There’s something so comforting from not just the taste of a succlent oven roasted (say ‘bake’ chicken in the Caribbean) chicken, but that scent that permeates through your entire house originating from the kitchen. I remember being in Jamaica on vacation and roasting-off a chicken on the 4th floor of the condo complex we were staying in, and 4 floors below on the pool deck one would get the alluring whiff depending on the direction of the gentle Caribbean breeze. So simple, yet so tasty!

You’ll Need…

1 whole chicken (about 4 lbs)
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon black pepper
4 tablespoon olive oil
1 tablespoon parsley (chopped)
1 tablespoon sage (chopped)
1 tablespoon rosemary (chopped)
1 tablespoon thyme (leaves)
2 cloves garlic (crushed or diced)

For stuffing..

4 sage leaves
2 sprigs rosemary
2 scallions
4 sprigs thyme

IMPORTANT! If doing this recipe gluten free, please go through the entire list of ingredients to ensure they meet with your specific dietary needs. If you wanted to kick things up, you can certainly add some Caribbean Sunshine (diced scotch bonnet) to the marinade.

Prep the ingredients for the marinade (dice, crush and chop). Clean and trim off any excess fat off the chicken (especially the tail area). Whisk the marinade and get ready to brush it onto the chicken.

But before we do, lets take the sage leaves, thyme, scallions and rosemary (no need to chop) and fill the cavity of the chicken. You may add some salt in there (not listed in the ingredient list), but I didn’t as I’m cutting back on the amount of sodium in my diet. Then liberally brush on the marinade over the chicken.

You may certainly marinate this in the fridge for a couple hrs and overnight would give you incredible results. However all I did was the 5 minutes or so the oven preheated to 400F. Then into the oven on the middle rack. I didn’t cover the chicken as it roasted, but you can certainly tent it with some foil if you want to protect the legs and breast from going dark too fast. I did use a low-side cast iron pan, but you may use any roasting pan you like. As explained in the video (see below) the cast iron distributes the heat nicely, plus the low sides means more surface of the chicken will be roasted.

This is what the chicken looked like after about 35 mins in the oven…

To keep the chicken moist, feel free to keep brushing it with the oil at the bottom of the roasting pan every 10-15 minutes or so. After 1 hour and 20 mins it was done, but I wanted a bit more of a golden color, so I cranked up the “broil” setting on the oven. I believe it’s about 525 F, but for 3 mins or so as it can BURN quickly at this high temp.

Tent with foil and allow to rest for a few minutes after you take it out the oven… before slicing through. Don’t recall mentioning it, but I did tuck the wings below the bird and a little kitchen string will be needed to secure the legs in one place. Enjoy!

Do you own a copy of my cookbook ?- The Vibrant Caribbean Pot 100 Traditional And Fusion recipes Vol 2

Grilling Meat & Poultry

Succulent Grilled Leg of Goat.

May 29, 2025August 16, 20182 Comments

This recipe is inspired by an article my friend Franka Phillip wrote for the in-flight magazine of Caribbean airlines a couple months back. When you think “Caribbean” and “goat”, curry automatically comes to mind. I’d argue that island style Curry Goat is one of the best curry dishes you’ll ever enjoy… but what about grilled goat? I was definitely intrigued from Franka’s article as I have a deep passion for cooking over raw fire and finding another way to prepare goat would be ideal.

You’ll Need…

3-4 lbs goat (leg)
3/4 cup olive oil
4 cloves garlic (diced or crushed)
5 sprigs thyme
2 tablespoon parsley (chopped)
2 tablespoon oregano
2 sprigs rosemary (3 sprigs more to make the brush)
1 tablespoon dried pepper flakes
1 lime (juice)
1/2 lime for washing the goat
1/2 teaspoon allspice
2 teaspoon honey
2 scallions (chopped)
3/4 cup orange juice
3/4 tablespoon salt

I washed the leg of goat with the juice of 1/2 a lime (lemon will work too) and cool water. Then I pat it dry with paper towels before allowing it to sit in the marinade. Basically all you do is to cut some slits (stab) into the thick parts of the leg, then combine all the ingredients mentioned above for the marinade.

Basically all you’re doing at this point is pouring the marinade over the goats leg, massage it in a bit, then allow it to marinate overnight or at least 2-3 hours in the fridge. I used a baking dish, but a large zipper bag would make more sense. Remember to place a plate under the bag in the fridge in the event there’s a spill.

Before starting the grill outside (coals fire), I used some kitchen string to tie the goat’s leg so it maintains it’s shape while grilling. I also made a brush out of some Rosemary to brush on the marinade as the leg grilled. IMPORTANT! Stop using the marinade on the leg when you have about 30 minutes of cooking time left. The marinade is raw and you need at least 30 minutes to cook it off so it’s safe to eat.

