Well, after all that build up, as I’m putting this recipe together, I’m afraid that it’s going to be a bit of let-down. Trinidadian Stew Chicken, you see, is basically the same recipe as Pelau, but without the rice.
Do you feel a bit ripped off, now?
Anyway, it’s a really delicious recipe, and goes beautifully with Macaroni Pie -- serve the two together, and you’ll have a true Trini meal on your hands. End it all with a serving of coconut ice cream, and you might even start talking with an accent.
So without further ado:
KAREN'S TRINIDADIAN STEW CHICKEN
What you’ll need:
- About 10 pieces of chicken
- 3 - 4 cloves of garlic
- Fresh ginger (I use one about the size of a large clove of garlic)
- 1 large onion, chopped coarsely
- “seasoning” (Much like the Curry Chicken & Dumplings, if you’re in Trinidad, use “green seasoning” – if not, use any creole seasoning, such as Tony Chachare’s Creole Seasoning.
- Soy sauce
- Worcestershire sauce
- Vegetable oil
- Brown sugar
- 1 cup water
- 1 chicken-flavoured bouillon cube
- Coconut Milk (Again, this recipe assumes powdered coconut milk. If, however, you’re only able to obtain canned coconut milk in liquid form, for the purposes of this recipe, I’d use about 1/2 a can.)
- Salt to taste
For the marinade:
1. Clean chicken, removing any excess fat.
2. Grate garlic and ginger into the chicken.
3. Add onions.
4. Add seasoning to taste.
5. Add enough soy sauce and Worcestershire sauce to fully coat chicken pieces.
Mix well, and let stand for 10 minutes.
To prepare:
1. Place about 2 “potspoonfuls” of oil (the amount of oil it takes to fill up a cooking spoon) in a large pot, and place on high heat.
2. Add 2 potspoonfuls of brown sugar to the oil, spreading it evenly in the oil without mixing
3. Leave on high heat until the sugar starts to turn dark brown, almost black, and starts to bubble, like in the Pelau recipe. Recently, I read an article describing the burning sugar looking like the head of a Guinness – probably a good description, and your signal that you’re ready to add the chicken. Depending on your stove, it will only take a couple of minutes for this to occur.
4. SLOWLY add the chicken pieces to the oil, one by one. WARNING: THE OIL WILL SPATTER, so be careful, so now would be the time to get your little ones away from the stove!
5. Once you’ve got all the pieces in, let the sugar “brown” your chicken, stirring occasionally, to ensure that the pieces don’t stick.
6. After the chicken is browned, add the remaining seasoning (shown below) to the pot, turn the heat to medium.
7. Add one cup of water to the mixture, and stir.
8. Add coconut milk to the mixture, as shown below, and stir.
You’ll notice little flecks of colour in the above picture – this is the addition of peppers called “pimientos,” although I don’t think it’s the same type of pepper that comes in an olive. This Trini pepper SMELLS hot like a chili, but it actually isn’t – it’s completely mild. If you can find a mild pepper, then by all means, add it to taste – however, I don’t think bell peppers would work, as they’re a bit too sweet.
9. Crumble bouillon cube over the entire mixture, and stir, and add salt to taste. Cover the pot, and let simmer until the chicken is cooked, about 30 minutes You’ll want to stir the pot occasionally, and if it looks like your liquid is disappearing (though it shouldn’t), feel free to add a bit more water.
Once the chicken is cooked, your stew is ready. It’ll look something like this:
Again, this recipe is delicious with Macaroni Pie, but it goes well with any other starch – rice, roasted potatoes, etc. Marcus really loves this with couscous – not particularly Trini, but delicious, nonetheless.
So, again, thanks for all your travel tips – enjoy!
