Trinidadian Chicken Pelau

Hey guys! I’m so glad you’re here because I am so very excited to share today’s dish with you as it’s one that’s near and dear to my heart (and stomach!).
🥘 Pelau 🥘 It’s the unofficial national dish of Trinidad and Tobago. This one pot recipe serves as a testament to the harmony of the Caribbean’s multicultural society and is quite honestly an iconic rice-beans-and-meat dish that stands on par with other similar cultural versions such as pilafs (the Asian counterpart), pulao, pilau, or polow (the Indian/Persian counterpart), or even Spanish paellas. Trust me when I tell you that you have to give this one a try because you are not going to want to miss out!

Now while every household has their own special blend of seasoning and add-ins that makes this dish unique and trademarked to them, at its core, pelau is made by making a Caribbean stewed meat (this is what gives the dish a lot of its flavor and color) and then adding in the rice, beans, and veggies that will cook and simmer in coconut milk and the flavorful sauce from the stewed meat. This dish is rich, hearty, healthy, and perhaps my favorite one-pot comfort food.

To make this we’re going to be using well seasoned chunks of chicken (beef or pork can also be used with fantastic results) that will stewed in oil and caramelized brown sugar (I’ve made a separate and more detailed post on how to season and stew the meat HERE) along with butternut squash, carrots, pigeon peas, parboiled brown rice, and coconut milk.

Now, I honestly wouldn’t recommend making pelau with regular (short grain) rice. The parboiled brown rice is honestly ideal as it tends to stand up so much better to being cooked for longer periods of time without losing its shape or form. Regular short grain rice tends to cook too quickly and will over absorb the liquids in the pot which will cause the dish to become mushy and porridge-like as the rice grains will essentially melt away 😬

After washing, cutting, seasoning the chicken and letting it marinate for at least an hour in an assortment of herbs and spices, we’ll brown the raw organic brown sugar in oil until it’s caramelized. When the edges of the now-molten sugar just begin to turn black (like in the second image above) we’ll add in the seasoned chicken, being careful to not allow the oil and sugar to splash. After turning to ensure all pieces are evenly coated we’ll allow it to sit undisturbed for two minutes before turning it again and allowing it to sit for another two minutes. This allows the color to set and the flavors to develop which is essential for our pelau base.

Next we’ll add some water (or chicken broth if preferred) to the chicken and allow it to simmer for fifteen minutes.

Once the chicken has simmered we’ll add in the carrots and squash, followed by the coconut milk and the peas, and finally the rice, allowing for a 2-3 minute interval between each.
Note that while we will rinse the granules of pigeon peas, we will not be washing the parboiled rice since it is already pre-washed and partially boiled (hence the name!).

Once the rice is added and mixed in, we’ll cover our pot and allow our pelau to simmer on med-low heat until most of the liquid is absorbed by the rice and cooked off. Be sure to stir the pot and scrape the bottom every-so-often to ensure that the ingredients aren’t sticking and burning. If the rice isn’t yet cooked and the liquid level is low, add some more liquid and continue to simmer until it’s done. However, if the rice is cooked and there is still liquid in your pot, simply remove the cover and allow the extra liquid to slowly cook off.

The end result should look like the above (or drier). Ideally your pelau shouldn’t be too wet so you’ll want most of the liquid to be cooked off. Honestly the flavors in this dish gets better over time (do you ever notice that most one pot dishes always seem to taste better the next day??)  so before serving I highly recommend that you let it rest for at least an hour and you’ll see that it will continue to dry out further as the rice rests and continues to absorb any remaining liquid, which is precisely the reason that parboiled is ideal.

Being widely enjoyed and adored by all, pelau often makes an iconic guest appearance at any and all Trinbagonian social events, particularly beach trips and river limes*! 😍
Though it’s honestly perfect on its own, you really can’t go wrong in pairing it with a side of Creamy Coleslaw and/or with a few refreshing slices of cucumber or a side salad!

* a “lime” refers to not just the citrus fruit but it is also the Trinbagonian lingo for a social gathering or group hang out!