Please watch the full video below. Basically you’ll need a fire which will last for 2-3 hours as you slowly grill the leg of goat until fully cooked and tender – indirect heat. Indirect grilling simply means to have the item being grilled, NOT directly over the heat source. This leg took about 2.5 hrs on the grill which was at about 275-300 F. The last 15 minutes I placed it directly over the heat, but by this time the coals were mostly burned off.

Using the Rosemary brush to apply the leftover marinade adds a wonder fresh herbal note to the finished grilled goat’s leg, but remember to stop using the marinade early enough to cook-off the rawness.

Don’t slice into it immediately after you take it off the grill.. give it some time to rest (I know you’ll be tempted). Special thanks To Frank for her inspiration on what will be a summertime regular for me now. Yes, you can def use lamb as well.

Do you own a copy of my cookbook ?- The Vibrant Caribbean Pot 100 Traditional And Fusion recipes Vol 2

Gluten Free Meat & Poultry

Sorrel Pomegranate Roasted Chicken.

May 27, 2025April 23, 2018Leave a Comment

I first shared this recipe last holiday season on YouTube and it was one of the best rated videos I did the last quarter of 2017. I guess I’m not alone in my dislike for Turkey, so many people opted to give this Caribbean festive roasted chicken a test drive. As a kid growing up on the islands I always looked forward to when sorrel was in season (usually around Christmas time) as I’ve always been a fan of the juice made from this hibiscus family of flowers. The natural balance of the citrus, sorrel and pomegranate is just awesome as a glaze on chicken (and pork) as you’re about to learn.

You’ll Need…

3 lb chicken
2 slices ginger
1 mandarin / clementine (cut in half)
4 cloves garlic (smashed)
10 sprigs thyme
1/2 medium onion (cut in half)
1/4 teaspoon black pepper
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 tablespoon olive oil

2 large pomegranates (juice and seeds)
6 sorrel buds (aka dried hibiscus)
2 clementine / mandarin (juice)
2 tablespoon honey
1 1/2 tablespoon golden brown sugar
3/4 cup water
1/2 teaspoon salt
3 slices ginger

Important! If doing this recipe gluten free, please go through the entire list of ingredients to make sure they meet with your specific gluten free dietary needs.

Pre-heat the oven to 400 F. As it comes to temperature, stuff the clean chicken with the ginger, clementine, garlic, thyme and onion. I used a cast iron pan (skillet) as I find I get a better ‘browned’ chicken, since the sides are very low. Drizzle on the olive oil on the pan to prevent sticking, place the chicken on the roasting pan and sprinkle on the salt and black pepper over it. If you wanted to add salt and black pepper in the cavity of the chicken you’ can also do so.

Into the 400 F oven on the center rack. As the chicken roast in the oven, we can go ahead and make the pomegranate sorrel glaze to use in an hour or so. In a saucepan place the pomegranate, mandarin, ginger, honey, salt, water, sorrel and sugar. Onto a med/high flame and bring to a boil. As it comes to a boil, reduce to a gentle simmer and reduce by 2/3 or so. It may take between 20-30 minutes.

After about 20 minutes in the oven I took the chicken out and basted it with the drippings which accumulated in the skillet. Back in the oven on the middle rack. Note that I didn’t cover the chicken with foil.

Depending on the size of the chicken, it will take between 1 hr and 75 minutes to fully cook. At this point remove it from the oven and baste on the glaze we made and back into the oven. It stayed for about 5-7 minutes, before I did it again.. 3 times in total. At first I spooned on the glaze, then I found that a brush was better suited for this.

As you’ve seen in the image above, including some of the pomegranate seeds makes for excellent presentation and the lovely burst of juice is awesome when eating the chicken itself. I forgot to mention that you can find sorrel in it’s dried form (my new fav) all year long and I’ve even seen it being sold on Amazon as well.

I encourage you to give this recipe a try as it’s a great way to add some additional flavor to boring oven roasted chicken.

Do you own a copy of my cookbook ?- The Vibrant Caribbean Pot 100 Traditional And Fusion recipes Vol 2

Meat & Poultry

Foolproof Caribbean Stew Chicken

May 27, 2025April 22, 201811 Comments

Seems the number one concern / problem people run into when it comes to cooking Caribbean style stew chicken, is the ‘browning’ step. Basically it involves melting brown sugar until it goes frothy, then amber in colour, before adding the seasoned chicken to the pot. If you allow it to go too long and you end up burning the sugar and thus bitter tasting chicken. Not enough time and you’ll have pale, bland tasting stew chicken. Today I’ve got a foolproof fix for this.

