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Brown Stew Chicken

Brown stew chicken made the Jamaican way with a deep mahogany gravy from caramelized sugar and browning sauce. Marinated chicken thighs braise until fall-apart tender with sautéed peppers, onion, garlic, and thyme.
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Prep Time 20 minutes
Cook Time 50 minutes
Marinating 2 hours
Total Time 3 hours 10 minutes
Servings: 4 servings
Course: Main Dish
Cuisine: Jamaican
Calories: 650
Ingredients Equipment Method Notes

Ingredients
  

Chicken thighs and drumsticks
  • 3 lb bone-in chicken thighs and drumsticks
Vegetables and aromatics
  • 1 green bell pepper
  • 1 red bell pepper
  • 1 onion
  • 4 cloves garlic
  • 3 green onions
  • 1 scotch bonnet or habanero pepper optional
Marinade
  • 2 tsp browning sauce
  • 1 tsp all-purpose seasoning
  • 1 tsp garlic powder
  • 1 tsp onion powder
  • 1 tsp dried thyme
  • 0.25 tsp salt
  • 0.25 tsp pepper
Cooking base
  • 2 cup chicken broth
  • 2 tbsp vegetable oil
  • 1 tbsp sugar for browning
  • 1 fresh thyme for garnish

Equipment

  • 1 Dutch oven

Method
 

Marinate the chicken
  1. Marinate chicken with browning sauce, all-purpose seasoning, garlic powder, onion powder, dried thyme, salt, and pepper until evenly coated. Refrigerate for at least 2 hours or overnight.
Caramelize and brown
  1. Heat vegetable oil in a large skillet or Dutch oven over medium heat. Add sugar and let it caramelize until golden brown.
  2. Add the marinated chicken pieces to the caramel oil and brown until deeply golden on all sides. Remove the chicken to a plate.
Stew
  1. Sauté onion, green bell pepper, red bell pepper, cloves garlic, green onions, and scotch bonnet or habanero pepper for 4 minutes. Stir until fragrant and slightly softened.
  2. Return chicken to the pot, add chicken broth, and bring to a boil. Let the boil start bubbling through the gravy.
  3. Reduce heat to low, cover, and simmer for 35-40 minutes until chicken is fall-apart tender and the gravy is thick. Watch for the sauce to coat the spoon and reduce visibly.
Serve
  1. Serve the brown stew chicken with rice and garnish with fresh thyme. Add a final sprinkle of thyme for a visible green finish.

Notes

For the best mahogany color, cook the sugar until golden brown (not burnt) before browning the chicken. Refrigerate leftovers in an airtight container up to 4 days; freeze for up to 3 months. For a lower-sugar option, reduce the sugar used for browning by half while still allowing it to caramelize fully.