Homemade Jamaican Browned Chicken Stew is a rich and savory chicken recipe that’s packed with the Caribbean flavors of jerk seasoning, ginger, and browning sauce. The perfect one-pot comfort food dinner!
Jerk chicken stew is a comforting one-pot meal that is easy to make and bursting with bold flavor.
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Best Homemade Brown Chicken Stew
A pot of homemade brown chicken stew slowly simmering on the stove will fill your kitchen with comforting aromas of caramelized spices, fresh ginger, and garlic, and transport you to the Caribbean islands.
This homemade brown chicken stew is rich, bold, and full of Caribbean flavor that will fill your kitchen and instantly making everyone hungry!
This recipe is inspired by the classic Caribbean-style brown stew chicken that is known for its bold seasoning, deep color, and tender chicken.
This easy weeknight chicken stew is the type of recipe that soothes the soul and feels like a warm hug in a bowl.
The balance of sweet and savory flavor with a hint of spice, that comes together as the sauce simmers is what makes this stew special.
Every forkful is layered with warmth from Jamaican jerk seasoning, brightness from fresh ginger and sweetness from bell peppers.
This hearty stew pairs beautifully with noodles, rice, mashed potatoes, or a crusty bread.
This comfort food chicken recipe is perfect for busy weeknights or leisurely weekend dinners.
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How to make Jamaican brown stew chicken recipe
This is a quick overview of how to make this one pot chicken stew recipe. Scroll down for the full recipe instructions and ingredient amounts in the recipe card below.
- Step 1: Combine the chicken bell pepper and onion with the seasonings. Marinate at least 1 hour - overnight.
- Step 2: Cook the chicken mixture, in batches, until the chicken is browned and vegetables beging to soften.
- Step 3: Return the batches of chicken to the pot and add the broth and tomato paste.
- Step 4: Bring to a boil then reduce heat to medium-low and simmer, covered, 30 minutes or until chicken is cooked through and a sauce has formed.
Hint: Brown the chicken well before simmering. This will help to build a deep flavor and give the stew its signature rich color.
Expert recipe tips
- For a pretty presentation, especially if you are entertaining, garnish with a sprig or two of fresh thyme.
- Brown the chicken well before simmering. This will help to build a deep flavor and give the stew its signature rich color.
- Let the stew simmer gently. A gentle simmer keeps the chicken tender and juicy. Be sure not to have it at a boil.
- The longer you marinate the chicken mixture, the more intense the flavors will become. One hour is the minimum amount of time that I recommend. If you can marinate overnight, even better!
- You can always taste at the end of the cooking time and adjust seasoning to your personal preference.
- If you prefer a thicker stew, just simmer it uncovered for an additional 10 minutes. This will allow more of the liquid to cook off.
- You can finely mince or grate the fresh ginger. Just be sure that it is very small so that the flavor combines evenly to add brightness and depth throughout the sauce.
- The flavors deepen overnight, making this stew even better the next day.
- I love to serve this easy chicken stew recipe over hot cooked white rice, coconut rice, with buttered noodles or mashed potatoes. True comfort food!
- This recipe makes 6 cups of stew. 8 servings will give you 3/4 cup of stew per serving.
- If you have hungry eaters, this can serve 6 people with 1 cup of stew per serving.
- You can soak up the flavorful sauce with a crusty bread! Yum!
Substitutions
- Boneless skinless chicken thighs – You can substitute boneless chicken thighs with bone-in thighs or chicken legs for deeper flavor. Leave the chicken pieces whole (because of the bones) and be sure to add additional cooking time.
- Red bell pepper – You can substitute yellow bell pepper or orange bell pepper for red bell pepper. These three colors of peppers are all on the sweeter side. If you like the harsher flavor of green bell pepper, then go ahead and sub it for red bell pepper.
- Brown sugar – You can replace brown sugar with honey, coconut sugar, or 100% pure maple syrup.
- Jamaican jerk seasoning – I prefer to use my homemade jerk seasoning so that I can control the spice and heat levels but you can easily swap out homemade for store-bought jerk seasoning.
- Browning sauce – If you don’t have browning sauce you can combine soy sauce with a bit of molasses.
