Jamaican brown stew chicken is a dish that reminds me of friendship. My college roommate Sade was a gorgeous Jamaican woman who taught me how to make this dish. It was my first time having 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 of 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!
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!
Print Jamaican Brown Stew Chicken
- 2 pounds skinless chicken legs and/or thighs
- ¼ 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.
