15+ Best Jamaican Recipes That You Can Try At Home For Tasty Meals! (2024)

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Jamaican recipes are those that offer a unique, vibrant, Caribbean flair that delights the taste buds every time! We've rounded up our favorite Jamaican recipes that fit the bill perfectly and every single one will be a recipe to remember!

Authentic Jamaican Recipes

Jamaican culture is a mash-up of a few other cultures and that combination has become unique over the years in a fascinating way!

The exotic recipes of Jamaica will wow your family and friends. With a wide variety of flavors, spices, and textures, Jamaicans blend sweet and spicy like no other type of cuisine.

15+ Best Jamaican Recipes That You Can Try At Home For Tasty Meals! (1)

Incredibly tasty recipes that highlight the Caribbean flair of Jamaican food!

Jump to:
  • Authentic Jamaican Recipes
  • The Best Jamaican Recipes
  • 1. Jamaican Oxtails
  • 2. Jamaican Jerk Chicken
  • 3. Jamaican Spinach Soup
  • 4. Jamaican Jerk Burrito
  • 5. Spicy Shrimp Skewers
  • 6. Boscobel Beach Ginger Cake
  • 7. Jamaican Beef Patties
  • 8. Brown Stew Chicken
  • 9. Jamaican Rice and Peas
  • 10. Jamaican Rum Cake
  • 11. Jamaican Steamed Cabbage
  • 12. Callaloo
  • 13. Caribbean Carrot Juice
  • 14. Roti
  • 15. Jamaican Cornmeal Porridge
  • 16. Jamaican Black Cake
  • 📖 Recipe Card
  • Best Jamaican Recipes: Brown Stew Chicken (+More Great Recipes!)
  • IngredientsUS CustomaryMetric
  • Instructions
  • 💬 Reviews

The Best Jamaican Recipes

Coconut and other tropical flavors mixed with top-of-the-line spices are what these recipes are known for. We've compiled a list of some of the most popular and delicious Jamaican dishes to inspire you!

1. Jamaican Oxtails

Although oxtail may sound strange to our non-Jamaican palates, when it is cooked correctly it can be mouth-watering. Mixed with herbs and vegetables, this is a main course that is sure to wow.

Many people serve the stew mixed with butter beans and served over white rice.

Jamaican Oxtails

This Jamaican oxtails recipe includes tender braised beef oxtail, sautéed vegetables, and butter beans slowly stewed with delicious herbs! It's a richly flavorful recipe that tastes like true comfort food. Enjoy your Jamaican oxtail as a stew on its own or served over a bed of steamed white rice!

Check out this recipe

15+ Best Jamaican Recipes That You Can Try At Home For Tasty Meals! (2)

2. Jamaican Jerk Chicken

Jamaican Jerk chicken is a familiar recipe for most. When made traditionally, this chicken is a perfect mix of heat and a smoky flavor that Jamaican dishes are known for.

To get the jerk flavor to its maximum potential, let the chicken marinate overnight. Although the basic way to make this chicken is the same, you can always put your own spin on it, which is truly one of the best things about this recipe!

3. Jamaican Spinach Soup

Spinach soup is a comforting dish that incorporates spinach and traditional Jamaican spices. This soup is vegan, low carb, and full of flavor!

Try it with bread, andit is truly amazing.

4. Jamaican Jerk Burrito

Though perfect for vegetarians, everyone will love this Jamaican burrito recipe! The Jamaican burrito is a great blend of sweet and savory; with black beans, pineapple, cheese, Jamaican jerk sauce, and more.

Whip up a few of these burritos and your taste buds will thank you.

5. Spicy Shrimp Skewers

Spicy shrimp skewers are a classic Jamaican dish. This tropical, spicy-sweet shrimp recipe is often served over seasoned rice.

Spicy shrimp skewers are jam-packed with flavor and will impress any seafood lover!

6. Boscobel Beach Ginger Cake

We all get a hankering for something sweet every once in a while. The Boscobel Beach ginger cake is sure to satisfy your sweet tooth!

Covered with powdered sugar, it will even leave those who don’t happen to love ginger wanting more.

7. Jamaican Beef Patties

If you like something new, with a little bite to it, the curry-flavored beef patties are the thing for you.

These can be found in other Caribbean islands and are covered in a thin pastry-type breading. They go wonderfully with peas, rice, or by themselves as a little snack.

8. Brown Stew Chicken

Another famous Jamaican stew is brown stew chicken. This chicken is similar to jerk chicken and is stewed and usually served over rice or with peas.

