Caribbean Stewed Chicken With Lentils.

May 27, 2025May 28, 2024Leave a Comment

While Stewed Chicken With Red Beans is a hit in my home and with fans of the website, this version of making Caribbean style stew chicken with the addition of canned (tin) lentils, is yet another comforting dish I enjoy making and serving. Side note, you can also make this dish using the Jamaican Brown Stew technique as well.

You’ll Need…

3-4 lbs chicken
3/4 tablespoon salt
1 medium onion (diced)
1 teaspoon black pepper
1 scotch bonnet pepper (see note)
1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
1 tablespoon tomato ketchup
2 tablespoon Caribbean Green Seasoning
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 1/2 tablespoon golden brown sugar
3 cups water
2 Pimento Peppers (aka seasoning peppers)
1 carrot (diced)
1 tablespoon grated ginger
2 tablespoon coconut cream
1 can lentils – rinsed (540 ml / 19oz)
1 medium tomato (diced)
2 scallions (chopped)

Notes! May I recommend that you follow along with the video below as much more about the recipe is discussed there. Especially the “browning” step. I used an entire scotch bonnet pepper- you may do the same, leave it out or use in the amount you can tolerate. Remember to wear gloves and to wash your hands immediately after handling such hot peppers.

I used an entire chicken which I cut into serving sized pieces. Here’s a quick video showing how this is traditionally done in the Caribbean.

Season the cut, trimmed (remove fat and most of the skin) and washed with the juice of a lemon and cool water chicken (if you wash your meats) with the salt, black pepper, tomato ketchup, onion, Caribbean Green Seasoning, salt, Scotch Bonnet pepper and Worcestershire sauce. Mix well to combine and allow it to marinate for at least 30 minutes.

Heat the oil (any oil you prefer using) on a med/high flame in a heavy/deep pot. Add the brown sugar and stir. The sugar will melt, go frothy and then a deep amber in color. Do NOT allow it to go Black. Once you have that deep amber color, add the seasoned chicken to the pot and stir well to coat. In the video I explained this step in more detail. Should the sugar go black, STOP! Allow the pot to cool completely, wash it and start over, or you’ll have a bitter tasting dish at the end.

Cover the pot and bring it to a boil. Don’t worry the chicken will sprout its own natural juices. Once it’s boiling, reduce the heat to a simmer and cook for 4-5 minutes. Then you’ll turn the heat up to burn off all of the liquid in the pot. In doing so you’ll get a deeper color and flavor.

With all of the liquid gone, it’s time to add ginger, carrot, pimento pepper and coconut cream along with the water to braise everything. Stir.

Now add the rinsed lentils and diced tomato to the pot and cook on a rolling boil for about 20 minutes or until the chicken is fully cooked.

Should you like the flavor of lemongrass and/or bay leaves, you may add some for additional flavor. Here’s where you’ll decide if the gravy is to your liking and taste and adjust the salt to your liking. Keep in mind that the residual heat in the pot will further thicken things as it cools.

As you turn off the stove add the chopped scallions (or parsley), stir and make sure you have some hot steaming rice for an awesome meal. A slice of avocado, along with a quick salad of tomato, cucumber and watercress is how I complete this meal.

Meat & Poultry

Caribbean Stewed Chicken With Pigeon Peas.

May 27, 2025November 4, 20201 Comment

A classic dish during pigeon peas season (usually from late December to early April) in the Caribbean. Freshly shelled pigeon peas are pre cooked, then added to traditional stewed chicken for an iconic dish to enjoy with rice, dumplings, roti or a side to ground provisions. Almost the same dish is made with a curry base – I’ll share that one another time.

You’ll Need…

3 cups green pigeon peas
3-4 lbs chicken (legs and thighs)
3/4 tablespoon salt (adjust)
1/4 teaspoon black pepper
1 tablespoon tomato ketchup
1 heaping tablespoon Caribbean Green Seasoning
1 teaspoon Worcestershire Sauce
2-3 drops Angostura Bitters
1 tablespoon grated ginger
1 medium tomato (diced)
1 medium onion (diced)
2 1/2 cups water
2 cups pumpkin (cubed)
1 scotch bonnet pepper
2 tablespoon parsley- optional (chopped)

Important! I used a whole scotch bonnet pepper, adjust to your own liking/tolerance and do wear gloves and wash your hands with soap and water immediately after handling such hot peppers. If you cannot source fresh pigeon peas, you may use frozen. Should you only have access to canned (tin) pigeon peas, there’s no need to precook it. Just rinse well and add to the chicken when I did.

