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Belizean Stew Chicken

Ingredients:

1 Chicken (about four pounds) cut into small pieces
1 clove garlic
1 onion chopped
salt, pepper (about a teaspoon of each)
Cumin ( a good pinch ground or about a teaspoon whole)
Thyme (a good pinch)
Black pepper (good pinch to taste)
Recado or Paprika (a half teaspoon piece of recado or a big pinch of Paprika as a substitute for recado and to add colour)
Vinegar or lemon juice (a few splashes or squeezes)

Optional additions

Chopped bell pepper (red or green)
One ripe tomato
Cilantro
Tabasco
1 teaspoon Brown sugar

Directions

Wash chicken and rub in the vinegar or lemon juice.

Season with salt and set aside.

Heat the oil in a heavy pan or deep skillet and sprinkle flour, stirring to dissolve (like a thin roux) before adding chicken pieces.

Brown chicken.

Add onion and garlic, stirring until onion softens, being careful not to burn.

Add remaining spices, stir, and begin adding water until chicken is almost covered. If you have the recado, mix with water until just runny and add with spices.

Reduce heat and cook slowly to stew, about 45 minutes to an hour, stirring occasionally and adding water as necessary.

A note on the seasoning. As mentioned, every cook has his or her own spicing tricks. Thyme is one favourite, and many Belize cooks use Season All instead of salt when initially seasoning. Bay leaf, oregano, basil - whatever strikes your fancy probably won't go amiss. Some people add a small tin of tomatoes, a big splash of beer, dashes of Worcestershire and other personal favourites.

While delicious when served immediately, this is a dish that can be made well ahead of time and reheated - in fact, it seems to get better as it matures.

Serve alongside your rice and beans and Belizean potato salad, homemade flour tortillas or whatever you like.

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Belizean Stew Chicken

One of our favorite dishes when we go to Belize. I learned to make Belizean Stew Chicken from a village elder on one of my trips to Belize. Fast forward a few years, one afternoon, a group of my friends gathered at my house and I served them Belizean Stew Chicken. Yummm

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Rice & Beans with Belizean Stewed Chicken

Recipe from Flavors of Belize: The Cookbook. Serve with coleslaw or potato salad, and baked or fried ripe plantain.

Serves: 6 Prep Time: 1 Hour, 30 Minutes Cooking Time: 45 Minutes

INGREDIENTS

1/2 cup onion, diced
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 cup stewed beans (kidney or red beans)
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon fresh black pepper
1/4 teaspoon thyme or 2 thyme leaves
2 cups white rice, rinsed and drained
1 cup coconut milk or 1 packet coconut milk powder (unsweetened)
1 cup water
1 tbsp coconut oil
2 tablespoons diced cilantro
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3 lbs chicken parts
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 tablespoon chicken consumme powder
1/2 teaspoon black pepper
1/2 teaspoon thyme
1 teaspoon complete seasoning
1/2 teaspoon salt
3 tablespoons coconut oil
3/4 teaspoon brown sugar
1 teaspoon red recado, dissolved in warm water
1/4 cup onion, diced
1/4 cup green bell pepper, diced
1 teaspoon cilantro, diced

INSTRUCTIONS

From first bunch of ingredients, sauté onions and garlic in coconut oil until fragrant. Add stewed beans along with its liquid, and season with salt, pepper, thyme. Stir in rice, coconut milk, and water. Cover and cook on medium heat for 15 minutes, or until water is absorbed. Reduce to a simmer. Sprinkle with 1/4 cup water, cover, and continue cooking for 10 minutes or until rice is tender and fluffy.

While the rice is cooking, season chicken with half of the recado and remaining dry ingredients. Marinate for 30 minutes, and up to overnight. Heat coconut oil and sugar until bubbling, then add chicken and sauté until golden brown. Add diluted recado, onions, green pepper, and cilantro. Add water to just cover the chicken, and simmer over medium heat for 25-30 minutes.

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Belizean Stew Chicken & Pasta Salad
For dinner today, Joe and I made Belizean stewed chicken and a cold pasta salad from each of my 2 books.