Perfectly seasoned chicken thigh meat and delicious tender veggies are the star of this stew.

Jamaican Brown Stew Chicken

Jamaican Brown Stew Chicken combines juicy marinated chicken thighs mixed with tender veggies and a sauce that’s full of Jamaican flavor! It’s a perfect dish for when you’re craving a taste of the Caribbean or need a switch up from the standard plain chicken dinners! Not to mention, it is so incredibly simple to make!

Check out this recipe

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9. Jamaican Rice and Peas

Jamaican peas and rice are a classic, easy meal that anyone can make. Plus, it's budget-friendly too!

The peas are flavored with coconut and Caribbean herbs and spices to add a kick to the sweet coconut flavor.

10. Jamaican Rum Cake

Rum Cake is a legendary, traditional Jamaican dessert. This recipe makes a large cake that is both light and moist.

A drizzle of irresistible rum and butter syrup and you have a dessert everyone will be talking about!

Jamaican Rum Cake (Easy Jamaican-Inspired Fruitcake)

This fun Jamaican rum cake combines the most unique flavors and takes holiday fruitcake to a tropically festive new level! There's just so much to love about this tasty cake that features rum, wine-soaked mixed peel, and dried fruits spread beautifully throughout the whole cake! The icing is optional, but topping the cake with toasted coconut rounded out the entire Caribbean appeal for me!

Check out this recipe

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11. Jamaican Steamed Cabbage

Steamed cabbage is a delicacy when it comes to side dishes in Jamaica. This sweet cabbage goes with almost anything, but it really helps to offset spicier dishes.

12. Callaloo

Callaloo is a leafy green vegetable dish cooked with onion, garlic, tomatoes, thyme, and peppers. It's the epitome of comfort food!

Enjoy it on its own or toss it in a delicious stew!

13. Caribbean Carrot Juice

Jamaican carrot juice may not be what you think. It is a wonderful, thick, creamy drink that is very sweet.

This treat is usually enjoyed for breakfast or as a stand-alone co*cktail. While it may sound strange, it has a beautiful flavor you won't soon forget.

14. Roti

Roti is a pliable flatbread that pulls from West Indies influence. Not only is it extremely versatile, but it is so simple that it can be made to go with virtually anything.

Use it to scoop up the yummy of your main dish and soak up any sauces on your plate!

15. Jamaican Cornmeal Porridge

Jamaican cornmeal porridge is like oatmeal, but with cornmeal instead of oats. It's a warm, comforting blend of cinnamon, nutmeg, vanilla, and a nice drizzle of maple syrup.

This recipe is so easy, you can even make it in the Instant Pot. There’s no excuse not to try it!

16. Jamaican Black Cake

Rich and decadent Jamaican black cake is a delicious Caribbean take on fruit cake! This version is arguably better than the original because the fruit is soaked in rich port and aromatic dark rum!

This boozy, spiced black cake is so moist and delicious you will savor every bite.

Jamaican Black Cake (Rum Soaked Christmas Cake Recipe)

Rich Jamaican black cake is a decadent Caribbean twist on the classic holiday fruit cake that you’ll love serving this Christmas! Dried fruit is soaked in sweet port wine and fragrant dark rum, then blended and folded into a spice cake like you’ve never had before! It's a festive, richly-flavored holiday cake that you won't regret baking this holiday season!

Check out this recipe

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We hope that you try out some of these amazingly tasty, unique flavors of Jamaica! Tell us which recipe you're going to try by dropping a comment below!

Do you love a recipe you tried? Please leave a 5-star🌟rating in the recipe card below and/or a review in the comments section further down the page.
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Best Jamaican Recipes: Brown Stew Chicken (+More Great Recipes!)

Jamaican recipes are those that offer a unique, vibrant, Caribbean flair that delights the taste buds every time! We've rounded up our favorite Jamaican recipes that fit the bill perfectly and every single one will be a recipe to remember!