You’ll Need…

3-4 lbs chicken (thighs – skin + fat removed)
1 inch piece of ginger (sliced thin or grated)
1 1/2 tablespoon tomato ketchup
3 cloves garlic (crushed)
1 1/2 tablespoon brown sugar
1 1/4 tablespoon dark soy sauce
1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
1/4 cup water
1/2 scotch bonnet pepper (sliced thin)

1 tablespoon veg oil
3/4 tablespoon salt
1/4 teaspoon black pepper
2 scallions (chopped)
1/2 medium tomato (diced)
3 sprigs thyme
1 tablespoon chopped parsley
3/4 cup water

Place the clean trimmed chicken pieces in a large bowl and get ready to marinate it for about 30 minutes. In another bowl, mix the ginger, ketchup, garlic, brown sugar, soy sauce,Worcestershire sauce, water and scotch bonnet pepper. Then pour half of the marinade over the chicken and mix. Marinate for about 30 minutes for best results. In my case I marinated it for 10 mins.

Heat a heavy/wide pan on a med/high flame, then go in with the veg oil. Now add the seasoned chicken to the pan and brown off. Don’t place a lid on the pan. The idea here is to develop some color by burning off all the liquid. Yes, I did allow the marinade to go into the pot as well.

It will take about 12-15 minutes to burn off all the liquid and get the chicken a nice color. Keep in mind that we’ve got sugar in the marinade so keep a close eye on things near the end (sugar burns).

In the same bowl you marinated the chicken in, swish around the 3/4 cup of water, then add it to the pan with the now browned chicken, along with the 1/2 marinade we reserved. Top it with the salt, black pepper, scallions, thyme, parsley and tomato. Bring to a boil, then reduce to a simmer and cook with the lid slightly ajar. The first step was to develop color and flavor and this second step is to ensure the chicken is fully cooked all the way through.

After about 15 minutes the chicken should be fully cooked (depending how big your chicken pieces are). It’s now time to personalize the dish by tasting for salt and adjusting, and you have the option of burning off the liquid until you get the gravy to a consistency you like. For me the 15 minutes did the job.

I like topping with some chopped scallions (or parsley) when I turn off the stove. Super-Simple and definitely foolproof when it comes to making Caribbean style stew chicken. Should you be intimidated in making stewed chicken, I guarantee you this will work for you.

Do you own a copy of my cookbook ?- The Vibrant Caribbean Pot 100 Traditional And Fusion recipes Vol 2

Meat & Poultry

Jamaican Callaloo (spinach) With Diced Ham.

May 27, 2025April 8, 2018Leave a Comment

Have you ever used canned ham? With a wonderful harvest of Jamaican Callaloo (chorai bhagi | amaranth) from my garden, I decided to put canned ham to use… to add some additional flavor to one of my favorite dishes. I always plant, Spinach, Collard, Jamaican Callaloo, Bok Choi and/or Swiss Chard in my garden every year, such is my luv for ‘greens’. Traditionally I grew up eating Jamaican callaloo cooked with pieces of salted cod (saltfish) and simmered in coconut milk. And while that recipe is indeed a classic, this one is just as tasty.

You’ll Need…

6-8 cups Jamaican callaloo (prepared)
1 can chopped ham (about 1 1/2 cups)
2 tablespoon olive oil (or coconut oil)
1/2 medium onion (sliced)
3 sprigs thyme
1/4 teaspoon black pepper
1 small spicy pepper (your choice)
1/3 teaspoon salt (adjust)
1/2 cup diced tomato (I used grape tomatoes from my garden)
1 teaspoon lime or lemon juice

2 cloves garlic (diced)

Wash and trim off the flowers and thick stems from the callaloo (discard), then separate the leaves from the stems (tender stems). Roll the leaves together and chop it about 1/4 of an inch ribbons. Trim off the skin off the tender stems and chop the now cleaned stems about 1/4 inch as well. Wash everything again and allow to drain.

Heat the oil in a wide pan on a medium flame, the add the onion, garlic, thyme, black pepper and spicy pepper (I used a scotch bonnet). Turn the heat down to low and cook gently for 3-4 minutes.

Remove the ham from the can, drain well and give it a quick rinse under cool water. Then dice into 1/4 inch pieces and add to the pot. Turn the heat up to low/medium and cook for about 5 minutes. The goal is to render out some of the fat and to brown the edges of the ham.

Turn the heat to medium/high and start adding the trimmed/washed callaloo to the pot. Stir well. It will wilt down so don’t stress about it all not fitting in the pot.

Since the ham will already have some salt, you can add the salt now.. but taste later on to make sure it’s enough to your liking. Turn the heat down to med/low, cover the pot and cook for about 8 minutes. After that it’s time to add the diced tomato and lemon juice and cook with the lid off until all the liquid (it will spring naturally) is burnt off. Depending on how ‘cooked’ you like your callaloo, you may need to leave the lid on a bit longer with the lid on.

I gave it a further 6 minutes after I removed the lid off the pot. While not the traditional way of cooking Jamaican callaloo with saltfish, this ham version is quite tasty and well worth the test-drive. If pork is not your thing you can always use smoked turkey or salted cod as in the traditional recipe.

Do you own a copy of my cookbook ?- The Vibrant Caribbean Pot 100 Traditional And Fusion recipes Vol 2

Meat & Poultry Soups & Stews

The Ultimate Corn Soup Recipe.

