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Trinidad Chicken Pelau

This delicious, one-pot chicken dish is one of the most popular lunch dishes in T&T. Chicken pelau is made with well-seasoned, bone-in chicken pieces, browning, pigeon peas, rice, veggies, coconut milk and fresh herbs.
Prep Time4 hours 30 minutes
Cook Time1 hour 30 minutes
Total Time6 hours
Course: Lunch
Cuisine: Caribbean
Keyword: chicken pelau
Servings: 6
Calories: 511kcal
Author: Ros Singh

Ingredients

Chicken prep

  • 2 lbs chicken (cut up pieces)
  • 2 tbsp flour
  • 3 tbsp green seasoning (with chadon beni, garlic, pepper)
  • 1 tsp salt

Pigeon peas prep

  • 1½ cups green pigeon peas (200 grams)
  • 3 cups water

Coconut prep

  • ½ brown coconut
  • 3 cups water

Pelau

  • 1½ tbsp oil
  • 2 tbsp brown sugar
  • ⅓ cup ketchup
  • 2 pimento (or pepper of choice like scotch bonnet)
  • 2 tbsp chadon beni (culantro)
  • 1 large onion
  • 3 cloves garlic
  • 1 large carrot
  • 2 tbsp cilantro (celery)
  • 1½ cups parboiled rice (or rice of choice like basmati)
  • 1 tsp salt
  • 3 cups water
  • 1½ tbsp butter
  • 2 tbsp chives

Equipment

  • Blender

Instructions

Chicken prep

  • Remove fatty tissue from the cut-up chicken pieces. Wash the meat.
  • Rub flour into the chicken. Scrape off any slime.
  • Rinse the meat again and drain.
  • Mix in green seasoning and salt.
  • Cover and refrigerate overnight (or at least 4 hours).

Cook pigeon peas

  • Place a small pot on the stove on medium heat.
  • Add water and green pigeon peas.
  • Leave to boil until the peas are cooked (about 20 minutes).
  • Strain and set aside.

Make coconut milk

  • Crack open a brown coconut.
  • Remove the white coconut flesh from half of the coconut.
  • Add the coconut flesh and water to a blender.
  • Blend until smooth.
  • Strain the mixture for pure coconut milk.
  • Set aside.

Prep veggies

  • Wash, peel and chop onion and garlic. Dice the pepper.
  • Wash and chop carrots into chunks.
  • Wash the rice several times until the water runs clear.
  • Wash and finely chop the chadon beni, cilantro and chives.

Make pelau

  • Place a large pot on medium heat. Allow to heat up.
  • Add oil and leave for 1 to 2 minutes.
  • Sprinkle in brown sugar.
  • Leave sugar to caramelize and become frothy.
  • Stir occasionally to ensure even heating (about 3 to 5 minutes).
  • Once sugar darkens (it may smoke too), stir in the ketchup.
  • Add the seasoned chicken pieces.
  • Mix to coat the chicken.
  • Add the pimento and chadon beni.
  • Lower the heat. Cook for 10 minutes (uncovered).
  • Once the liquid has mostly boiled off, toss in the onion, garlic, carrot, 1 tbsp of celery and cooked pigeon peas.
  • Mix and cook for about 5 minutes.
  • Stir in the washed rice. Cook for about 3 minutes.
  • Add the coconut milk and water.
  • Cook on low for 30 minutes. Stir occasionally.
  • Add butter, chives and remaining celery. Stir.
  • Cook for another 10 to 15 minutes or until the liquid has boiled off and the rice is cooked.
  • Serve hot.

Notes

  • Substitute green pigeon peas for canned green or brown pigeon peas. No pre-boiling will be necessary, saving you time. The canned peas can be rinsed and added to the pelau when the rice and other ingredients are added.
  • Substitute fresh coconut milk for canned coconut milk. Or mix about 6 tbsp of coconut milk powder with 3 cups of water.
  • In place of caramelizing the sugar, add 2 tbsp of browning and 1/3 cup ketchup to the seasoning chicken pieces. So, once the pot and oil are hot, add the meat, pimento and chadon beni to the pot and cook until the liquid has mostly boiled off.