Author | Angela

Servings: 4 servings

Calories: 684kcal

Prep 15 minutes minutes

Cooking 1 hour hour

Marinating 4 hours hours

Total Time 5 hours hours 15 minutes minutes

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Ingredients

For The Marinade

  • 2 lbs boneless chicken thighs (6-8 thighs)
  • 2 tablespoon dark brown sugar
  • 1 scotch bonnet pepper (diced and seeded or 1 diced seeded Habanero pepper)
  • 2 tablespoon Kosher salt
  • 2 tablespoon minced garlic (4-6 garlic cloves minced)
  • 2 tablespoon green onions (chopped, 1-2 green onions)
  • 1 tablespoon ginger paste (fresh, packaged or dry)
  • 1 tablespoon dried thyme
  • 1 tablespoon apple cider vinegar
  • 2 teaspoon browning sauce
  • 1 teaspoon ground black pepper
  • ½ teaspoon ground allspice

For The Stew

  • 2 tablespoon olive oil
  • 1 medium yellow onion (about 1 ½-2 cups diced)
  • 3 large carrots (washed and sliced)
  • ½ green bell pepper (chopped or sliced)
  • ½ red bell pepper (chopped or sliced)
  • 14 oz diced tomatoes (canned, drained)
  • 2 bay leaves
  • 3 cups chicken broth

Help Us Out!If you love a recipe, be sure to come back and share your ratings. This helps future users, and allows me to continue sharing free recipes! Angela

Instructions

Prep

  • Remove chicken from packaging, rinse under cool water and pat the chicken completely dry with paper towels. Set aside.

  • Mince the garlic, slice the green onions, and seed and dice the scotch bonnet pepper (be sure to wear gloves, scotch bonnets are very hot, you don't want the pepper oils on your hands).

The Marinade

  • In a large mixing bowl add dark brown sugar, scotch bonnet, salt, green onion, ginger, thyme, apple cider vinegar, browning sauce, pepper, and allspice.

  • Combine all ingredients, add in chicken thighs, using tongs or a gloved hand rub the marinade into the chicken meat.

  • Cover with cling film and refrigerate for at least 4 hours (overnight 12 to 24 hrs is optimal for the best flavor).

Make The Stew

  • With tongs remove the chicken from the marinade, shake off or scrape any excess marinade from the chicken pieces and set them aside for later (reserve the marinade as you will add all of it to the stew).

  • In a large stock pot or dutch oven, add olive oil, then bring to medium-high heat.

  • Working in batches, add the chicken pieces and brown on all sides, or about 2-3 minutes per side. Remove the chicken and set it aside on a clean plate.

  • In the same pot at medium high heat, add in the onion, stir for a couple minutes until onion turns brown (not burnt). Add the carrots and bell peppers, stir to combine. Then add in the tomatoes, stir for 2-3 minutes.

  • Add chicken broth to the pot, chicken pieces, bay leaves, and the reserved marinade (scrape the bottom of your pot to get up all the bits).

  • Bring to rapid boil, then reduce heat to get a very low boil/simmer.

  • Cook uncovered for about 45 minutes to 1 hour, or until the liquid has reduced by half.

  • When the stew has reduced to your satisfaction, serve over rice, and enjoy!

Notes

Cooking times will vary based on how fast your stew reduces from the low boil/simmer. The finish point is to reduce the liquid by half.

Once chicken is fully cooked through and to prevent overcooking you can remove it from the stew, set it aside, and add it back in a few minutes before serving to warm it up.

Nutrition

Calories: 684kcal (34%) | Carbohydrates: 28g (9%) | Protein: 40g (80%) | Fat: 46g (71%) | Saturated Fat: 11g (69%) | Polyunsaturated Fat: 9g | Monounsaturated Fat: 21g | Trans Fat: 1g | Cholesterol: 222mg (74%) | Sodium: 4373mg (190%) | Potassium: 1182mg (34%) | Fiber: 5g (21%) | Sugar: 17g (19%) | Vitamin A: 9936IU (199%) | Vitamin C: 66mg (80%) | Calcium: 136mg (14%) | Iron: 5mg (28%)

Did you try this recipe? Rate it below!I can’t wait to see your results! Mention @bake_it_with_love or tag #bake_it_with_love!

Brown Stew Chicken, Jamaican recipes

Course Chicken Dishes, Dinner Recipes, Stews

Cuisine Caribbean, Jamaican

15+ Best Jamaican Recipes That You Can Try At Home For Tasty Meals! (7)

Angela @ BakeItWithLove.com

Angela is an at home chef that developed a passion for all things cooking and baking at a young age in her Grandma's kitchen. After many years in the food service industry, she now enjoys sharing all of her family favorite recipes and creating tasty dinner and amazing dessert recipes here at Bake It With Love!

bakeitwithlove.com/about/

15+ Best Jamaican Recipes That You Can Try At Home For Tasty Meals! (2024)
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