June 2, 2025April 7, 20188 Comments

The more I write and share recipes about the culinary culture of the Caribbean, the more you’ll see me use the words “Comfort Food”, as we have so many dishes which warms the soul and take us to a happy place. Corn Soup is such a dish. While I have shared a vegetarian version a few years back, I thought I’d share this version with salted pig tails to show you a means of adding even more flavor to an already amazing dish. Salted beef or smoked meats will work great too.

You’ll Need…

1.5 – 2 lbs salted pigtails
1 1/4 cups yellow split peas
5 cups water (adjust as necessary)
4 cloves garlic

2 tablespoon coconut oil
6 sprigs thyme
1 large onion (diced)
2 stalks celery (diced)
1/4 cup parsley (chopped)
1/4 teaspoon black pepper
3 scallions (chopped)
3 pimento peppers (aka seasoning peppers)
2 bird’s eye peppers (any spicy pepper you like)
3 tablespoon shado beni (culantro)
2 cups diced pumpkin
2 cups diced sweet potato
2-3 cups chicken stock
1 1/2 cups coconut milk
2 carrots (diced)
4-6 corn (cut into 1 inch pieces)
1 can creamed corn
1 cup frozen corn (optional)

1 cup allpurpose flour
pinch salt
1/4 cup water

Get your butcher to cut the salted pigtails into 1 inch pieces or use a heavy clever to do so. Wash the pieces of pigtails, then place in a deep pot covered in water (not mentioned in the ingredient list) and bring to a boil. Reduce to a rolling boil and cook for about 25 minutes. This step will to tenderize the pigtails and to remove some of the salt it was cured in.

After 25 minutes, drain and add 5 cups of water to the pot, along with the split peas (washed) and garlic and bring to a boil. Reduce to a simmer and cook for 35-40 minutes or until the peas are tender.

In your large soup-pot, heat the coconut oil on a medium flame, then add the onion, scallions, thyme, black pepper, seasoning peppers, shado beni, parsley, birds eye pepper and celery. Turn the heat to low, stir well and cook for about 4-5 minutes.

Next up you can go in with the sweet potato, carrots and pumpkin, stir well. Then add the stock and bring to a boil and cook for about 25 minutes.

By now the peas/pigtail should be ready. Add it to the soup pot (be gentle) and stir well. Add the coconut milk and creamed corn.. should you want to add some corn kernels, I’d suggest adding a cup of frozen corn at this point as well. Since we already used canned creamed corn, may I suggest you not use canned corn kernels.. there’s just to many additives in the canned stuff. Bring everything to a boil, reduce to a simmer and allow to cook for another 20 minutes.

After 20 minutes, I like using my swizzle stick (you may use a whisk) to break the pumpkin, carrot and sweet potato down. The soup will go very thick at this point, so add some more stock or water if you feel it needs it. As it cooks, you should work on the dumplings.

Corn soup is one of those soups where you must have flour dumplings (or cornmeal), so place the water, flour and if you want.. a pinch of salt, in a bowl and knead to form a soft dough. Add water as necessary. Let the dough rest for about 5 minutes, then divide into 3 smaller balls and roil each part out to form a thick straw (cylinder). Cut that into bite-size pieces (about 1/2 inch) and add to the boiling soup. Watch the video below to see how I did the dumplings.

You may also add the cut pieces of corn (on the cob) now. Do keep in mind that I used sweet corn, which cooks quickly. We’re almost done.. cook for about 5 minutes after adding the dumplings and corn of the cob. Taste for salt and adjust accordingly. I didn’t add salt as the residual salt from the salted pigtails was enough for my liking.

Keep in mind that this is not your typical broth-like soup you’ll find in North America and Europe and it will thicken up considerably as it cools. I usually make a huge pot of this pigtail corn soup and I freeze whatever I don’t eat the same day and reheat when I’ have a craving a few weeks later. From frozen you’ll want to thaw, then add about 3/4 cup water and gently bring to boil until heated as you like.

Do you own a copy of my cookbook ?- The Vibrant Caribbean Pot 100 Traditional And Fusion recipes Vol 2

Gluten Free Meat & Poultry

Breadfruit Simmered In Coconut Milk And Stewed Pork.

May 27, 2025March 22, 2018Leave a Comment

This combination of breadfruit simmered in a stew of coconut milk and pork is one of those dishes which takes me right back to being a carefree boy on the islands. My dad would have ‘card’ night with my grandfather, his brother-in-law (my grandmother’s brother) and a few other fellas from the village. Since mom knew this was usually an all-night thing, she would always make a huge pot of this. The crew always requested (demanded) it. My brother and I would always have our portion early (before hitting the bed).. sisters never cared for it.

This is basically a simplified oil-dong and somewhat different than mom’s.

