A file's owner is separate from its permission mode. Changing read or execute bits doesn't transfer ownership. On a real system, changing an owner requires appropriate privileges; these tasks put you in an explicitly simulated administrator session. Target the exact file and preserve its content.
A broad recursive ownership change can damage unrelated files. The requested owner is part of the deployment contract, so inspect it after the operation rather than assuming a silent command proves the result. chown deployer config.ini changes the owner while retaining the group. The form deployer:release also selects a group. Choose the form that matches the requested change. Then inspect the owner and permission mode separately: a file can have the right owner and still lack the access its new owner needs to run it.