habanero pepper is used whole as it is here, it lends a slightly fruity flavor without intense heat because the seeds and flesh aren’t exposed.

Closeup of a stewed chicken thigh with a bite of chicken pierced on a fork.

How to make it

In a large bowl or gallon-size plastic storage bag combine the chicken with all of the marinade ingredients.

This includes onion, scallions, garlic, ginger, brown sugar, browning sauce, salt, paprika, ground allspice, dried thyme, ground black pepper, and bay leaves.

Brown stew chicken marinade ingredients in a glass bowl.

Stir to evenly coat and gently massage the marinade into the chicken pieces. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap or seal the bag, and refrigerate for at least 1 hour or overnight.

Skin-on chicken thighs marinating in a large metal bowl.

Remove the chicken pieces from the marinade, scraping off bits of vegetables and herbs from the chicken. Reserve the marinade (do NOT throw it away!) and allow the chicken to rest for about 10 minutes so it’s closer to room temperature before cooking.

Six skin-on bone-in marinated chicken thighs arranged on a black cafeteria tray.

In a large heavy-bottomed pot, dutch oven, braiser, or enameled cast iron deep saute pan (this is what I use!), heat oil. Add chicken pieces to the oil and brown for about 2 to 3 minutes per side, or until golden brown. It's ok if they are very dark brown like mine, the sauce will even out all of the color (PHOTOS 1-2). Remove browned pieces and set aside. Drain off all but 2 tablespoons of fat.

Before and after photos of chicken thighs searing in an enameled cast iron pan.

Add the reserved marinade and give it a good stir, cooking for 1 to 2 minutes just until starting to soften. Then add the chicken broth and scrape up any browned bits from the bottom of the pot. Add the bell pepper, Scotch bonnet pepper, and ketchup. Stir until smooth (PHOTO 3). Add the browned chicken pieces and stir to coat (PHOTO 4).

Cooking braising liquid in an enameled cast iron pan, then adding seared chicken thighs.

When the mixture comes to a boil, cover the pot, lower the heat to low to maintain a gentle simmer, and cook for about 45 minutes. Flip the chicken pieces a couple of times throughout the cooking process. The chicken should be very tender. If desired, simmer uncovered for an additional 10 to 15 minutes to further reduce the sauce.

Discard the bay leaves and Scotch bonnet. Taste and adjust seasonings if needed. Serve with rice, preferably Jamaican rice and peas or coconut rice.

Please scroll to the bottom of the post for the full recipe (in a printable recipe card) including ingredient amounts and detailed instructions.

Brown stew chicken thighs in a blue enameled cast iron saute pan.

Expert tips and FAQs

Although it's not traditional, you can make this brown stew chicken with chicken tenders. They won't dry out as much as breasts and stay quite tender throughout the process (and may even fall apart a bit toward the end). Use about 2 pounds or about 12 chicken tenders. Brown the chicken tenders in 2 batches for about 1 ½ minutes per side. Simmer for about 35 minutes (instead of 45) and then finish cooking uncovered as directed above to reduce the sauce.

The spice level for this brown stew chicken is actually quite mild. if your chile bursts or breaks while cooking, you may end up with some back of the throat heat (ask me how I know). This is not what you want though, and the dish should be complex in flavor but without the spice. If you are extremely sensitive to spicy food, however, you may want to skip the Scotch bonnet or habanero pepper just in case it were to break while cooking. The result won't be quite the same as the Jamaican classic.

If your bay leaves are dry versus fresh, you may want to hold off on adding them when you first massage the marinade mixture into the chicken. They can break into pieces, making them harder to remove later. Add all the other marinade ingredients, massage, then add the bay leaves last, tucking them into the sides, before covering and refrigerating the chicken.

Optionally, you may also add 1 cup sliced carrots at the same time you add the sliced peppers to the pot. You can use a variety of colors for your peppers (½ each of a couple different colors) or just a single colored pepper, but when they cook down the colors may not be as noticeable.

I recommend wearing food safe gloves when you massage the marinade into the chicken, and for when you scrape the marinade off the marinated chicken. Your hands will thank me!

If using an enameled cast iron pot I recommend using silicone tongs for flipping the chicken pieces, and a wooden spoon for stirring and scraping the bottom. Do not use metal utensils with enameled cast iron.

How do you make browning sauce from scratch?

You can make homemade browning sauce if you're unable to purchase it. Add 1 cup packed brown sugar to a saucepan over medium-low heat and stir with a wooden spoon until it begins to melt and turn syrupy. If it starts to smoke, remove it from the heat temporarily to allow it to cool. Once the sugar is dark and syrupy, off the heat, add about ½ cup boiling water in a slow, steady stream, stirring constantly. Cool completely and then store in an airtight container in the refrigerator until you're ready to use it.

A pot of chicken next to a serving of it with rice in a shallow bowl.

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