You’ll Need…

2 1/2 lbs pork (try to get a piece with some fat)
1/2 lime (wash the pork)
3/4 tablespoon salt
1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce (may contain gluten)
1 tablespoon tomato ketchup
1 tablespoon Caribbean Green Seasoning
1 teaspoon grated ginger
1 medium onion (diced)
1/2 medium tomato (diced)
1 tablespoon veg oil
1 1/2 tablespoon golden brown sugar
1 1/2 cups coconut milk
1 1/2 cups water
1 med/large breadfruit (peel, cored, cut into wedges)
4 sprigs thyme
2 scallions
1 scotch bonnet pepper
1 small bell pepper (optional)
2 tablespoon parsley chopped

Important. If doing this recipe gluten free, please go through the entire list of ingredients to make sure they meet with your specific gluten free dietary needs.

How to peel and core a bread fruit.

How to make coconut milk
Caribbean Green Seasoning

Wash the pork (1 inch cube) with the juice of the lime along with some cool water, drain and then season with the salt, ketchup, Worcestershire sauce, grated ginger, tomato and the Caribbean green seasoning. Mix well and allow to marinate for at least a couple hours.

Heat the vegetable oil on a medium high/flame in a deep/heavy pot (one with a lid), then add the brown sugar and move around (with a dry spoon). It will melt, go frothy, then amber in color. Have the seasoned pork close at hand.. if the sugar goes black STOP! Start over if necessary or it will have a bitter aftertaste. Once deep amber in color, start adding the seasoned pork. Yes it’s ok for the marinade to go into the pot as well. Stir well, then place the lid on the pot. As it comes to a boil it will start springing it’s own juices. Turn the heat down to med/low and allow it to cook for about 10 minutes.

No it will not be a sweet dish.. the sort of caramelized sugar will give the dish an awesome flavor and deep color. In the same bowl you marinated the pork, add the water and swish around to pick up any marinade which may be left back. Save this. To intensify the stew flavor and color, remove the lid and crank up the heat to burn off all the liquid. It will take about 5 minutes. Be sure you can see the oil we started with at the bottom of the pot.

Now add the water from the bowl and stir. Place the wedges of breadfruit into the pot (tuck them in), then top with the coconut milk, scallions, thyme and float the scotch bonnet pepper. Be mindful of the pepper as this cooks so you don’t break it and release the fury. Unless you want the raw heat of the pepper. Place the lid on the pot and bring to a boil.

As it comes to a boil, reduce the heat to a simmer and allow it to cook for about 90 minutes.

Try to stir the pot every 20 minutes or so, to move the pieces of breadfruit around so they cook evenly. Remove the scotch bonnet pepper now (discard?) and taste for and adjust the salt if necessary. You may need a bit more salt.

I topped it with diced bell peppers and parsley, turned the heat off and with the lid back on.. the residual heat softened things up. I like ending like this to add a punch of color to the finished dish.. but this is purely optional. A wonderful one-pot dish, which screams “Comfort”! I’m sure you can do the same with beef or chicken if pork is not your thing.

Do you own a copy of my cookbook ?- The Vibrant Caribbean Pot 100 Traditional And Fusion recipes Vol 2

Gluten Free Meat & Poultry

Strings Beans With Leftover Curry Chicken.

May 27, 2025March 9, 2018Leave a Comment

I have a definite weakness for String Beans, French Beans, Bodi (Yard Beans), Pole Beans, Seim.. just about any type of bean, once they’re cooked to my liking. Mom always said that even from my childhood days on the islands she was surprised how much I loved beans, spinach (bhagi) and tomato (in no particular order). Yea, I ate my vegetables (except okra and bitter melon)! This is one of those recipes she would make for us whenever we had Bodi or String Beans in our kitchen garden and there was leftover chicken (curry or stew) from the day before.

You’ll Need…

– leftover curry chicken
– 2 lbs string beans (trimmed)
– 1 tablespoon vegetable oil
– 3 cloves garlic (diced)
– 1 small onion (diced)
– 1/8 teaspoon black pepper
– 1/3 teaspoon salt
– 1/2 cup water
– 5 cherry tomatoes (any tomato works)

Important! If doing this recipe gluten free please go through the entire list of ingredients to ensure they meet with your specific gluten free dietary needs. Especially the curry powder, as some may contain flour as a filler.

Prepare your ingredients. Dice the onion and garlic, then trim of the ends off the beans (remove any strings), cut into 1 inch pieces, then wash and drain. This recipe works great with French beans also.

Heat a saucepan (with a lid) on a medium flame, then add the vegetable oil (coconut or olive oil works just as well), then add the onion + garlic and reduce the heat to as low as it will go. Cook for a couple minutes.

Add the prepared beans to the pot, followed by the black pepper and salt. Turn the heat to med/high and stir well.

Add the water and bring to a boil (lid on). As it comes to a boil, reduce to a simmer and cook for about 10-15 minutes with the lid on. In my case it took about 14 minutes to get to the texture I like my beans.

