Trini Stewed Chicken

A very popular style of chicken in Trinidad is Stewed Chicken. For many Trinis one of the most important ingredients in their stew is ketchup and they swear by it. I must say this is something I have never done. Instead I use Rouckoo (also known as Annatto) which is a healthier alternative. 

See the link below for details.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Annatto

MAKING THE ROUCKOO

I simply add some boiling water to a spoonful of rouckoo seeds and stir and then the orange liquid strained and used in the stew.

For the stew you will require the following.

INGREDIENTS

• 1 chicken (cut up and seasoned with salt and blended green seasoning)
• 1 medium sized onion, chopped
• 5 cloves garlic, crushed
• 1 ripe tomato, chopped
• 1 pimento, chopped
• 1 hot pepper
• 1 sweet pepper, chopped
• 1 carrot, sliced
• 2 celery, chopped
• 2 chives, chopped
• 1½ tbsp brown sugar
• Coconut oil
• Liquid rouckoo
• Blended green seasoning (bandanya, ginger, chive, celery, garlic, thyme, hot pepper, podinah). See the following link if you have difficulty preparing this.

http://caribbeanpot.com/how-to-make-the-green-seasoning-paste-thats-so-unique-to-caribbean-cuisine/

The following procedure is what I use when preparing my stew. However, this can be modified accordingly.

METHOD

• Heat iron pot.
• On a low flame add about 4 drops of coconut oil and heat.
• Add the brown sugar and heat until golden brown or caramelized. Please ensure that it doesn’t burn.
• I like to add the onions at this point because it enhances the flavour. Heat until the onions are translucent. This doesn’t take long.

• Add the chicken and stir thoroughly. At this time I add my prepared liquid rouckoo and give it a good stir. The chicken has an orange colour at this time.

• Add chopped tomato, some celery, some chive and some crushed garlic then cover and leave to simmer in its own juices on a low/medium flame. Meanwhile put on a kettle of water to boil.

• As soon as the liquids evaporate and the meat is beginning to stick to the bottom of the pot as seen below

add the remainder of the chopped seasoning, pour some blended seasoning and stir. The aroma is simply divine at this time. Add some boiling water just to the level of the top of the chicken and cover.

• About 10 mins before it is done add the carrots, sweet pepper and pimento so they will not be over cooked.

• Ensure that the meat cuts with the spoon before turning off. Taste for salt and pepper and adjust to your desire.

• This dish usually takes between 40 mins to an hour to cook. It all depends on the size of the chicken and how stiff it is. So please do not leave your pot unattended while cooking.

Tastes scrumptious!!

Have a great lunch!