- Fresh ginger – Ground ginger can replace fresh ginger, however, you will not get a true fresh ginger flavor.
- Chicken broth - Vegetable broth can replace chicken broth.
- Fresh garlic - You can replace fresh minced garlic with garlic powder
Variations
- Spicy Brown Chicken Stew - Add a Scotch bonnet pepper or habanero pepper for an authentic Caribbean spice and heat.
- Vegetable Brown Chicken Stew – For a vegetable-heavy stew and extra heartiness, add additional vegetables, such as carrots, potatoes, or sweet potatoes.
- Slow Cooker Chicken Stew – Youcan easily make this recipe in your slow cooker. I recommend that you brown the chicken on your stovetop first to help start the layering of flavors. Transfer the chicken and vegetables to your slow cooker. Reduce the broth amount that you use by half. Stir the broth and tomato paste together and pour over the chicken and vegetables. Cook on low for 8 hours or on high for 4 hours.
- Tomato Chicken Stew - Add a small can of tomato sauce or a small can of diced tomatoes for a slightly tangier sauce.
Storage
- Refrigerator - Store any leftover brown chicken stew in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 3 days.
- Freezer - You can freeze leftover stew in a freezer-safe container for up to 3 months.
- Reheating – To reheat, transfer the stew to a saucepot and gently reheat over medium heat on your stovetop, stirring occasionally. You can also reheat the stew in the microwave.
- As always, see more guidelines at USDA.gov.
Ingredients
Ingredients for homemade brown chicken stew
- Boneless Skinless Chicken Thighs – Boneless skinless chicken thighs aretender and flavorful.
- Onion - Onion adds a sweet and savory base to the stew and also helps to build the stew’s depth of flavor as the onion softens and caramelizes.
- Red Bell Pepper – Red bell pepperadds a subtle sweetness and vibrant color.
- Brown Sugar – Brown sugar helps with the caramelization and it also balances the savory jerk seasoning with a touch of sweetness.
- Jamaican Jerk Seasoning – Jamaica jerk seasoning is the spice blend that brings a Caribbean flair to this recipe with its warmth and smokiness.
- Garlic – Garliclends a bold aromatic flavor that deepens as it simmers into the sauce.
- Browning Sauce – Browning sauce, such as Kitchen Bouquet, is a bottled concentrate that gives the stew its signature dark color.
- Fresh Ginger – Fresh ginger adds brightness and a subtle kick to the sauce.
- Olive Oil – The oil is used to sauté and brown the chicken which helps to create the flavorful foundation.
- Chicken Broth – Broth isthe liquid base of the stew that forms the sauce.
- Tomato Paste – Tomato paste adds thickness and a subtle tang to the sauce.
Easy Chicken Recipes
What to serve with chicken stew
Browned Chicken Stew Recipe
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Ingredients
- 2 pounds Boneless skinless chicken thighs cut into bite size pieces
- 1 onion chopped, 1 cup
- 1 red bell pepper seeded and chopped, 1 cup
- 2 Tablespoons packed brown sugar
- 2 Tablespoons Jamaican Jerk Seasoning
- 2 cloves garlic minced
- 1 Tablespoon browning sauce
- 1 Tablespoon minced fresh ginger
- 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
- 2 Tablespoons olive oil , divided
- 1 1/2 cups chicken broth
- 1/4 cup tomato paste
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Instructions
- In a mixing bowl combine the chicken, onion, bell peppers, brown sugar, garlic, Jerk Seasoning, fresh ginger and kosher salt, stirring until combined.
- Cover and refrigerate for at least 1 hour or overnight. The longer you marinate the chicken mixture, the more intense the flavors will become.
- In a large dutch oven or large heavy-bottomed pot, heat the remaining 1 Tablespoon oil over medium-high heat.
- In batches, cook the chicken and vegetables until the chicken is browned and the vegetables begin to soften, about 7 minutes per batch, stirring occasionally.
- Return all of the chicken and vegetables to the pot.
- Stir in the broth and tomato paste and bring to a boil.
- Reduce heat to medium and simmer, covered, for 30 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the chicken is cooked through and a sauce has formed.
- Serve with hot cooked rice, buttered noodles or mashed potatoes.
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