Rinse the peas in cool water, then place in a deep sauce pan and cover with water. On a med/high heat, bring to a boil, then reduce to a rolling boil.

While the peas boil, we’ll season the chicken. The chicken was cut into serving size pieces (and washed with lemon juice and cool water) and placed in a large bowl where we’ll now season it. Add the onion, tomato, black pepper, salt, Worcestershire Sauce, bitters, Caribbean Green Seasoning, tomato ketchup, ginger and scotch bonnet pepper. Mix well to coat the chicken with the marinade. Typically I’d say marinate for at least 2 hours, but today we’ll go as long as it takes the peas to cook.

After 35-40 minutes of boiling , turn off the stove, drain the peas and set aside.

Now in a large heavy pot, add the oil and go on a high flame. Add the sugar to the pot and move it around. The sugar will melt, then go frothy and finally go dark. As soon as you see it deep amber (NOT BLACK), start adding the seasoned chicken to the pot. Stir well to coat. Bring to a boil. If the sugar goes BLACK.. STOP. Allow the pot to cool, wash, dry and start over or you’ll end up with bitter tasting chicken.

Reduce the heat to med/low, cover the pot and let it go. In the same bowl you marinated the chicken, add the water and move it around to pick up any remaining marinade. Set aside.

Ten minutes later (stir a couple times at least), remove the lid off the pot (there will be some juices), crank up the heat to burn that of that liquid and to give the chicken a deeper color and flavor base.

It will take about 8-10 minutes to get rid of that liquid. Now add the cooked pigeon peas, diced pumpkin and thyme. Mix well. Then add the water from the bowl into the pot. And bring back to a boil.

Turn the heat down to a simmer, lid slightly ajar and cook until everything is tender and you have a lovely gravy.

After 25 minutes, it time to personalize things. Taste for salt and adjust, crush some of the pumpkin pieces along with some peas to thicken the gravy and be sure to cook down until you achieve a consistency of gravy you’re happy with. Top with some freshly chopped parsley for a punch of color when you turn off the stove.

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Gluten Free Meat & Poultry

Caribbean Ginger Stewed Chicken With String Beans.

May 27, 2025August 28, 20183 Comments

This is a dish mom would always make on a Monday, when she would have leftover stewed chicken from Sunday’s massive lunch (well if my brother and I didn’t attack the chicken the evening before as we watched Knight Rider). The string beans or in some cases Bodi (yard bean) usually came from our little kitchen garden at the back of the house and I was somehow always involved in picking them. This time we’ll rock this from ‘scratch’.

You’ll Need…

3 lbs chicken (drum with thighs)
1 lb string beans (you’ll be safe with 2 lbs if you want more beans)
1 heaping tablespoon Caribbean Green Seasoning
1/4 teaspoon black pepper
3/4 teaspoon salt (adjust)
1/2 medium onion (diced)
1/2 scotch bonnet pepper (no seeds)
1 tablespoon tomato ketchup
Ginger (I used about a 1 1/2 inch piece)
1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
1 teaspoon veg oil
1 tablespoon brown sugar
1 cup water
6 grape tomatoes

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. Additionally, when handling such hot peppers as scotch bonnets, be sure to wear gloves and wash your hands immediately after with soap and water. Also note that the ginger will give this stew a peppery undertone as well.

The chicken was cut into 1 1/2 inch pieces, cleaned and most of the fat and skin removed. In a large bowl place the chicken, with the salt, black pepper, ginger, Caribbean Green seasoning, Ketchup, onion and Worcestershire sauce. Mix well and allow it to marinate while you trim and cut the string beans. Cut off the tips and then trim into 1 – 1 1/2 inch pieces. Cover with cool water to keep fresh.

With the ginger you can certainly grate it is so you won’t get a chunk of ginger when eating.. I luv getting bits of ginger so I julienne it in this recipe. For the following step you may want to watch the video below.

