Stew Chicken with Rice and Beans (Belizean Sunday Plate)
In short: Chicken simmered in a brick-red recado gravy, served over coconut rice and red kidney beans with fried plantain: the classic Belizean Sunday plate. It takes about 1 h 50 min in total and makes 6 servings.
- Prep
- 30 min
- Cook
- 1 h 20 min
- Resting
- 1 h
- Total
- 1 h 50 min
- Servings
- 6
- Difficulty
- Medium
- Calories
- 660 kcal
Stew chicken with rice and beans is the plate most Belizeans associate with Sunday lunch. The chicken is rubbed with recado rojo, an annatto seasoning paste, plus vinegar, garlic and warm spices, then browned and simmered into a thick, brick-red gravy. The rice is cooked with red kidney beans in coconut milk. Potato salad and fried plantain sit alongside, with habanero hot sauce for anyone who wants heat.
Instructions
- Mix the chicken with the recado, vinegar, garlic, cumin, dried thyme, allspice, salt and black pepper. Cover and marinate in the fridge for at least 1 hour, or overnight.
- Heat the oil in a wide, heavy pot over medium heat. Add the brown sugar and let it bubble, stirring, for 1 to 2 minutes, until it turns deep amber. Do not let it smoke.
- Add the chicken in two batches, shaking off the excess marinade, and brown for 4 to 5 minutes per side. The sugar darkens the pieces to a rich mahogany. Move the browned pieces to a plate.
- Return all the chicken to the pot with the onion, sweet pepper, any leftover marinade and the water. Bring to a boil, then cover partly and simmer for 40 to 45 minutes, until the chicken is tender.
- Uncover and simmer for 10 more minutes, until the gravy is thick and clings to the chicken. Taste and adjust the salt, then keep warm.
- While the chicken simmers, put the rice, kidney beans, coconut milk, water, onion, garlic, thyme, salt, pepper and habanero in a saucepan. Bring to a boil, stir once, then cover and cook on the lowest heat for 20 minutes.
- Take the rice off the heat and rest it, covered, for 10 minutes. Remove the thyme sprigs and habanero, then fluff with a fork.
- Serve the chicken and gravy over the rice and beans, with fried plantain and potato salad on the side and hot sauce at the table.
Tips
- Browning the sugar in the oil gives the gravy its deep color and a faint bittersweet edge. Watch it closely, because sugar goes from amber to burnt in seconds.
- Leave the habanero whole and unpierced in the rice for fruity aroma without much heat. If it bursts, fish it out right away.
Questions and answers
What is recado rojo?
Recado rojo is a red seasoning paste made from ground annatto seeds, spices such as allspice, cumin and oregano, garlic and vinegar. Belizean cooks rub it on chicken and pork and mix it into tamale masa. Latin markets sell it in small blocks or jars.
What is the difference between rice and beans and beans and rice in Belize?
Rice and beans is cooked together in coconut milk until the grains are fluffy and tinted by the beans. Beans and rice is a separate, soupier pot of stewed beans spooned over plain white rice. Stew chicken is served with the first.
Can I use dried beans?
Yes. Soak 100 g (1/2 cup) dried red kidney beans overnight, drain, then boil hard for 10 minutes, since raw kidney beans are toxic, and simmer for about 1 hour until tender. Use 300 ml (1 1/4 cups) of the cooking liquid in place of the plain water.
How long does it take to make Stew Chicken with Rice and Beans (Belizean Sunday Plate)?
About 1 h 50 min in total: 30 min of preparation and 1 h 20 min of cooking.
How many calories are in Stew Chicken with Rice and Beans (Belizean Sunday Plate)?
About 660 kcal per serving, with 38 g of protein, 70 g of carbohydrates and 26 g of fat. These values are estimates.
Nutrition per serving
| Calories | 660 kcal |
|---|---|
| Protein | 38 g |
| Carbohydrates | 70 g |
| Fat | 26 g |
| Fiber | 7 g |
| Sugar | 6 g |
| Sodium | 900 mg |
Estimated values, calculated from the ingredients.
