Wanna get away?
Who else misses or missed there summer vacation to the Caribbean?
Well if that is the case then this recipe is for you. This recipe for Caribbean Brown Stew Chicken by Butter Be Read is so rich, delicious and full of warm Caribbean seasonings. I made this recipe for my brother-in-law’s birthday earlier this week and was thrilled how easy it was and how well it came out.
Jamaica is one of my favorite vacation destinations. Two years ago when I was last there I enjoyed some of the best food. Fresh caught spiny lobster, jerk chicken and the list goes on. My brother-in-law’s favorite dish is stewed oxtails so this Brown stew chicken was a good compromise since it was a last min I decided to cook and wanted to make something special. In total this recipe took me about three hours total which includes prep and two hours of cooking time in the oven. So without further delay let’s get into this recipe.
Brown Stew Chicken
I started making this dish around 4 PM and it was ready by 6 PM. I find this is are recipe that could easily be broken down into steps and made in the crockpot as well for those of you that need a dish to be ready when you get off work and finish distance learning time and really just don’t feel like putting in major work. Allow the sauce to simmer long and slow to develop deep rich flavors that give you a fall off the bone chicken dish.
Fist I washed all my chicken, pre-measured all my spices and chopped onions and garlic. The recipe calls for Browning, Kitchen Bouquet Browning is a seasoning sauce that adds a golden brown coloring to most sauces, gravy, stews and soups. However, I couldn’t find any at my Kroger during this time so I substituted Dale’s seasoning. You will notice my coloring isn’t as dark but it was still equally delicious. Never let a missing ingredient prevent you from making a recipe, just find a close substitute and continue on.
Since I was making this meal for my family I doubled the recipe to ensure there was enough for everyone. One whole onion chopped, two whole garlic bulbs (especially if they are small), two teaspoons of smoked paprika (do not sub spanish for smoked you want that earthiness of the smoked flavoring), one teaspoon of ginger and one teaspoon of All-Spice. Salt and pepper is added to taste a hand full of fresh thyme, four bay leaves, four to five carrots chopped, four teaspoons of the browning and two tablespoons of brown sugar….remember I’m doubling this recipe.
Once all my ingredients are set aside I combine everything with my 16 pieces of chicken, I used a combination of chicken thighs and legs. Make sure to coat well with your seasoning and cover to allow for the spices and seasonings to really soak in, mine set for 2 hrs of course you can marinate for up to 24 hrs, just be sure to stir occasionally.
Once your chicken is ready you want to brown your chicken in a heavy bottom stock/cast iron 5 qt or 8 qt pot with enough oil to cover the bottom and brown your chicken. We are not trying to cook this chicken through we are just browning the skin, getting some color on our meat and releasing some of the juices.
Remove the browned chicken from your stock pot and set aside. Add in a can of tomato paste. stock, scotch bonnet pepper (you may use a habanero pepper as a sub if you can’t find SB) and reserved seasoning from chicken to release the brown bits on the bottom of pot and bring back up to a boil.
Add your browned chicken back to your boiling broth, turn off heat, cover with lid and place into oven that was preheated to 325 degrees. Allow to cook for two hours.
After the two hours remove from oven and serve with your favorite sides. I served mine with Butter Be Ready’s rice and peas recipes and collard greens. Please always remember to read recipes thoroughly. The original brown stew chicken recipe may be found here.
I hope you enjoy and give yourself a little taste of the Caribbean and get away from it all. Serve with an ice cold Red Stripe or your favorite Rum cocktail.