Heat the veg oil on a high heat in a heavy pan. Then add the brown sugar and using a dry spoon, move it a around. It will start to melt, go frothy, then amber in color. Act NOW! Add the seasoned chicken to the pot. Yes you add everything. Mix well to coat the chicken pieces with the caramelized sugar. No the dish will NOT be sweet. If the sugar goes beyond amber (black) stop! Don’t proceed or you’ll have bitter tasting chicken.

Turn the heat down to medium, place a lid on the pot and cook for about 5-8 minutes. It will spring a lot of natural juices. The next step in to infuse the chicken with the ‘stew’ flavor and give it a lovely golden color. Crank up the heat, remove the lid and burn off all the liquid.

After about 4-6 minutes you should see the oil we started with at the bottom of the pot… it’s now time to add the trimmed string beans to the pot and stir well.

Swish the cup of water in the same bowl you marinated the chicken to pick up any remaining marinade, then pour it into the pot with the chicken and beans. Bring this up to a boil, then reduce to a rolling boil. The goal is to fully cook the chicken and beans.

After about 15 minutes, this should be ready. However, you must personalize this a bit. Taste for salt and adjust and there will be a bit of gravy on the bottom of the pot. You may burn that off completely (with lid off) or leave it to pour over your rice. In my case I gave it 3 minutes with the lid off.. this is where I added the tomatoes to the pot as I didn’t want them to over-cook.

The perfect combo for this (besides hot Sada Roti) is hot rice.. steamed, boiled or done in your fav way. For me it’s boiled long grain par-boiled brown.

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

Caribbean Stewed Chicken With Red Beans Recipe.

May 27, 2025January 8, 201432 Comments

This recipe is one of my favorite dishes to prepare when I’m homesick or when things are not going well and I need a pick-me-up! It combines two dishes I just adore, Trinidad stew chicken and stewed red beans. Two things mom would cook on Sunday’s when the entire family were together… pure joy! It works well as a side to rice, roti, dumplings, ground provisions.. even pasta! And if you want you can add some coconut dumplings the last 10 minutes of cooking and make it a true one pot meal.

You’ll Need

3 Lbs Chicken (I like using drum sticks)
1 scallion (chopped)
1 onion (diced)
3 cloves garlic (diced)
1 teaspoon ketchup
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon black pepper
1/4 teaspoon grated ginger
3 sprigs thyme
3 drops worcheshire sauce
1 small tomato (chopped)
1/4 scotch bonnet pepper
2 cups water
1 can red kidney beans (rinsed/drained)
1 tablespoon brown sugar
1 tablespoon veg oil

Wash and season the chicken with all the ingredients except, the water, beans, sugar and oil. Allow this to marinate for about 2 hrs or 15 minutes if you’re in a rush. Remember to wash your hands with soap and water after handling the scotch bonnet pepper and don’t include any of the seeds if you’re concerned about the raw heat.

Heat the oil in a deep pan on med/high, then add the sugar and stir well. Be sure to use a dry metal spoon and have the seasoned chicken close. This will all about timing for the ultimate flavor and color. As the sugar melts it will go liquid, then frothy and start changing color. Let it go until you have a rich amber color (NOT BLACK or it will taste burnt), then start adding the pieces of seasoned chicken to the pot. Mix as you do to coat the chicken pieces with the lovely caramelized colour. Don’t worry it won’t be sweet! Place the lid on the pot, bring to a boil, then reduce to a simmer for 5-8 minutes. It will spring it’s own juices.

Now remove the lid and turn up the heat to burn off any liquid. This will intensify the color and flavor of the chicken. As this cooks down, add the 2 cups of water to the bowl you had the chicken marinating in (to pick up any remaining marinade) and rinse off the red beans.

With all the liquid gone from the pot, add the water and top with the beans, then bring to a boil. Lid closed, simmer for 20 minutes until the chicken is fully cooked.

After 20 minutes or so, taste for salt and adjust accordingly and if you find that the gravy is a bit ‘thin’ turn up the heat (lid off) and reduce to the consistency you like. Personally I like it a bit thick. Remember that it will thicken up a bit as it cools.