Remove the lid and add the leftover curry chicken to the pot and give it a good mix to allow the curry flavors to flavor the beans. Cook for 5-7 minutes with the lid off. Then taste for salt (adjust to your liking) and finally you can go in with the tomatoes. I used grape tomatoes, but you can use a medium tomato diced. Note. The tomato is optional. Stir well, place the lid on and turn off the stove. Allow the residual heat to soften the tomatoes.

You’ll notice that I didn’t add any “Caribbean Sunshine” (spicy pepper) to the dish as the curry chicken I added was already a bit spicy, but you can certainly add some at the start if you wanted. For additional flavor you’re free to use coconut milk instead of the water I used to cook the beans. I wanted a mild curry taste, but you can also add some curry powder at the start when you added the garlic and onion, should you want a more pronounced curry taste.

Do you own a copy of my cookbook ?- The Vibrant Caribbean Pot 100 Traditional And Fusion recipes Vol 2

Meat & Poultry

Simple Citrus Oven Roasted Chicken.

May 27, 2025February 24, 20184 Comments

There’s something so comforting about oven roasted chicken that it’s usually made in some form or the other in my home a couple times a month. Growing up on the islands, ‘bake’ chicken was a Sunday thing, along with macaroni pie, callaloo and other fixings. I still remember the aroma coming out of the kitchen early Sunday morning as we went about doing our weekend chores and the anticipation of that traditional lunch with my siblings and parents.

You’ll Need…

3-5 lbs chicken legs
1/2 teaspoon salt
3/4 cup orange juice
1 1/2 lemons
2 tablespoon parsley (chopped)
5-7 sprigs lemon thyme (divided)
1/3 teaspoon black pepper (divided)
3 tablespoon olive oil (divided)
cherry tomatoes (optional)
1/2 teaspoon grated ginger
3 cloves garlic
1 scallion (chopped)
1 tablespoon honey (I used an organic raw honey)
1/2 teaspoon allspice

Important! If doing this recipe gluten free, please go through the full list of ingredients to ensure they meet with your specific gluten free dietary needs.

Clean and trim off any extra skin and fat off the chicken. You may choose to remove all the skin, but when oven roasting chicken I like leaving the skin on. It helps to keep the chicken from going too dry, plus the rendering of the skin/layer of fat, keeps the dish moist. I also cut a couple slits on the thickest part of the chicken.

In a large bowl place 1/2 the thyme, 1/2 the olive oil, salt, juice of 1/2 a lemon (juice), orange juice, 1/2 the black pepper, honey, garlic, allspice, parsley, scallion and grated ginger. Give it a good mix, then pour it over the chicken.

Preheat your oven to 400 F. You may marinate the chicken for a couple hours, but in my case I went at it right away. Massage the pieces of chicken with your hands to coat both sides. Then sprinkle on the remaining black pepper and olive oil over the chicken. Tuck in the remaining lemon (sliced) as well as the thyme between the pieces of chicken (on a roasting pan/sheet) and place the tomatoes in-between as well.

Then it’s into the oven on the middle rack.

Depending on the size of your chicken pieces, it will take between 1 hour and 5 minutes and 1 hour and 20 minutes. For additional color, you may hit the broil setting the last 2-4 minutes.

So simple to put together and very tasty.. definitely a recipe I’ll encourage you to give a test-drive. Please keep in mind that I’ve cut back on the amount of salt I use, so you may need to add a bit more if salt is your thing. I’d recommend sprinkling on the chicken before it goes into the oven, if you do decided to add more salt. TIP! Line with baking tray with parchment paper or foil for less work cleaning up after.

Do you own a copy of my cookbook ?- The Vibrant Caribbean Pot 100 Traditional And Fusion recipes Vol 2

Gluten Free Meat & Poultry

Coconut Curry Chicken Recipe.

May 27, 2025January 26, 20187 Comments

As you make your way across the Caribbean you’ll encounter different methods of cooking curry dishes, influenced by one’s own preference and family traditions. A prime example is my way of cooking coconut curry chicken.. as I’m about to share. My technique and ingredients will differently differ from other recipes you’ll see… even the way I’d see my mom and grandma make their version. Coincidentally I don’t recall mom using coconut in curry chicken, unless it was a tough chicken (we say yard fowl), where the use of the coconut acted as a tenderizer.

You’ll Need…

3-4 lbs chicken (cut into small pieces)
3/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon black pepper
1 tablespoon tomato ketchup
4 sprigs thyme
2-3 scallions (chopped)
2 tablespoon parsley (chopped)
1/3 scotch bonnet pepper
1 cup coconut milk
1 1/2 tablespoon curry powder
2 tablespoon veg oil
1/2 medium onion (diced)
4-6 cloves garlic (smashed)
3 cardamom pods
1 cup water
4-6 grape tomatoes (optional)
2 tablespoon cilantro (chopped)

Important! If doing this recipe gluten free please go through the entire list of ingredients to ensure they meet with your specific gluten free dietary needs.. especially the curry powder you use, as some may contain flour as a filler. Also, I used dark/bone pieces of chicken, but this recipe will work just as great with chicken breast.

