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–+ servings
Chicken Pelau

Trinidad Chicken Pelau

5 from 3 votes
Trinidad chicken pelau is a flavorful one-pot dish made with caramelized chicken, rice, pigeon peas, and coconut milk. This authentic Trini recipe is perfect for family meals or gatherings. Serve with coleslaw or cucumber salad for a complete meal.
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Prep Time 30 minutes
Cook Time 40 minutes
Total Time 1 hour 10 minutes
Servings: 6
Course: Main Course
Cuisine: Caribbean
Calories: 671

Ingredients
  

  • 2 pounds chicken cut into bite-size pieces or cut up for stew
  • 3 tablespoons green seasoning
  • 5 tablespoons brown sugar
  • 2 cups parboiled rice
  • 1/2 cup chopped onion
  • 1/2 cup chopped pimento peppers flavor peppers
  • 2 cloves garlic chopped
  • 2 tablespoons chopped parsley
  • 2 tablespoons chopped chadon beni
  • 1/2 cup cubed pumpkin
  • 2 cans 30 ounces total pigeon peas drained, or 1 3/4 pounds fresh pigeon peas
  • 2 teaspoons salt
  • 1 1/2 to 2 cups coconut milk
  • 2 cups hot water
  • 1 tablespoon tomato ketchup optional
  • 2 teaspoons black pepper

Method
 

  1. Wash and clean the chicken, then season with the green seasoning. You can cook it right away or refrigerate it for a few hours or overnight.
  2. Heat a heavy-bottomed pot over medium heat. Sprinkle the brown sugar evenly across the bottom and let it caramelize until deep brown and bubbling.
  3. Add the seasoned chicken and stir to coat each piece in the caramelized sugar. Cook for 2 to 5 minutes, stirring occasionally.
  4. Add the pigeon peas and cook for another 5 minutes.
  5. Add the rice and mix well to combine with the chicken and pigeon peas.
  6. Pour in the hot water, then add the pumpkin, pimento peppers, onion, garlic, parsley, chadon beni, salt, black pepper, and ketchup, if using. Stir to combine.
  7. Add the coconut milk and bring everything to a boil.
  8. Once boiling, lower the heat, cover the pot, and cook until the rice is tender and the liquid has been absorbed. Add a little more water during cooking if needed.
  9. Taste and adjust the salt and black pepper as needed. You can also stir in a little additional chopped chadon beni before serving.

Nutrition

Calories: 671kcal

Notes

If you prefer, you can leave the chadon beni out of step 6 and stir it in toward the end of cooking instead.

Recipe Printed From ThisBagoGirl.com

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