Name: Easy oven-cooked Jamaican brown stew chicken
Prep time: 20 min
Cook time: 1 h 10 min
Total time: 1 h 30 min
Yield: 4
Cuisine: Jamaican
Ingredients: 1.6kg whole chicken; 1½ tbsp demerara sugar; 400ml hot chicken stock; 1 tbsp browning sauce (I use Grace); 1 tsp plain flour mixed with 25ml cold water; 1-2 spring onions sliced, to serve; rice and peas and slaw, to serve (optional); 8 thyme sprigs; 1 onion finely sliced; 2 garlic cloves chopped; ½ scotch bonnet pepper chopped; 2 tomatoes cut into wedges; 2 tbsp all-purpose seasoning (I use Dunn’s River); 1 tbsp chicken seasoning (I use Dunn’s River); 6 whole pimento seeds crushed; 1 tsp black pepper; 4 tbsp extra virgin olive oil

Easy oven-cooked Jamaican brown stew chicken in a bowl

1.6kg whole chicken
1½ tbsp demerara sugar
400ml hot chicken stock
1 tbsp browning sauce
(I use Grace)
1 tsp plain flour
mixed with 25ml cold water
1-2 spring onions
sliced, to serve
rice
and peas and slaw, to serve (optional)

For the marinade

8 thyme sprigs
1 onion
finely sliced
2 garlic cloves
chopped
½ scotch bonnet pepper
chopped
2 tomatoes
cut into wedges
2 tbsp all-purpose seasoning
(I use Dunn’s River)
1 tbsp chicken seasoning
(I use Dunn’s River)
6 whole pimento seeds
crushed
1 tsp black pepper
4 tbsp extra virgin olive oil

Method

step 1
Remove the skin from the chicken, joint it, cut the breasts in half and separate the legs and thighs.
step 2
Put the chicken pieces in a large bowl along with all the marinade ingredients. Toss, then rub the mixture into the chicken. Cover tightly and chill for 24 hrs.
step 3
Heat the oven to 200C/180C fan/gas 6. Tip the chicken and marinade into a deep ovenproof dish. Cover and bake for 40 mins, then remove the lid and stir in the sugar, stock, browning sauce and flour mixture. Bake for another 15 mins, uncovered, turning the chicken and basting it every 5 mins.
step 4
Check the chicken is cooked through. If not, bake for 15 mins more, then check again. Taste for seasoning, then scatter with the spring onions and serve with rice and peas and slaw, if you like.