Season the clean chicken with everything except the oil, coconut milk, curry powder, onion, garlic, cardamom, tomato, cilantro and water. Allow it to marinate for at least 2 hours.

Heat the vegetable oil (coconut oil will be perfect too) on a medium flame then reduce to low and add the diced onion and smashed garlic. Cook for 3 minutes on low. Then add the cardamom and cook another minute or so. Next up add the curry powder (still on low) and stir well. Cook on low to cook off the raw curry taste and to bloom the spices which makes up the curry powder. It will go darker, clump and your kitchen will have a lovely scent of curry.

Now add the coconut milk, turn up the heat and bring to a boil. Then reduce to a med/high heat and cook for 8-10 minutes. The goal is to cook off the liquid and really intensify the coconut flavor. You should end up with a thick base, with hints of the oil you started off with (plus oil from the coconut milk). Stir well as the natural sugars will want to stick/burn.

Here’s where you’ll now add the seasoned chicken and stir well. It’s ok if the marinade goes in as well. The goal here (high heat) is to coat and sear the pieces of chicken with the coconut curry base. Add the water to the same bowl you marinated the chicken in and stir to pick up any marinade left back. Cook the chicken for 7-10 minutes or until you’ve burned off any liquid it may have sprouted naturally.

In the image above you’ll notice that I added an entire scotch bonnet pepper as I like this dish very spicy.. adjust to your own liking. Also remember to wash your hands with soap and water after handling such spicy peppers. After the chicken is full seared/coated and you don’t have any liquid in the pot (this step was to infuse the chicken with the coconut curry flavors) it’s now time to add the water and stir well. This step is to fully cook the chicken and develop a thick gravy.

Bring to a rolling boil, cover the pot slightly ajar and cook for another 15 minutes. Then here’s where you personalize things. Taste for salt /adjust and cook until you get the desired thickness you like your gravy. For me this was perfect at this point as I knew it would thicken as it cools. Add the chopped cilantro and tomato (use shado benin/culantro if you have) and turn off the stove.

Please watch the video below to further assist in perfecting this coconut curry chicken. Some of you may question my use of ketchup and tomatoes.. both brings their own flavor and uniqueness, especially a bit of acidity in helping to balance things. BTW- tomato is very natural (and important) in cooking curry chicken when it originated.

Do you own a copy of my cookbook ?- The Vibrant Caribbean Pot 100 Traditional And Fusion recipes Vol 2

Gluten Free Meat & Poultry

Classic Geera Pork (Spicy Cumin Pork).

May 27, 2025January 6, 2018Leave a Comment

The original version of this recipe, along with a Chicken rendition were shared a few years back, but with increased requests from fans on Instagram I thought I’d share a slightly different method of cooking this spicy dish we adore in Trinidad and Tobago. Geera as we’ve discussed in previous recipes is simply the word we use when referring to Cumin.. and to be quite honest, I’m NOT a huge fan of this spice. While this version (like the traditional way) is very spicy, you can certainly cut back on the amount of pepper you use so don’t be scared off.

You’ll Need…

3 1/2 lbs pork (cubed)
juice of 1 lime or lemon to wash the pork
1/4 teaspoon black pepper
1 heaping tablespoon Caribbean Green Seasoning
3/4 teaspoon salt
1 1/2 tablespoon roasted ground geera (cumin)
2 tablespoon vegetable oil
1/2 teaspoon geera seeds (cumin seeds)
2 scallions (chopped)
4 cloves garlic (smashed)
2 tablespoon cilantro (chopped)
1 tablespoon parsley (chopped)
2 pimento peppers (aka seasoning pepper) diced
8 bird pepper (bird’s eye pepper) chopped
1 1/4 cup water

Important! If doing this recipe gluten free, be sure to go through the entire list of ingredients to ensure they meet with your specific gluten free dietary needs. I used Bird’s Eye Peppers, but you can use any spicy pepper you like and in the amounts you can tolerate. I opted for a fatty piece of pork as I find you get better results than using a more lean piece.

Cut the pork into 3/4 inch pieces and wash with the juice of a lime or lemon and cool water. Drain and season with the salt, black pepper, roasted Geera powder and Caribbean Green Seasoning. Mix well to coat / combine. Usually I’d say to marinate this for at least 2 hours, but with the following process we can get cooking immediately.

Heat the vegetable oil in a wide (heavy pan) on medium heat, then add the geera seeds, turn the heat down and allow them to cook for about 3 minutes. The goal is to create a wonderful base of flavor to aid with replacing having not marinated the pork. Then go in with the scallions, seasoning peppers, bird’s eye peppers, parsley, garlic and cilantro. Were I in the Caribbean I’d be using Shado Beni (culantro) instead of the cilantro.