This is a very comforting dish, packed with rich Caribbean flavors and it’s something your family will be asking for on the regular.

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Meat & Poultry

Stew Chicken With String Beans.

May 27, 2025February 27, 20126 Comments

Stewed chicken with string beans was usually a “Monday” dish in our home back in the day. Leftover stewed meats (usually chicken) from Sunday’s huge lunch was used to enhance the flavor of boring string beans… probably the only way our mom would get us to eat beans. She would usually cook down the beans first and add the pieces of left over stewed chicken near the end, to finish the dish off. However, we’ll do things a bit different… we’ll stew the chicken first for that rich flavor and color, then add the trimmed string beans to the pot and allow it to enjoy married life (smile).

I’m not a fan of chicken breast (white meat) as it’s so easy to go dry. But I assure you the pieces of chicken will be juicy, tender and infused with the lovely goodness of ginger, the herbs we used and the overall stewing process.

You’ll Need…

2 Chicken Breast (about 1 1/2 – 2 lbs)
2 lb string beans (see note below)
3/4 tablespoon salt
2 tablespoon veg oil
1/4 teaspoon black pepper
1 teaspoon grated ginger (see note)
1/4 hot pepper (habanero or scotch bonnet)
1 medium onion
1 tomato
3 sprigs thyme
2 scallions
2 cloves garlic
1 tablespoon ketchup
1 tablespoon golden brown sugar
juice of 1 lime or lemon (can vinegar as well)
2 leaves shado beni (or 2 tablespoon chopped cilantro)
1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
1 1/2 cups water

Notes: Feel free to add additional herbs in seasoning the chicken (Spanish thyme, parsley and/or oregano). I used string beans, but you can also use french beans, bodi (yard beans) or any of your favorite green beans. I grated the ginger into the marinating of the chicken, but if you wish you can use a slice and remove it at the end of cooking if you’re worried about biting into the ginger. Remember when using hot peppers to keep away from the seeds and surrounding white membrane if you’re concerned about the heat.

I got boned chicken breast (on sale), so I had to debone and cut into 1 inch chunks. I then washed the pieces of chicken with the lime juice and rinsed with cool water.Then chop the onion, garlic, tomato, hot pepper, scallions, thyme and shado beni.

Add all the ingredients into the bowl with cubed chicken pieces except the brown sugar, water, string beans and vegetable oil. Give it a good stir and allow the chicken to marinate for at least 15 minutes.

I had already prepped my beans, but this would be a good time to do so while the seasoned chicken marinates. Trim off the ends of each bean, then cut into 1-2 inch pieces length-wise. I then like to cut each piece down the middle as I find it cooks faster and really absorbs the flavors of the stewed chicken. It will take some time and best done using a small pairing knife (better control). Please refer to the video below to see how I trimmed each bean.

Let’s get ready to put this tasty dish together. If this is your first time ‘stewing’ meats as it’s done in Caribbean (almost like caramelizing) you can refer to the video below or follow along.. I’ll try my best to describe this step. Since we’ll be working with melted sugar at a high temperature be sure to use a dry cooking spoon with a long handle. It’s also recommended that you have the seasoned chicken close.

Heat a fairly large/deep pot on a med/high heat and add the oil. Now add the brown sugar and keep stirring. The sugar will start to melt and go a sort of caramel color.. that’s what we want. Allow it to start going frothy and it will get a rich dark color. Keep stirring as you want the entire batch of sugar to work evenly. As it get’s a rich dark color and frothy.. the pot will start to smoke so have a window open or the exhaust fan above your stove on. I’ve had the smoke detector go off a few times. With care, start adding the chicken. It’s ok if the pieces of onion, tomato etc goes into the pot. Sooner or later they will reside there. Give it a good stir to coat the chicken in the lovely brown color.

* Be careful not to let the sugar go black or your dish will have a sort of bitter taste.

Turn down the heat to low, cover the pot and allow to cook for about 6 minutes with the lid on. After six minutes you should have some natural juices at the bottom of the pan. With the lid off, turn up the heat (remember to stir) and burn off that liquid. We’re building a rich flavor base and we enhancing the overall color of the dish.

