Caribbean · 1 hr · serves 4

Brown Stew Chicken

Kept by The Bhook kitchen

Ingredients

• 800 g chicken thighs, bone-in, cut in large pieces
• 2 tbsp soy sauce
• 1 large onion, chopped
• 1 bell pepper, chopped
• 2 tomatoes, chopped
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 2 sprigs thyme or 1 tsp dried thyme
• 1 Scotch bonnet pepper, seeded and chopped (optional)
• 1 tsp salt
• 1 tsp black pepper
• 2 tbsp vegetable oil
• 200 ml water

Method

1. Put chicken in a bowl. Add soy sauce, 1 chopped garlic clove, half the onion, salt and black pepper. Mix well, then set aside for 15 min.
2. Heat oil in a large pot. Brown the chicken in batches on all sides, about 7 min per batch. Remove to a plate.
3. In the same pot, add rest of onion, bell pepper, garlic, and thyme. Cook until the onions turn soft and a little golden at the edges.
4. Stir in tomatoes and Scotch bonnet. Cook 3 min more until tomatoes break down.
5. Return browned chicken to the pot. Add water and scrape any browned bits from the bottom. Cover and simmer 30 min until chicken is cooked through.
6. Uncover, turn up heat, and let sauce thicken for 5 min so it clings to the chicken. Taste and adjust seasoning.

Brown the chicken well in the first stage for the deep colour and flavour. The stew should never look pale.