National Dish St Kitts and Nevis: Stewed Chicken (Recipe)
In this article
Stewed Chicken is browned chicken simmered in its own gravy with thyme and peppers, and the browning is done with burnt sugar. That step, caramelising sugar in oil until it is almost black and then adding the meat, is what gives Caribbean stewed chicken its colour.
About Stewed Chicken
Across the eastern Caribbean, browning sugar is the standard first move. It gives a deep mahogany colour and a faint bitterness that plain browning does not.
The chicken is marinated first in green seasoning: thyme, spring onion, garlic, and often a whole scotch bonnet dropped in and fished out.
Ingredients (serves 1–2)
- 600 g chicken (thighs or breasts)
- 2 onions, diced
- 3 cloves of garlic, chopped
- 1 red pepper, diced
- 2 carrots, sliced
- 1 teaspoon thyme
- 1 teaspoon paprika
- 400 ml chicken stock
- 2 tablespoons vegetable oil
- Salt and pepper to taste
- Fresh parsley, to garnish
Shopping for the ingredients
Thighs on the bone, always, since breast dries out over thirty minutes. Fresh thyme rather than dried. A scotch bonnet for aroma, and West Indian pepper sauce for the table.
Preparing the dish
Marinate the chicken for an hour or overnight in garlic, thyme, spring onion and a squeeze of lime. For the browning, heat two tablespoons of brown sugar in the oil until it darkens and smokes slightly, then add the chicken immediately.
Step-by-step instructions
- Marinate the chicken in garlic, thyme and lime for at least an hour.
- Heat the oil in a large pot with 2 tablespoons of brown sugar until it darkens and just begins to smoke.
- Add the chicken and turn it in the caramel until browned all over.
- Add the onions and garlic and fry briefly until softened.
- Stir in the pepper and carrots and let them cook for a few minutes.
- Season with thyme, paprika, salt and pepper, then stir well to coat.
- Pour in the chicken stock, add a whole scotch bonnet, and simmer for about 30 minutes.
- Remove the pepper, adjust the seasoning, reduce the sauce and garnish with parsley.
Gluten-free / lactose-free version
The dish contains no gluten and no dairy. Check the stock. Served with rice it is suitable throughout.
Tips for vegans and vegetarians
The browning and green seasoning work on jackfruit, mushrooms or chickpeas. Papaya stew is the local vegetable dish worth knowing. Use vegetable stock and keep the thyme and scotch bonnet.
More tips and tricks
Take the sugar further than feels safe: it should be dark and just smoking when the chicken goes in. Marinate overnight if you can. And keep the scotch bonnet whole, so it perfumes without making the pot inedible.
Adapting the recipe to your taste
Ketchup or browning sauce is a common shortcut for the caramel. Potatoes or dumplings in the pot make it a fuller meal. More thyme is always right.
Ingredient substitutions
Bought browning sauce replaces the burnt sugar. Any chicken portion, bone-in preferred. Habanero for scotch bonnet.
Drink pairing ideas
Sorrel drink, the spiced hibiscus, especially at Christmas. Carib lager. Local rum afterwards.
Serving and presentation ideas
Serve it over rice and peas with fried plantain and a coleslaw, which is the standard eastern Caribbean plate. Pepper sauce on the table. Sauce spooned generously.
A bit of history
Burnt sugar browning is a technique that runs across the Caribbean and traces to West African cooking, adapted with the sugar the islands were planted with. St Kitts was a sugar colony until 2005, when the industry finally closed. Stewed chicken anchors Kittitian and Nevisian cuisine.
More recipe ideas
Summary: Stewed Chicken
Stewed chicken is chicken browned in burnt sugar and simmered with thyme, peppers and a whole scotch bonnet. Take the sugar dark, marinate overnight, and keep the pepper whole.
