Best Brown Stew Chicken Recipe

Brown stew chicken might seem like a snooze of a name for a recipe, but don’t be fooled—Jamaica’s signature marvel of a dish offers a galaxy of flavors that explains its massive fan base on the island and among the country’s expats. In other words, the name of this chicken thigh dinner may underdeliver in terms of the “wow” factor, but overdelivers at first bite.

Why the cult-like devotion? The dish’s components—and how they're assembled and cooked—delivers a master class in counterpoint: A spicy punch from Scotch bonnet and ginger; and a cooling counterpunch from brown sugar and ketchup. Add in the call from the woodsy notes of allspice and thyme with the response from soy sauce and browning, and you'll understand why this dish gets all the praise.

First things first: What exactly is “browning”? The “brown” part comes from the addition of brown sugar, soy sauce, and the searing of the chicken. But the recipe becomes something entirely (let’s say, extra) from the browning sauce, which is really just (almost) burned sugar. Bottled browning sauce is a non-negotiable staple in Jamaican kitchens, used in sweet and savory dishes. It’s bitterness-forward in terms of taste, with a faint backnote of sweetness. The secret is it's almost always store-bought, but it's sometimes made at home. It can be stored for a very long time, but if you don't have it or want to make it, molasses is a viable stand-in.

In Jamaica, the meat here is typically skin-on, bone-in. I’m all for easy and what makes sense, so I elected to go with boneless, skinless thighs. I highly recommend serving this dish with simple cooked white rice, or rice and peas.

As with any stew, an overnight refrigeration will reveal a deeper, more complex flavor. Refrigerate for up to 3 days.

Made this recipe? Let us know how it went in the comments below!

dark brown sugar

soy sauce

onion or garlic powder (or 1 tsp. each)

browning sauce or dark molasses

freshly ground black pepper

ground allspice

kosher salt

regular or smoked paprika

dried thyme

boneless, skinless chicken thighs (about 2 lb. total)

neutral oil, divided

yellow onion, thinly sliced

red or green bell pepper, seeds and ribs removed, chopped

medium tomato, cored, chopped

scallions, white and pale green parts thinly sliced

to 2 Scotch bonnet peppers or habanero chiles, seeds removed, chopped

cloves garlic, finely chopped

low-sodium chicken broth

to 3 tbsp. ketchup

dark brown sugar

Worcestershire sauce

finely chopped peeled ginger

browning sauce or dark molasses

ground allspice

sprigs thyme

bouillon cube (optional)

bay leaves

Freshly ground black pepper

cornstarch (optional)

Cooked white rice, for serving

Robert Seixas is the Food Director at Delish. Previously, he was the Director of Education at the International Culinary Center (French Culinary Institute), a senior editor at Zagat, and began and directed food training programs in homeless shelters across NYC. He lives in and loves the Hudson Valley, and enjoys a mean smoothie any time of day.

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