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I think we can all agree that Chicken Pelau is the official food of Trinidad & Tobago carnival. If you disagree feel free to let us know your choice in the comments. Whether it was packing it up in containers to go enjoy on the road, watching bands pass by on carnival Tuesday. Or my aunt carrying a pot with her friends to go watch Brass Fest. This dish definitely had a role to play in my memories of carnival in the past.

This recipe incorporates my green seasoning and pays homage to the carnival of yesteryear.

Chicken Pelau

Chicken Pleau is definitely the official food of Trinidad & Tobago Carnival. Like and share if you agree!

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Prep Time: 1 30

Cook Time: 45

Course: Main Course

Cuisine: Caribbean, Tobago, Trinbagonian, Trinidad

Keyword: chicken, pelau, rice

Servings:

Author: baidawi

Ingredients

Seasoned Chicken

1 whole chicken
¼ cup white vinegar
2 tsp salt
2 tsp black pepper
5 tbsp green seasoning
5 dashes Angostura aromatic bitters

Pelau

2 cups fresh pigeon peas
2 cups whole grain, parboiled rice washed & drained
4 tbsp brown sugar
1 onion diced
3 cloves garlic minced
3 pimentos finely chopped
1 lb pumpkin cubed
1 scotch bonnet pepper
2 bay leaves
1 tbsp roucou
3 cups coconut milk
3 tsp green seasoning
salt to taste
black pepper to taste

Instructions

Seasoning The Chicken

Remove skin from chicken then cut parts into bite sized pieces
Wash chicken with vinegar and water
Drain water from chicken
Season chicken with salt, black pepper, green seasoning and bitters
Cover and refrigerate. Allow to marinate overnight.

Making The Pelau

Boil pigeon peas for 20 minutes
Add coconut oil to a pot on high heat
Add brown sugar to the pot then allow sugar to begin to caramelize
Keep moving brown sugar around in the pot with a wooden spoon until it begins to get frothy
Once caramelized sugar goes from light brown to dark brown add chicken pieces one by one making sure to not add any liquid
Toss chicken in caramelized sugar making sure each piece is well coated
Allow chicken to cook for approximately 5 minutes
Add roucou then add onion, garlic, pimento, pumpkin, green seasoning and bay leaves
Season with salt and black pepper then cover and allow to simmer on medium heat for 5 minutes
Add pigeon peas and rice and combine well with other ingredients
Season with salt and black pepper
Add coconut milk and scotch bonnet pepper then bring to a boil
Reduce heat then cover and allow to simmer for 15 minutes
Turn off fire then allow to sit for 10 to 20 minutes before enjoying.