With all the liquid gone, start adding the trimmed (don’t forget to wash your beans before trimming) beans to the pot and give it a good stir (heat still on high). Pour the water into the same bowl you marinated the chicken in to pick up any remaining marinade, then pour that water (the cup and a half) into the pot. Give that a good stir and bring to a boil.

When it comes to a boil reduce to a simmer, cover the pot and allow to cook for about 15 minutes. I like my beans to still have a slight crunch, so 15 minutes works great for me (stir occasionally). After 15 minutes (your kitchen will have a wonderful scent at this point), remove the lid and if you have liquid at the bottom of the pan (you will), turn up the heat and burn it off. You’re Done!

I love this with plain boiled rice (brown), but it’s just as tasty with roti and it makes a killer sandwich (trust meh). Yes the vibrant green color will be lost, but if you want to brighten it up a bit for presentation, you can add some chopped tomato near the end to just heat through.

Before you go, don’t forget to check out the latest cooking videos, connect with me on twitter and join our community on facebook. oh yea! leave me a comment below – it’s appreciated.

Meat & Poultry

Ultimate Trinbagonian Stew Chicken.

May 27, 2025March 22, 201067 Comments

trini recipes stew chicken If you’ve been reading the blog or getting the weekly recipes sent to you directly you’ll know that I’ve been tagging some recipes as being “Ultimate” (Ultimate Curry Goat | Ultimate Curry Chicken), so today I’ll like to add another classic dish to the “Ultimate” series.

I think it was about 4 years ago and we were on the French side of St Maarten for the day. We had booked an all-day beach getaway with a brief tour of the island. It was about 11 am and we had already done the island tour and we had a 1 hr break in Marigot at one of the craft markets before heading off to the beach to spend the day. Our daughters were already getting bored (they hate tourist traps) and according to them..STARVING! As we walked around looking for something for them to eat, they noticed one of the restaurants had a huge sign up with their daily specials and a stew chicken platter was one of the featured items. Yup! They had found their own little shangrila! They were soon very disappointed and mad at me (don’t ask me why), as it turned out that the restaurant was only just serving breakfast and the lunch dinner menu would not be open until another couple hours. If only steupes (kiss teeth) could kill, that poor girl who told them that, would be dead on the spot. You couldn’t even force feed our daughters croissants even if their lives depended on it. Yea, that was a pretty grumpy day after that. I think their taste buds had already made reservations only to be canceled by the talk of breakfast and croissants.

In this “stew” we’ll be trying to only use fresh ingredients to truly get that “ultimate” taste at the end, so you’ll notice that I didn’t opt to use some of my already prepared green seasoning mix.

You’ll Need…

4-5 lbs chicken – cubed into serving size pieces
3/4 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon worcestershire sauce
1 tablespoon ketchup
2 cloves of garlic – thinly sliced or crushed
1 teaspoon fresh ginger – crushed/sliced
2 tablespoon vegetable oil (one that can withstand high heat)
1 medium onion – chopped
1 medium tomato – chopped
3 tablespoon cilantro (or shado beni) chopped
1 tablespoon brown sugar
1 1/2 cups water
1/4 teaspoon black pepper
1/4 hot pepper (only if you like your food spicy)
1 green onion or chive (scallion) – chopped
2 sprigs of fresh thyme (1 teaspoon dried)
1 lime or lemon or 3 tablespoons of vinegar
1 small shallot

* If you can get Spanish Thyme (aka podina), use 1-2 medium leaves finely chopped with the seasoning of the chicken.
* CHICKEN – I used a whole chicken that I divided into servings size pieces. I like the mixture of dark and white meat, but if you prefer you can use chicken parts such as legs and/or thighs and if you only eat chicken breast (or chicken chest as it’s commonly called on the islands) as one of my good friends does.. basically it’s your choice. If using chicken breast, it’s important that you allow the seasoned meat to marinate at least 2hours to really infuse the meat and to help prevent it being overly dry when cooked.

TIP : Leave the ginger in large pieces if you’d like to fish out when the dish is done.

