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chicken-pelau

I am on a mission to find the greatest version of chicken and rice, if such even exists. We now travel to Trinidad and Tobago, where we experience chicken pelau. We start with the green seasoning, a vital part to any delicious Caribbean dish. You can buy this from the store but I want to make my Carribeans proud so I’m doing my own with some celery, scallion, cilantro, parsley, thyme, scotch bonnets and ginger. Bone-in dark meat is the way to go for pelau. We marinate with some green seasoning, browning, Worcestershire, soy, and ketchup, an unexpected ingredient that helps bring some umami, sweetness, and acidity. To kick the flavor up a notch, an essential first step in Carribean cooking is burning sugar in oil–once it becomes foamy and dark brown, we lay in our chicken. We get some nice color then go in with our rice, carrot, pepper, and onion. Let everybody mix and mingle before introducing the pigeon peas, coconut milk, thyme, and scotch bonnets for extra heat. Cook over low, covering with foil before the lid to trap more steam. Pelau is the ultimate one pot chicken and rice–it’s mess free and also flavorful and comforting. Make extra green seasoning and freeze the extras you have the power to make the perfect weeknight meal whenever you want. I really enjoyed this and I give it an 8.1/10

Ingredients