Just hearing the words “stew chicken with rice and beans” makes my mouth water and my stomach rumble. When the smell of sweet coconut milk and simmering garlic hits my nostrils, I have no choice but to crack open a cold Belikin beer and wait until lunch is ready. Belizean Creole food goes beyond nourishing the body – it feeds the soul, and Creole cooks always make enough to share.
A plate piled high with tender golden chicken, coconut-scented rice, and red beans spiced with chiles the national dish of Belize – Rice and Beans – is served. I challenge you to find a single restaurant in Belize that doesn’t offer some version of this traditional Creole recipe.
When I first arrived in Belize, I enjoyed stew chicken as much as the next traveler. I ate it politely, daintily, making sure my meat and rice never touched each other on the plate, finishing the potato salad first so the mayonnaise wouldn’t melt and pool over onto the rice, wrestling with the large piece of juicy chicken and getting my first taste of the succulent meat. Though I didn’t want to be rude, I found myself unable to finish the truck-driver-sized portions on my plate.
After three months of traveling in Belize, my stew chicken addiction was undeniable. I rarely looked at restaurant menus anymore. I wanted, no needed, this comfort food at least three times a week. With the end of my time in Belize fast approaching, I realized I had to learn how to make stew chicken for myself in order to be prepared for the cravings that would inevitably hit when I found myself far from the comforts of a Belizean kitchen.
Fortunately, arranging a cooking lesson was simple. Patricia Ramirez, owner of Splash Dive Shop in Placencia, thought learning to cook would be a fantastic cultural opportunity for me and she knew who to ask, her favorite onboard cook, a Creole woman called Miss Jeanine. Creole women have a warm, inclusive nature, and they love sharing their traditions, especially those related to food. Most native Belizean women have been cooking since childhood, and although their traditional recipes generally aren’t written down, they are straightforward.
Miss Jeanine and I spent a lighthearted afternoon in a modern kitchen above Splash Dive Shop overlooking the Caribbean. She patiently instructed me in the basics: don’t stir the beans too much or they’ll get sticky, recado is what makes the chicken red, store-bought coconut milk is faster than homemade but doesn’t taste as good. When we finished our preparations, Patricia set up a small table on the patio and Miss Jeanine and I shared our homemade meal with several dive shop friends who approvingly oohed and ahhed at my rookie efforts at traditional Belizean cuisine.
By this time, I was enjoying my stew chicken like a true Belizean – unselfconsciously indulging in the good food and good company. No longer worrying about the mingling of flavors on the plate, using my fingers to pull the chicken meat off the bone with scarcely a second thought, I finished my serving and asked for more, wanting to prolong the meal and linger in the atmosphere. As my belly filled, my mind contentedly lapsed into reminiscence of all my adventures in Belize.
Belize Stew Chicken Recipe
One 4 to 5 pound chicken cut into pieces
Vinegar or lime juice to taste
1 clove garlic (finely minced)
One teaspoon size red recado (Mexican annato paste)
1 tsp. teach of thyme, salt, and black pepper
1/4 tsp cumin
1 tsp. brown sugar
1 small tomato (ripe)
1 sliver of ginger (very small)
Cilantro (to taste)
2 tablespoons finely minced onion
1 tablespoon finely minced green/red sweet/bell pepper
Stew Chicken Instructions
Thoroughly wash the chicken.
Coat chicken with mixture of vinegar/lime juice, recado, salt, cumin, thyme, black pepper, and cilantro.
Heat two tablespoons of cooking oil in a pot.
Add brown sugar, cooking until sugar melts and turns dark brown. Be careful not to burn sugar.
Add minced garlic to pot.
Add ginger, removing from pot when it turns brown.
Add seasoned chicken and cook until fully browned on all sides.
Add onion, tomato, sweet pepper, and half cup of water to pot.
Reduce heat to medium and cover pot, allowing to simmer for approximately one hour. Add water as necessary.
Remove from heat and serve when chicken is very tender.
What Is Recado?
Recado rojo or achiote (annato) paste is a blend of spices from Belize and Mexico. It has its roots in the native Maya cuisine of the area, and is now part of the Mexican cuisine of Yucatan and Belize. The spice mixture includes annatto, oregano, cumin, clove, cinnamon, black pepper, allspice, garlic, and salt. The annatto seeds dye the mixture a deep red, and this gives the meat or dish it seasons a distinctive red hue. A little Recado is often added to the masa (corn meal) that is used to make Empanadas, giving that dish a nice color and flavor. – Article by Megan Wood.