Since I don’t have a separate cutting board for meat and vegetables I usually prepare my seasonings first before getting the chicken all over the board. This simply means chopping the onion, pepper,thyme, shallot, cilantro, tomato, garlic and scallion.

seasoning for stew chicken

The next step is to cut, wash and season the chicken. If you’re lucky enough to have drum sticks and thighs there’s no need for cutting the meat into serving size pieces. In a future video I’ll show you how to divide and part-off a whole chicken. Put the pieces of chicken in a large bowl, squeeze the lime or lemon juice (or vinegar) on it , then add a couple cups of water and wash. Try to remove as much fat and skin as you can. Rinse with a new batch of water and drain. * The water used in washing the chicken pieces is NOT mentioned in the ingredients list.

Now season by adding everything except the sugar, oil and water mentioned in the ingredients list. Mix thoroughly and allow to marinate for a couple hours in the fridge. For best results, marinate overnight.

trini stew chicken

As we’ve done with other “stew” recipes, it’s now time to brown the meat and not only give it a rich brown colour, but give it it’s truly unique taste. If you use the search box above (providing you’re not reading this from an rss feed) and search for “stew” you’ll find the other recipes. On a medium to high heat, put the oil in a heavy and deep pan to heat. Then add the sugar.. move it around until it starts going liquid. Please have the seasoned meat very close and I recommend you use a long handle spoon to avoid getting burn by the splattering oil when you add the seasoned meat. This is all about timing… if the sugar is “burned” it will give it a bit of a bitter taste. What you’re looking for is small bubbles, which will then start going a bit frothy and go from light to golden/dark brown (see pics below). As soon as you see this happens (refer to pic) start adding the seasoned chicken a few pieces at a time. Remember to stir constantly to ensure all the pieces gets coated evenly.

how to stew chicken

trini stew chicken recipe

cooking stew chicken

the ultimate stew chicken recipe

After you’ve added all the seasoned meat to the pot, turn down the heat to medium/low, cover and allow to simmer for about 15 minutes. You’ll notice that it will spring some of it’s own natural juices. While this cooks, add the 1 1/2 cups of water to the bowl you had the chicken marinating in. Swish it around to pick up any of the marinade that may be stuck to the bowl. We’ll be using this shortly. Remember to stir the pot every 5 minutes or so.

After about 15 minutes, remove the lid and turn up the heat as it’s time to cook-off all the liquid in the pot and to give the chicken it’s final “brown” colour. This can take about 5 minutes and it’s important that you stir constantly so it does stick to the bottom of the pot. When all the liquid is gone, add the water we’ve had sitting in the bowl. Stir and cook on medium heat for another 20-25 minutes (depending on how thick your pieces of chicken is).

trinidad recipe for stew chicken

trinidad stew chicken

I like my stew chicken with a bit of gravy to pour over rice, but I hate it being to thin. So if after cooking for 2o minutes I find it a bit too runny, I remove the lid and turn up the heat to get it to the consistency I like (basically you’re reducing the liquid by about 75%). Remember to check for salt at the end, in the event you’d like to add a bit more.

how to cook trinidad stew chicken

trinidad stew chicken recipe

And here it is with some brown rice and the water cress salad I shared with you a few days ago.

trini recipes stew chicken

stew chicken with rice

So there you go, the Ultimate Stew Chicken recipe. Now I’m sure many of you may have your own unique way of preparing this dish, so I’d love for you to share your tips in the comment box below. This serves about 5-6 people as a side dish to rice, macaroni pie, roti, ground provisions, macaroni and cheese and even mashed potatoes. Besides rice, I love my with the prepackaged (white) mac and cheese. Trust me on this one.

happy cooking

chris…

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Meat & Poultry

Tasty Trinidad style stew chicken recipe.

May 27, 2025March 30, 2009142 Comments

Though this recipe was not passed down from my mom, the technique and basic principles I did learn from watching her prepare this amazing dish. Quite honestly, this is my favorite dish and it’s cooked at least once a week at home. Served with sliced avocado, cucumber and tomato on a heaping bed of brown rice. Just thinking about it, makes the greedy juices in my mouth flow.

