A boneless, modern version of Jamaican brown stew chicken made in the slow cooker. Made with a medley of aromatic herbs and spices, succulent bone free, skinless chicken thighs that are braised to perfection.
2½-3lbboneless chicken thighs(1.3kg) washed as per tradition, see notes
1tablespooncoconut sugar(15g) heaped, can use raw organic cane sugar
1tablespoononion powder(15g)
1tablespoongarlic powder(15g)
1tablespoonblack pepper(15g)
1½tablespoonall purpose seasoning(22g) see notes for recipe
2tablespoonbrowning sauce(30g) see notes for recipe, only use this amount if using my homemade version
To sear/slow cook the chicken
3tablespoonolive oil(45g) or coconut oil
1medium onionsliced
2scallionsliced (spring/green onion)
1teaspoonfresh ginger(5g) minced
4garlic clovesminced
2tablespoontomato paste(30g)
1teaspoonhot sauce(5g)
1red bell pepperchopped
1green bell pepperchopped
6sprigsfresh thymetied together in a bundle, or 1 tablespoon dried
1tablespoonpimento berries(15g) ½ teaspoon of dried allspice
2tablespoonbrowning sauce(30g) see notes for recipe, only use this amount if using my homemade version
1½cupshot water(355ml)
additional pink salt and black pepper to taste
Instructions
To season the chicken
Place the chicken in a large bowl then proceed, use a fork to create small holes in the meat as this will help the seasoning to penetrate more.
Season the chicken with the garlic powder, onion powder, all purpose seasoning, black pepper, brown sugar and browning sauce.
Rub the marinade into the chicken so it is evenly distributed.
Wrap the bowl with saran (cling film) then refrigerate for several hours or overnight.
To sear and slow cook the chicken
Heat a skillet/frying pan with oil on medium heat then sauté the onion, scallion, ginger and garlic until soft and translucent.
Add the chicken and proceed to brown the meat this will take some time to achieve (about 15 minutes or so) during that time the meat should extract its own juices, this will help with browning the meat, if too much liquid is in the pan, you need to increase the heat to cook off the excess liquid (you only want ¼ or a small amount left).
Transfer the chicken into your crock/slow cooker (I'm using a 2 in 1 slow cooker so I don't need to do this step).
Then add your tomato paste, water, hot sauce, thyme, pimento berries and a little more of my homemade browning sauce (about 2 tablespoon should do).
Cover the slow cooker with the lid and cook on high for 4 hours.
Roughly 1hr -45 minutes before the cooking time has finished add your bell peppers, check the texture of the gravy, it should be slightly thick with some body to it.
Once the chicken has cooked, remove/discard the thyme stems, do a taste test and add pink salt or additional black pepper if required.
Video
Notes
You can freeze down any leftovers for up to 3 months.
Boneless chicken thighs contain fat so be sure to trim off/chop off any excess fat before seasoning.
You will notice that I add more salt towards the end of cooking simply because the all purpose seasoning contains salt so I don't want to add too much too soon.
As per tradition wash the meat with vinegar plus lemon/lime/salt.
The total amount of chicken should serve up to 6 people.
Remember the amount of browning will vary depending on whether you are using my homemade recipe or the store brought kind.
My homemade version isn't as concentrated and not as bitter therefore, I can afford to use quantities that are in tablespoon. If you are using the store brought kind then you will need to use less (about 2 tsp).
Make sure the chicken is seared (browned) before moving onto the next step, the juice that the chicken extracts will be your best friend as this will help to seal in the flavour, remember to cook off most of the liquid by increasing the heat.
You can use dried herbs/spices if you can't obtain them fresh i.e. thyme, pimento, ginger etc..