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stewed chicken in a white casserole dish
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Slow Cooker Brown Stew Chicken

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. 
Course Main Entree
Cuisine Jamaican
Prep Time 30 minutes
Cook Time 4 hours
Total Time 4 hours 30 minutes
Servings 6 people
Calories 547kcal
Author Charla

Ingredients

To season the chicken

  • 2½-3 lb boneless chicken thighs (1.3kg) washed as per tradition, see notes
  • 1 tablespoon coconut sugar (15g) heaped, can use raw organic cane sugar
  • 1 tablespoon onion powder (15g)
  • 1 tablespoon garlic powder (15g)
  • 1 tablespoon black pepper (15g)
  • tablespoon all purpose seasoning (22g) see notes for recipe
  • 2 tablespoon browning sauce (30g) see notes for recipe, only use this amount if using my homemade version

To sear/slow cook the chicken

  • 3 tablespoon olive oil (45g) or coconut oil
  • 1 medium onion sliced
  • 2 scallion sliced (spring/green onion)
  • 1 teaspoon fresh ginger (5g) minced
  • 4 garlic cloves minced
  • 2 tablespoon tomato paste (30g)
  • 1 teaspoon hot sauce (5g)
  • 1 red bell pepper chopped
  • 1 green bell pepper chopped
  • 6 sprigs fresh thyme tied together in a bundle, or 1 tablespoon dried
  • 1 tablespoon pimento berries (15g) ½ teaspoon of dried allspice
  • 2 tablespoon browning sauce (30g) see notes for recipe, only use this amount if using my homemade version
  • cups hot 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.
  • This is the link to my homemade browning sauce and the all purpose seasoning that I use.
  • 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..

Nutrition

Calories: 547kcal | Carbohydrates: 15g | Protein: 33g | Fat: 39g | Saturated Fat: 10g | Trans Fat: 1g | Cholesterol: 185mg | Sodium: 234mg | Potassium: 663mg | Fiber: 4g | Sugar: 6g | Vitamin A: 1069IU | Vitamin C: 48mg | Calcium: 96mg | Iron: 3mg