Though you may have heard that “browning” the meat can be difficult, this is a very simple and easy recipe to follow. With the aid of pictures I’ll show you how easy it is to brown or caramelize the chicken, so everything turns out perfect

You’ll need…
1 (4-5 pounds) whole chicken, cut into pieces
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon worcestershire sauce
1 tablespoon ketchup
2 cloves of garlic – thinly sliced or crushed
1 teaspoon fresh/bottled ginger – crushed. (use 1/2 if it’s ginger powder)
2 tablespoon vegetable oil (one that can withstand high heat)
1 medium onion – chopped
1 medium tomato – chopped
2-3 tablespoon cilantro (or 2 tbs Trinidad green meat seasoning)
2 tablespoon brown sugar
1 cup water
1/2 teaspoon black pepper
1/4 hot pepper (only if you like your food spicy)
1 green onion or chive – chopped
2 sprigs of fresh thyme (1 teaspoon dried)
1 lime or lemon or 3 tablespoons of vinegar

Lets get started…

Preparing the chicken. Cut or ask your butcher to cut the chicken into serving size pieces. In a bowl empty the cut chicken and squeeze the lime or lemon (or vinegar) onto the chicken, then add some water from your tap to cover the pieces of chicken. Now wash each piece individually, removing skin and any fat (we’ll try to keep this a bit healthy). Now rinse with a new batch of water and drain.

Now in the same bowl with the freshly washed chicken you’ll add ALL the ingredients EXCEPT the oil, sugar and cup of water, we’ll be using those to cook the chicken. Here’s what it should look like (remember to mix everything around and let it sit (marinate) in the fridge for about 1hr before cooking.

seasoned-chicken-for-stew-chicken

seasoned-chicken-for-trinidad-stewing

FYI, you’ve just seasoned the chicken. After about an hour or so it time to get things moving. It’s best if you could find a solid or heavy pan/pot, like a dutch oven for the actual cooking process. The heavier the pan, the better the oil will heat evenly and the chicken will caramelize for you. On high heat, add the oil to the pan. Just before the oil starts to smoke, add the brown sugar. TIP – be sure to have the seasoned chicken handy, use a long handle spoon (it will get hot) and oven mitts to hold onto the pot to turn the pieces of chicken to get it evenly coated. It’s important that you keep an eye on things and be ready to act fast. Next tip – it can get a bit smoky with the high heat at this point, so you may want to turn the exhaust fan over your stove on or open a window in the event you have smoke detectors installed.

Here’s a pic of adding the sugar to the hot oil.

getting-sugar-ready-for-stew-chicken

Move around the sugar in the pot (remember to use a dry spoon with a long handle), until it starts to melt. Now keep a close eye on things here, since you’re looking for the sugar to go a bit foamy, and change color to golden. See pic below. Notice the bottom left of the picture where the sugar appears a bit darker? That’s the exact color you’re looking for before adding the chicken.

browning-sugar-for-stew-chicken

At this point you can start adding the pieces of chicken into the pot with the caramelized sugar. Try to be quick, since you don’t want the sugar to go much darker than in the picture above. Be sure to coat every piece of chicken so it “browns” evenly. Now cover the pot and let simmer for about 5 -10 minutes. you’ll notice that the pot will now have some excess water in it.

browned-chicken-for-trinidad-stew

Remove the lid and turn the heat back up to high. Let’s get rid of that water that formed earlier.We’re ensuring that all the pieces of meat is nice an golden brown at this point. Ensure that there’s no water left in the pot.. it will seems as if it’s starting to stick or burn.

Now add the cup of water to the bowl that contained the seasoned chicken. Swish it around so you get all the seasoning bits that were left back. Add this water to the pot so you can continue cooking the chicken for another 25 minutes or so. Turn the heat back down to a simmer and let cook until the water thickens up to a nice gravy like consistency.

stew-chicken-recipe

Couple points..

Salt – be sure to taste near the end to add extra salt as to your liking.

Sauce – my mom hates allowing any form of sauce with her stew chicken, she like it to “fry down” so it dry. Makes for a more unique and traditional flavor. But I like to leave it with sauce or gravy so I can put it on a bed of brown rice.

Questions? Leave me a comment below and I’ll try my best to help you as best as I can.

Maybe you have a different version of this recipe? Feel free to submit your recipes – let’s make you a famous online chef 🙂

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