Trinidadian · intermediate
Trinidadian One Pot Chicken Pelau With Coconut And Pigeon Peas
A cherished Trinidadian comfort dish featuring caramelized chicken cooked with rice, pigeon peas, and scotch bonnet in a rich coconut broth.
- PREP TIME
- 20 min
- COOK TIME
- 35 min
- SERVES
- 4
Good things
start in the kitchen.
LET’S MAKE IT
Step by step
- 01
Toss the diced chicken thighs with green seasoning paste in a bowl and let stand for 15 minutes.
- 02
Heat the vegetable oil in a heavy Dutch oven over medium-high heat and sprinkle in the brown sugar uniformly.
- 03
Watch carefully as the sugar melts into a bubbly, dark amber syrup, taking about 3 minutes.
- 04
Immediately add the marinated chicken to the caramelized sugar and stir quickly to coat all pieces evenly, browning for 5 minutes.
- 05
Stir in the rinsed rice and pigeon peas, cooking for 2 minutes to lightly toast the rice grains.
- 06
Pour in the coconut milk and halal chicken stock, then float the whole scotch bonnet pepper on top without breaking its skin.
- 07
Bring the liquid to a boil, cover tightly with a lid, turn heat to low, and cook for 20 minutes until the rice is tender and liquid is absorbed.
- 08
Remove from heat and let sit covered for 5 minutes before discarding the pepper and gently fluffing the pelau with a fork.
A LITTLE KITCHEN KNOW-HOW
Burnt Sugar Browning
Caramelizing dry brown sugar in hot oil to build the deep bronze color and sweet-savory base essential to traditional Caribbean pelau.
Notes from the kitchen
- Do not leave the brown sugar unattended while melting, as it transitions quickly from golden amber to burnt.
- Keep the scotch bonnet whole to infuse fruity fragrance without explosive capsaicin heat.
- Original home-cooking adaptation inspired by Trinidadian; regional versions vary.
- Use halal-certified meat, poultry, stock, sauces, cheese and other processed ingredients. Check labels and avoid cross-contamination. Recipe screening is not halal certification.