This recipe serves 4 People
Brown stew chicken- another West Indian classic typical for Sunday dinners. Flavorful, hearty and comforting. Brown stew chicken is truly a statement. Every island and every cook have it’s own twists to it. I am sharing a very simple version today using brown sugar and lots of aromatics. This dish goes best with a side of rice and peas/ white rice and fried plantain
Ingredients
2 pounds of Chicken, for example a whole Chicken cut up or chicken thighs (depends on your preference)
4 tbsp of fresh green seasoning (for example Chippin green seasoning)
5 tbsp of oil
4 tbsp brown sugar
5 cloves of garlic, minced
2 medium sized onions, diced
2 medium sized tomatoes, diced
A small piece of ginger, grated
Salt and pepper to taste
1 tsp of thyme
A few Pimento berries
2 bay leaves
Scotch Bonnet pepper to taste
3 scallions, sliced
1. Prep Work
1. Wash and clean your chicken. I use vinegar and lemon juice. Trim off all the access fat and cut your chicken into smaller pieces (if you have a whole chicken). I recommend trimming off all the skin as well.
Add your raw chicken into a bowl with the green seasoning and massage it into your meat. Let it marinate preferably overnight or at least 2h in the fridge. The longer you let the seasoning sit on your chicken, the more flavor it will absorb.
Before you start cooking, wash and prepare all your aromatics and vegetables.
2. Creating the browning
In a heavy bottom pot (for example a dutch pot), add oil and let it come to a medium- high temperature. Next, add in the brown sugar and wait until it turns foamy and changes color into a deep amber shade. Your browning is now ready. Place your chicken into the hot pot and stir to deglaze ensuring an even coating of the browning on the chicken. Cover the pot and let it cook for 5-8 minutes on a medium- high heat.
3. The base for the gravy
Next add in all your washed and chopped aromatics. Onions, garlic, tomatoes, ginger, thyme, pimento berries, scotch bonnet, bay leaves and salt and pepper to taste.
Stir in well until the vegetables are softened and tender.
Now add in some boiling water to the pot, covering ¾ of the chicken. Stir very well, cover the pot and turn down the heat to a low simmer. You want to cook the chicken low and slow for a great gravy and moist chicken. This will take about 40-50 minutes.
4. Finishing touches
At this point your kitchen will be smelling divine and your gravy should be a nice dark brown with a thick consistency. Take out the bay leaves and taste for any additional seasonings. I personally like to add another tsp of green seasoning right before I finish. Add in your scallions and stir in well.
Optional: If you like, you can also dice some carrots into your stew chicken and let it simmer in the gravy for 5-10 minutes.
Enjoy this beautiful and classic Jamaican dish with your favorite sides and let me know how you liked it!