This recipe inspired me when I was looking at the William Sonoma catalog few months ago introducing a Sous Chef Series: Sedesh Boodram’s Trinidad Chicken Stew and the easy recipes that sounds so delicious.
This is a staple recipe of the Caribbean island where Boodram grew up and a dish he remembers his mother cooking for him.
This simple, one-pot chicken braise derives much of its flavor from a brown-sugar caramel. Boodram says you shouldn’t be afraid of allowing the caramel to achieve a deep brown color: “Like the dark roux in gumbo, the caramel is what gives the dish its depth of flavor.”
Boodram prefers to use chicken thighs for this recipe rather than breasts, because they’re more flavorful and don’t dry out the way white meat might. If you like your food spicy, add a bit of Sriracha to the stew at the end.
Recipe adapted from Sedesh Boodram (William Sonoma Catalog)
Recipe Yield : 2 serving ( plus leftover )
Cook Time : 35 minutes
INGREDIENTS :
2 pounds chicken tights, boneless and skinless, cut into 2-inch pieces
1 large tomato, cored and finely chopped
1 medium yellow onion, finely chopped
2 medium garlic cloves, peeled and finely chopped
12 green onions, thinly sliced sliced on a bias; about 3/4 cup
1/2 large bunch cilantro, leaves and stems from 1/4 bunch finely chopped, about 3 tbsp.; plus the whole leaves from the remaining 1/4 bunch, about 1/4 cup of leaves
20 sprigs fresh thyme, leaves picked from stems and finely chopped, about 1 tbsp.
1 tbsp plus 1-1/2 tsp fine sea salt
2 tsp freshly ground black pepper
1/4 tsp sweet paprika
1/4 cup grapeseed oil
2 tbsp lightly packed light brown sugar
3 cups chicken broth
1 can (15 oz) pinto beans, drained and rinsed
4 cups cooked long-grain rice
Sriracha chili sauce, for serving
DIRECTIONS :
1. In a large mixing bowl, add the:
- chopped chicken tights
- chopped tomato
- chopped yellow onion
- chopped garlic
- 1/2 cup sliced green onions
- chopped cilantro
- chopped thyme leaves
- fine sea salt
- freshly ground black pepper
- sweet paprika
Combine all the ingredients using a wooden spoon and set aside for 10 minutes.
2. In a large pot set over medium heat, add the grapeseed oil . Once the oil begins to shimmer, about
two minutes, add the light brown sugar.
3. Stir occasionally, until the sugar begins to bubble and turn into a dark brown caramel, 2 to 4 minutes. Remove the marinated chicken from the bowl and add it to the pot, stirring occasionally to brown the chicken, about 10 to 12 minutes.
4. Add the chicken broth and bring to a boil over high heat, then reduce the temperature to medium-low.
5. Stir in the rinsed pinto beans. Cook until the pinto beans are warmed through, about 15 minutes.
6. Turn off the heat and use a ladle or slotted spoon to transfer the chicken to a plate. Serve the stew over the cooked long-grain rice. Sprinkle with the whole cilantro leaves and remaining 1/4 cup of sliced green onions. Served with the Sriracha chile sauce.
