Trinidad Style Stew Chicken
Ingredients:
4 pounds chicken legs (or whole chicken) cut into pieces
1 lime or lemon or 3 tablespoons of vinegar
2 tablespoon vegetable oil (one that can withstand high heat)
2 tablespoons brown sugar
1 cup water
5 carrots, roughly chopped
3 stalks celery, roughly chopped
1 can (19 oz) pigeon peas
Marinade:
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon worcestershire sauce
1 tablespoon ketchup
2 cloves of garlic, thinly sliced or crushed
1 teaspoon fresh ginger, either chopped or crushed
1 medium onion, chopped
1 medium tomato, chopped
2-3 tablespoon Trinidad green seasoning (or 2 tablespoons cilantro)
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)
Directions:
1) Wash the chicken using the lime (or lemon or vinegar). Remove the skin as a healthier choice.
2) In a large bowl add the the chicken plus all the marinade ingredients. Mix everything around. Marinate in the fridge for about 1 hour before cooking.
3) Using a heavy pan/pot on high heat, add the oil Just before the oil starts to smoke, add the brown sugar. Stir quickly, and once the sugar changes to a golden brown, add in the chicken pieces. Stir to coat every piece of chicken so it “browns” evenly. Now cover the pot and let simmer for about 5 -10 minutes.
4) Remove the lid and turn the heat back to high to get rid of the excess water. We are 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.
5 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. At the same time add, the remaining vegetables such as carrots, celery and pigeon peas.
6) Turn the heat back down to a simmer and let cook until the water thickens up to a nice gravy like consistency. Season with salt to taste.