After about 3 minutes after adding the peppers etc, turn up the heat to medium-high and start adding the pieces of seasoned pork to the pot. Stir well to coat the pieces of pork with that amazing base of flavors we created. Do not cover the pot as we want to sear the pieces of pork.

You will notice that the pork will spring a lot of natural juices, that’s expected (don’t panic). Allow this to cook on medium high until that liquid burns off and you can see the oil we started with at the bottom of the pot. It will take about 8-10 minutes. Then it’s time to add the water, bring to a boil, after-which you must reduce the heat to as low as it can go so the pot is gently simmering. Place the lid on the pot slightly ajar and allow this to cook until the pork is tender.

After 35 minutes the pork should be tender, but there may still be some liquid in the pot so remove the lid and crank up the heat. I like my Geera Pork to be free of gravy, so I usually burn off the liquid as mentioned. You may choose to have a bit of gravy, so taste for salt and adjust according and personalize the gravy situation to your liking. In total I cooked my dish for about 45 minutes after adding the water and the pork was fork-tender.

Just before turning off the stove I tossed in a bit more cilantro and seasoning peppers (diced fine) to add a bit of color to the overall dish. Depending on how ‘fatty’ the pork was that you used, there may be a bit too much oil at the bottom of the pan (as in my case) so I spooned it out on paper towels and tossed it in the garbage. Never pour such fat down your kitchen sink or you’ll need a plumber as a friend.

It was Christmas time when I made this as my friends were coming over to play dominoes and this is one of fav snacks to have when we’re enjoying some adult beverages.

Do you own a copy of my cookbook ?- The Vibrant Caribbean Pot 100 Traditional And Fusion recipes Vol 2

Meat & Poultry

Simple Oven Roasted Turkey Breast.

May 27, 2025December 21, 20173 Comments

Since I’m not a huge fan of turkey, the past few years I’ve been focusing more on just the turkey breast when we do Thanksgiving or Christmas dinner. My daughters are not huge fans of the bird either but it’s part of their Canadian culture, so rather than doing an entire bird and having too much leftovers to know what to do with.. we usually make a single turkey breast. After posting pics of this on Instagram, I was flooded with requests from people who are in the same situation.

You’ll Need…

– turkey breast – 5-7 lbs
– 3-4 cups water
– 5 sprigs thyme
– 2-3 tablespoon chopped parsley
– 7-10 black peppercorns
– 5-10 allspice berries
– 4 cloves garlic
– 1 tablespoon salt
– 1 tablespoon brown sugar

– 1 tablespoon olive oil
– 1 large carrot
– 2 stalks celery
– 1 head garlic
– 1/2 large onion
– 1 cup water (or chicken stock)
– 1/4 teaspoon black pepper (ground)
– 2 sprigs thyme

To ensure we have a tender and moist turkey breast after roasting in the oven, we need to make a quick brine and have the turkey sit in it over-night for best results (or at least a couple hours). In a large bowl place 1 cup of lukewarm water (to help the sugar and salt dissolve) then add the sugar, salt, garlic (smashed), peppercorns, allspice berries, thyme and parsley and whisk (try to be a bit rough to bruise the herbs so they release their flavors). Then add 3 cups of cold water and mix well. be sure to have the water chilled as we don’t want to add the turkey to a warm brine.

You can now place the turkey breast in a larger zipper bag (or container with a lid) and pour the brine onto it. Seal and place the fridge over-night. I usually place the bag with the turkey on a bowl in case the bag leaks in the fridge. Try to massage the turkey breast in the brine a couple times to make sure it’s brined evenly.

Remove the turkey from the brine, give it a rise under cold water and pat dry with paper towels. As your oven preheats to 375 F, line your roasting tray (I used an oven-proof dish) with the rough chopped celery and carrots. Cut the head of garlic in half and 1/4 the onion and place on the the baking dish as well. Now place the turkey breast on top of the vegetable bed and drizzle on the olive oil to coat the skin and finish off with the black pepper. Finally tuck the sprigs of thyme under the turkey breast and pour in the water (or chicken stock). The final step before going into the middle rack in the oven is to cover with foil.

Roast (covered) for 2 hours, then remove the foil and crank-up the heat to 425 F to develop that lovely golden color. It may take between 30 and 45 minutes, depending on the size of the breast you use. You’ll notice that I didn’t add any salt except for the brine (no need really), but you’re free to sprinkle a little on top of the breast when you add the black pepper before it went into the oven.

Simple and the fact that you’re not stuck with a ton of turkey (as if you did an entire bird), this is definitely a recipe I highly recommend (super juicy too). If you wanted to add a bit of chopped scotch bonnet to the brine for a slightly spicy roasted turkey, you can certainly do so. Remember to allow it to rest a bit before slicing though. Yes, you discard the brine after.

Do you own a copy of my cookbook ?- The Vibrant Caribbean Pot 100 Traditional And Fusion recipes Vol 2

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