Jamaican Brown Stew Chicken, a spicy dish with chicken legs, simmered in a pot with light coconut milk, scallions, onions, tomatoes, garlic, thyme and one very hot scotch bonnet pepper.
Jamaican Brown Stew Chicken
Jamaican Brown Stew ChickenI served this with Jamaican red beans and rice and a simple tomato avocado salad, and boy was this delicious! I love chicken stew and make it so many different ways! My go to is my latin Pollo Guisado, but I also love Paprika Chicken Stew, and this Jamaican inspired chicken stew didn’t disappoint!!
I just love the tropical flavors in Jamaican cuisine, it’s similar to Latin cuisine only a whole lot hotter! The scotch bonnet pepper is commonly used in Jamaican cuisine, but I warn you, it’s spicy!! This small little pepper packs a whole lot more heat than a jalapeño so a little goes a long way. I like spicy foods, but I personally can only tolerate using 1/2 pepper for my taste and wearing gloves when handling the pepper is a must. If you like really spicy food, then add the whole pepper and please, keep them away from the kids and pets!!
I’m a dark meat lover so I chose the legs and thighs, but you can use a whole chicken cut up, or just the breast if you prefer white meat. I recommend using chicken on the bone, because bones give stews flavor and although it would still work with boneless chicken, it won’t be as good. My husband loved this dish, and it will absolutely be going into our dinner rotation. Enjoy!!
Jamaican Brown Stew Chicken
Ingredients
- 6 bone-in chicken legs with thighs attached, skin removed (6 thighs, 6 drumsticks)
- 1 lime or 1/4 cup lime juice
- 1 large tomato, chopped
- 4 medium scallions, chopped
- 1 large onion, chopped
- 2 garlic cloves, chopped
- 1/2 - 1 hot scotch bonnet pepper, seeds + membrane removed, chopped
- 4 sprigs fresh thyme or 2 tsp dried thyme
- 2 tbsp low sodium soy sauce, for gluten free use GF Tamari
- 1 tsp coconut oil, canola would be fine too
- 1 medium carrot, chopped finely
- 2 tsp cornstarch, sub tapioca for Keto
- 1 1/2 cups unsweetened light coconut milk, I like Thai Kitchen
- 1/4 tsp kosher salt
Instructions
- Squeeze lime over chicken and rub well.
- Drain off excess lime juice.
- Using gloves combine tomato, scallion, onion, garlic, scotch bonnet pepper, thyme and soy sauce in a large bowl and add to the chicken.
- Cover and marinate at least one hour.
- Heat oil in a dutch pot or large saucepan.
- Shake off the seasonings as you remove each piece of chicken from the marinade, reserving the marinade for later.
- Lightly brown the chicken on medium-high heat.
- When browned on all sides, pour the marinade over the chicken and add the carrots.
- Stir and cook over medium heat for 10 minutes.
- Mix cornstarch and coconut milk and add to stew, stirring constantly. Reduce heat to low and cook an additional 20 minutes or until tender, add salt to taste.
From another Jamaican: Where’s the browning? You can’t have brown stew chicken without it. Then it’s not Jamaican at all.
Jamaican inspired with ingredients that are easy to find.
Brown stew chicken without browning sauce? Call it Jamaican chicken if you want but it’s certainly not brown stew chicken
OMG I made this dish tonight and it was HEAVEN!!!! Gina you’re a genius!!!
Thanks Sheila!
I love your recipes! This is my absolute favorite. Tastes and smells delicious! Thank you!
This was great recipe for someone like me (new to making actual food, not boxed) So much flavor, I served it over a bed of white rice and the stew was soaked into the rice, which was great!
looks good. but like others have mentioned NO coconut milk is in this recipe. Some people use coconut milk in curry chicken i even seen some use coconut milk in stew pork.. but brown stew chicken? NO. You should have said this was inspired by the authentic Jamaican brown stew chicken.. the whole point of it being called brown is because it’s BROWN dark brown. Your chicken is beige.
It tastes good, try it and don’t get so caught up on the name!
This is not authentic Jamaican stew chicken. Forget authentic, this is not even close. It irks me when someone use hurry-come-up cooking and call it Jamaican.
I love this recipe and it has became my boyfriend’s favorite dish! It’s also nice knowing we are eating healthier but not skimping on the flavor!
Glad you enjoyed it Rachel!
Thank you so much for this recipe. I just tried it today and it was one of the best things I’ve ever cooked. And it was relatively easy. I’m proud that it tasted so delicious, I could definitely cooked this for guests.
Thanks Althea!
Gina I have been using your recipes for a few years, purchased the Fast and Slow cookbook and just wanted to let you know that I have many of your recipes saved as favourites, but always look each week to try a new one. You never disappoint – each one better than the next. The freshness and flavour of all your dishes are amazing. My husband loves hot dishes and this one was a staple from now on. Thank you so much for providing us healthy and so totally yummy recipes !
My pleasure!
I never comment on blogs, but I had to say how delicious this was and all the recipes I’ve tried from here have been. It’s been a big help in my starting to lose weight. I thought I hated cauliflower until I tried the cauliflower rice recipe, and it’s been a life feel saver for a reformed carb bringer. So, thanks again!
You’re welcome! 🙂
I made this the other night and my boyfriend loved it !! He keeps requesting that I make it again. Also, for the side I made the Jamaican red beans & rice. Both were fantastic!!
No coconut milk in Jamaican Brown Stew Chicken (just like there is no coconut milk in say, Jambalaya) but it would not be terrible if you added it. 😉
Do I have to use cornstarch?
love your recipes, but this is not Jamaican brown stew chicken. that is my favorite dish, and this is not it.
Please post your Jamaican brown stew chicken recipe so we all can critique… and also include nutritional info..
This was really good! So flavorful! I used red meat the first time around, but serving it on the bone was a bit messy. Based on other user assurances on retaining flavor, I think I'll use chicken breast next time. Great recipe!