Jamaican brown stew chicken
75 min · 43 g protein · 495 cals / serving
Chicken browned in dark caramelised sugar until mahogany, then stewed down with sweet peppers, carrot, tomato, thyme, allspice and a fiery hint of Scotch bonnet into a glossy, rich brown gravy. Spoon it over rice with a side of soft, peppery Jamaican steamed cabbage, the way it is served for Sunday dinner across the island.
Ingredients
Chicken
- 14 oz chicken thigh, skinless, boneless thighs, halved
- 2/3 lb chicken breast, in large chunks
- 3 cloves garlic, minced
- 6 sprigs fresh thyme, leaves
- 1 tsp ground allspice
- 1 tsp paprika
- 1 tbsp reduced sodium soy sauce
- 1 tsp Worcestershire sauce
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 1/2 tsp black pepper
Stew
- 1 tsp canola oil
- 2 1/2 tsp brown sugar
- 1 large onion, sliced
- 1 red bell pepper, sliced
- 1 bell pepper, green, sliced
- 2 medium carrots, sliced
- 1/2 Scotch bonnet red chili pepper, seeded and minced, to taste
- 1 large tomato, chopped
- 1 tbsp ketchup
- 1 cup water
- 3 green onions, sliced
To serve
- 2/3 cup jasmine rice
Steps
- Rub the chicken with the garlic, thyme, allspice, paprika, soy sauce, Worcestershire sauce, salt and pepper. Leave at least 30 minutes, or overnight in the fridge.
- Heat the oil in a heavy pot over medium-high heat, sprinkle in the brown sugar and let it melt and darken to a deep amber, 1–2 minutes (do not let it burn). Shake the marinade off the chicken (keep it) and brown the pieces in the caramel in batches, 3 minutes a side, until dark and glossy. Set aside.
- Add the onion, both peppers, carrot and Scotch bonnet to the pot and cook 5 minutes, scraping up the brown bits.
- Add the tomato, ketchup, the leftover marinade, the water and the thighs. Cover and simmer 10 minutes, then add the breast pieces, cover and simmer 15 minutes more. Uncover and simmer 5–10 minutes more until the gravy is thick and the chicken is tender (165°F). Stir in the green onion.
- Meanwhile, cook the rice. For the cabbage, put the onion, carrot, cabbage, salt and 3 tbsp water in a wide pan, cover and steam 8–10 minutes, stirring once, until tender. Serve the chicken and gravy over rice with the cabbage.
Good to know
How hot is it?
Half a seeded Scotch bonnet gives a warm, fruity heat. For a milder pot, drop the pepper in whole and lift it out before serving; for more, add the seeds.
Can I use bottled browning?
Yes, it is what many Jamaican cooks use. Skip the sugar and add 1–2 tsp browning sauce to the marinade; it's about the same score.
Rice and peas instead of plain rice?
Of course, it is the classic Sunday partner. Cook the rice with a can of drained kidney beans, a little coconut milk, thyme and allspice.
Alternatives
Per
- Calories
- 71
- Protein
- (36%)
- 6 g
- Fat
- (20%)
- 1 g
- Carbohydrates
- (44%)
- 8 g
- of which sugar
- 3 g
- Fiber
- 1 g
- Sodium
- 159 mg
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Computed from the ingredients with our published formula, not yet kitchen-tested. General guidance, not medical advice. Talk to your prescriber. How
As written, 1980 kcal goes into the pot and 2810 g of ingredients comes out as about 2800 g of food: 71 kcal per 100 g. Cooking moves water and energy density is the score's biggest lever, so the dish is scored as cooked, not as an average of its parts. Every ingredient links to its food page, with the same data and score. The label's percentages are each macronutrient's share of the calories. The full formula.