Chicken Pelau (Trinidadian One‑Pot Rice with Pigeon Peas)
A classic Trinidadian one‑pot of caramelized chicken, pigeon peas and coconut‑scented rice. Cooked in a single heavy pot for deep, toasted flavor — great for family meals or make‑ahead lunches.
AI image1 hr 20 min
start to finish
20 min
hands on
Some skill
difficulty
6
servings
Ingredients
For the chicken
Roughly, per serving
An estimate, not a lab analysis.
Method
Pat the chicken dry and place in a bowl; add 1 tsp salt, 1/2 tsp pepper, 1 tsp dried thyme and the minced garlic; toss to coat.
Cover and let the chicken marinate in the fridge or at room temperature.
If short on time you can skip most of the marinating; 30 minutes develops more flavor.
Set a large heavy pot or Dutch oven over medium heat and add the brown sugar; let it melt and darken to a deep amber while watching closely and stirring once or twice.
Don’t walk away — sugar can burn quickly. Aim for a deep caramel but not burnt.
Pour in the vegetable oil (it will bubble) and immediately add chicken pieces skin‑side down; brown the chicken in the caramel for about 6–8 minutes, turning so both sides pick up color.
Lift the browned chicken out and set aside on a plate.
Reduce heat to medium; add the chopped onion and diced bell pepper to the pot and sauté until softened, about 4–5 minutes.
Stir in the remaining minced garlic and the tomato paste and cook 30 seconds, scraping up any browned bits from the bottom of the pot.
Add the rinsed rice and pigeon peas to the pot and stir to coat the rice with the tomato mixture and toasted bits.
Pour in the coconut milk and chicken stock, add the ground allspice, 1 tsp salt and 1/2 tsp pepper, and stir once to combine.
Nestle the browned chicken pieces back on top of the rice mixture and add the whole scotch bonnet pepper.
Keeping the pepper whole gives gentle heat; pierce it on purpose for more heat.
Bring the pot to a gentle boil uncovered, then reduce heat to low, cover tightly and simmer until the rice is tender and liquid is absorbed.
Do not lift the lid during this simmer, except once near the end to check doneness; cooking time can vary with pot and rice.
Turn off the heat and let the pelau rest, covered, for 5 minutes.
Remove the whole scotch bonnet, fluff the rice with a fork, transfer to a serving dish and tuck the chicken pieces into the rice before serving.
Worth knowing
- Use bone‑in, skin‑on chicken for the best flavor; boneless works but reduces depth of flavor.
- If you prefer a deeper caramel flavor without sugar, use a small amount of commercial browning sauce — but note some contain gluten.
- Leftover pelau reheats well and keeps for 3–4 days in the fridge, making it ideal for meal prep.
- If you can't find canned pigeon peas, use 1 cup cooked pigeon peas or substitute canned kidney beans in a pinch (still naturally gluten‑free).
Make it yours
Cooking without dairy, without an oven, for someone who won't touch chilli, or for six instead of four? Have the recipe rewritten around it — quantities, steps and all.
Gluten-freeDairy-freeHalalMeal prepOne panBudget
More Trinidadian cooking
An original Restaurant Pro recipe — our own composition in the idiom of Trinidadian cooking, not any restaurant's recipe. Written to be gluten-free and dairy-free and halal as listed.