Dish of Jamaican Brown Stew Chicken
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Brown Stew Chicken


Jamaica   -   Brown Stew Chicken
Makes:
Effort:
Sched:
DoAhead:  		 3 #
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2-3/4 hrs
Yes		 An interesting and very flavorful Chicken Stew. This recipe can be made ahead and reheats well.




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Chicken Meat (1)
-- Seasoning
Browning Sauce (2)  
Salt
Pepper blk
Paprika
Garlic Powder
Onion Powder
-- Marinade
Allspice Berries
Onion
Garlic
Ginger Root
Bell Pepper
Scotch Bonnet (3)
Scallions
-- Vegies
Carrot
-- Flavorings
Thyme sprigs
Chili Sauce (4)
Chicken Powder (5)
All-purp Seasoning (6)  
Ketchup
Salt
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Oil
Water
-- Serve With
Steamed Rice (7)  
Prep   -   (1-1/3 hrs   + marinate 2+ hrs to overnight in the fridge)
  1. Remove CHICKEN skin. Cut into about 1-1/2 inch chunks (or see Chicken). In Jamaica they always wash the Chicken with Lime Juice, so you can do that if you wish.
  2. Mix all Seasoning items. Tumble with Chicken until it is well coated.
  3. Mix all Marinade items and massage into chicken. Set aside to marinate for at least 2 hours or overnight in the fridge.
  4. Grind Allspice Berries.
  5. Chop ONION fine. Crush GARLIC and chop fine. Mix.
  6. Slice GINGER very thin. Cut slices into threads, and chop threads fine. Mix with Onions.
  7. Cut BELL PEPPER into thin strips and slice to less than 1/4 inch. Mix with Onions.
  8. Cap CHILI. Slice in half lengthwise and remove seed mass. Chop fine. Add to Onions.
  9. Slice SCALLIONS crosswise very thin, white and green. Mix with Onions.
  10. Peel CARROTS and cut into 1/4 inch dice.
Run   -   (1-1/4 hr)
  1. Remove Chicken from the Marinade and wipe off as much Marinade as you reasonably can. Reserve all Marinade.
  2. Heat 1/4 c Oil in a heavy bottomed sauté pan (3-1/2 qt) or equivalent. Stir in Chicken and fry over high heat, then turning down a bit as fond starts to adhere to the bottom of the pan. stir often and scrape the bottom of the pan. When the reddish fond sticking to the bottom of the pan starts to turn chocolate, turn off the heat and go to the next step.
  3. Remove Chicken from the pan leaving as much oil as you can in the pan. Put chicken in a bowl to drain.
  4. Pour out excess Oil leaving at most 2 Tablespoons.
  5. Add Water to the pan. Bring to a boil while scraping up all the fond adhering to the pan.
  6. Add Carrots, all Flavoring items, and Marinade to the pan and mix well. Then return Chicken, leaving behind any drained oil. Bring to a boil and simmer covered for 30 minutes or until Chicken is tender.
  7. Uncover and check liquid. If there isn't enough liquid, add some and bring back briefly to a boil. Keep in mind, there's going to be a lot less liquid when served than it looks like there is when boiling. Serving with rice you want enough liquid to lightly flavor the rice.
  8. Serve with plenty of steamed Rice.
NOTES:

  1. Chicken:

      Weight is skinless, boneless thigh or leg meat (best for buffet service). If I don't need to make stock, I buy skinless boneless thigh/leg meat. If I need stock, I buy bone-in skin-on thighs and use skins, bones and trimmings to make stock. The recipe can also be made with skinless bone in joints, but up the weight to about 2-1/2 pounds.

  2. Browning Sauce

      This is an essential pantry item in the Jamaican household - easily made by our recipe Browning Sauce.   Note: the 1 tablespoon is for our Browning Sauces. Commercial is more concentrated, so use 1/2 Tablespoon.

  3. Scotch Bonnet Chili:

      These are not much available any distance from the Caribbean. I use the Orange Habanero that's so common in Southern California. It's the same hotness, and only a Jamaican can tell the difference in flavor. If you are very chili sensitive, use half of one. Other very hot Chilis can also be used. For details see our Caribbean Chilis page.

  4. Chili Sauce:

      Use any bottled Chili Sauce that meets your preference.

  5. Chicken Powder:

      This, and similar seasonings are heavily used throughout the Tropical World. Ground up Bouillon Cubes could also be used. For details see our Chicken Powder page.

  6. All Purpose Seasoning:

      This is another essential pantry item in the Jamaican household. It is very easy to make by our recipe All Purpose Seasoning.

  7. Rice:

      Long grain rice is dominant in the Caribbean, as that type can be grown in the Tropics. Jamaica imports this type from Guyana and Suriname. Thai Jasmine will also work fine.
  8. U.S. measure: t=teaspoon, T=Tablespoon, c=cup, qt=quart, oz=ounce, #=pound, cl=clove in=inch, ar=as required tt=to taste
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