This Jamaican Brown Stew Chicken is full of Caribbean flavor and a perfect main dish for any day of the week. It’s the perfect stewed chicken dish when you want to have a taste of the islands.
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You’ll find the full recipe with ingredient amounts and instructions in the recipe card at the bottom of this post. Be sure to check out the blog post itself for extra tips and tricks!
We had brown stewed chicken quite often growing up and it quickly became one of my favorite stew recipes. It was on a weekly rotation in our house and we would have it more often than we had these amazing oxtails.
Brown stew chicken takes a little more time than most traditional stew recipes you will find. The meat is washed and then marinated in “seasoning” which includes chopped aromatics and a few dry seasonings. The meat is then lightly browned on the stovetop or in the oven, then stewed for about 30-40 minutes until it falls off the bone.
I’ve ventured from my parents' recipe by using boneless and skinless chicken, mainly because I’m not a fan of chicken skin in stew. You could use chicken with skin and bone on it, just expect to cook it longer.
How to Make Brown Stew Chicken
First, rinse your chicken with some vinegar and water. I’m sure some will wonder why. This is just a rule from my mom and almost everyone from the Caribbean. So I do it. No questions asked.
Place your chicken pieces in a bowl along with the brown sugar, browning, garlic powder, onion powder, salt, paprika, dried thyme, black pepper, allspice, garlic cloves, ginger, onions, and peppers. That's a lot, but oh so necessary if you want those deep flavors. Mix ingredients, making sure the chicken is fully covered. Cover and place in the fridge and allow the meat to marinate for at least 1 hour. If you can, allow it to marinate overnight.
When ready to cook, remove the onions, peppers, garlic, and ginger from the chicken and place them in a separate bowl.
Heat a large skillet over medium heat, add oil, and then add chicken pieces and brown on each side for about 2 minutes.
Remove the chicken and add the reserved seasonings to the pot, then sauté until softened, about 5 minutes.
Add chicken back to the skillet along with chicken broth, water, and ketchup. Bring the mixture to a simmer, cover, and simmer for 30 minutes, stirring occasionally. Remove cover and simmer for an additional 10 minutes to reduce the gravy.
Serve and enjoy.
Recipes to serve with:
Other Jamaican Recipes to Try:
- Brown Stew Fish
- Jamaican Curry Chicken
- Jamaican Jerk Chicken
- Rum Punch
- Corned Beef and Cabbage
- Callaloo and Saltfish
- Jamaican Banana Fritters
- Jamaican Stew Peas
or have a look at all my Caribbean inspired recipes.
Brown Stew Chicken
Video
Ingredients
Instructions
- Add chicken, brown sugar, browning, garlic powder, onion powder, salt, paprika, dried thyme, black pepper, allspice, onions, green pepper, red pepper, scotch bonnet, garlic cloves, and ginger to a bowl and mix, rubbing seasoning into the chicken. Cover and marinate in the fridge for at least 1 hour or overnight.
- Remove peppers, onions, garlic, ginger and thyme from chicken and set aside. Heat oil in large skillet over medium heat and add chicken, brown for about 1-2 minutes per side. Remove chicken and add reserved onions and peppers to the skillet and sauté until softened, for about 5 minutes. Add chicken back to skillet along with chicken broth, water, and ketchup.
- Bring mixture to a simmer and cover and simmer for 30 minutes, stirring occasionally. Remove cover and simmer for an additional 10 minutes, to reduce the gravy. Serve and enjoy.
Nutrition
Notes
- Brown stew chicken is traditionally cooked with a whole chicken that has been chopped into smaller pieces. Feel free to skip this by using chicken thighs or legs.
- With any stew, dark meat works best as chicken breast can overcook and dry out. Dark meat also has more flavor. I generally opt for chicken thighs, chicken legs, and chicken wings when it comes to this recipe.
Vivienne says
I made this tonight after months of craving brown stew chicken I had in Grand Cayman. This recipe did NOT disappoint. It was super easy to follow and it’s almost worth making for the smell alone. It is absolutely delicious! Even my husband said it was one of the best dinners I’ve made. Definitely saving this recipe! Thanks so much for posting!
Tanya Harris says
Thanks so much, Vivienne, I'm so happy that you enjoyed the brown stew chicken and that it'll be a repeat recipe 🙂
EJ says
EXCELLENT!!!!
Forklift says
Impressive! Thanks for sharing this.
Christina Cerza says
I am a Polish-Italian American woman who learned about amazing Jamaican cuisine from a beautiful woman Ingrid, who lived with us when I was a single mama and is now my sister!! We like to joke that I am Jamaican by association!! Tanya, your recipes are incredible, and I’ve used them many times! Brown stew chicken happens to be my absolute favorite, and I make it with the traditional Jamaican rice and peas! I love reading all your pre-recipe comments because everything is exactly what Ingrid taught me!! The washing of chicken in the vinegar and water—“don’t ask questions, this is just how it’s done” is exactly what Ingrid would tell me. LOL! Anyway, thank you for sharing so much of Jamaican cuisine so the world can be blessed with these incredible flavors!! Happy 2026!!
Tanya Harris says
Thank you so much Christina! So happy you like the recipes. Such a blessing to have someone like Ingrid in your life to teach you about Jamaican cuisine. Happy 2026 to you as well 😊
Lauren says
What can I use instead of chicken broth? Can I use chicken stock instead? Really want to do this recipe. Also are your other recipes in uk measurements? When it says a cup?
Tanya Harris says
Hi Lauren, yes, you can use chicken stock in place of broth.