laplus
Tasty Apprentice
Learning to stew chicken the Trinbagonian way has a lot to do with the process and very little to do with actual ingredients and measurements. While I’ve received many lessons on how to stew chicken throughout my life, none of them came with amounts. However I’m going to break the cycle here and offer a recipe you can depend on to create an amazing pot of stew chicken.
Ingredients
Ingredients
- 1 whole chicken (cleaned and cut into bite size pieces)
- 12 pimentos peppers (seasoning peppers)
- 12 cloves garlic
- 6 bundles chadon beni (culantro/sawtooth coriander)
- 1/4 cup brown sugar
- 1 tbsp tomato paste
- 2 tbsp roucou (annatto extract) or 1 tsp annatto powder
- 1 bay leaf
- A few dashes of Angostura Aromatic Bitters
- 1 cup coconut milk
- 2 tbsp vegetable oil
- salt & black pepper (to taste)
Making The Green Seasoning
- Place shadon beni, garlic and pimento into a food processor then grind until a smooth paste is formed
Seasoning The Chicken
- Place chicken in a bowl then add 3 to 4 tbsp of green seasoning.
- Add 4 to 5 liberal dashes of Angostura Aromatic Bitters.
- Season with salt & black pepper to taste.
- Marinate for at least one hour. For best results, marinate overnight.
Stewing The Chicken
- Allow the seasoning chicken to thaw to room temperature.
- Add oil to a pot then add brown sugar.
- Allow the sugar to start to melt then start stirring the oil and sugar to incorporate air into the mixture using a wooden or silicon spoon.
- Continue to stir until the brown sugar mixture gets frothy then turns from light brown to dark brown.
- Add seasoned chicken to the pot then toss to ensure each piece of chicken gets coated with the caramelized sugar.
- Once all pieces are coated, cover and allow to cook for 5 to 8 minutes on medium/low heat.
- Add 4 to 5 dashes of Angostura Aromatic Bitters to the pot.
- Add roucou, bayleaf, tomato paste and coconut milk to the pot.
- Season with salt and black pepper to taste.
- Reduce heat to low then cover chicken and allow to cook for 10 to 12 minutes.
- Serve and enjoy!
This dish is a beautiful fusion of flavors and spices, reflecting the rich cultural heritage of Trinidad and Tobago. Imagine succulent pieces of chicken marinated in a tantalizing blend of herbs and spices, then slow-cooked until tender in a savory sauce. 
The aroma alone is enough to transport you to the sunny shores of the islands. Pair it with some rice and peas for a truly satisfying meal that's bursting with Caribbean flair!
