Belizean Stew Chicken

This isn't chicken stew! It's stew chicken, a popular Sunday dinner in Belize. 

We honeymooned in Belize and this chicken haunted me until I found the recipe and how to make red rocado. It's absolutely delicious, and worth the time. 

Hint: annato seeds can usually be found in a Latino/Caribbean grocery. 

Make your Recado first:

-2 tlbs annato seeds

-1/2 cup hot water

-5 cloves garlic

-1/2 large onion

-1 tbls oregano (Mexican preferred)

-1 1/2 tsp Fresh black pepper 

-1 tsp Fresh ground allspice

-1/2 cup ancho chili powder 

-1 tbl coarse salt

-1/4 cup cider vinegar

-1 cup orange juice

Soak annatto seeds over night. 

Toast or broil onion until light brown and soft

Add everything to a blender and blend until smooth. 

Reserve 1/2 cup, and marinate the chicken in the rest over night. 

Stew Chicken

-2 lbs chicken, any kind, marinated overnight in rocado

-1/2 cup red rocado

-1 bell peppers chopped

-1 onion, chopped

-1 habanero (whole, optional)

-lime and vinegar, to taste

-olive oil

Brown the chicken in batches, remove from pot. Reserve marinade.

Add bell peppers and onion to pan, cook until soft

Return chicken to pot.

Add habenero (whole mild heat, chopped high heat)

Add water to marinade and add to pot to just cover the chicken. Allow to cook on low heat for about 3 hours until chicken falls off the bone. 

(Instant pot: add 3/4 of water or chicken stock to marinade, add to pot. Close and lock, cook on high for 25 minutes, natural release.) 

Add lime and or vinegar to taste before serving. 

Not Nearly as Dense Bean Salad

Yeah, I fell into the TikTok trend of the bean salad. It was amazing, the recipe made 2 servings for me, and I gobbled it up.

The dressing is amazing. Yes, it needs it's own paragraph to stress: it's amazing.

And then beans did what beans are wont to do. I probably could have jet-propelled my car home, honestly. It was horrible and with IBS, made more so. 

So I pondered for a moment what I could do with the second serving of the salad and maybe not have ride with the windows down. 

Well, I had some salami, some banana peppers, and some argula left from a different meal. Split the salad in 2, put in what I liked and packed the top with the leafy greens. (Don't mix! You'll have soggy greens.)

It was delightful, and less detrimental to the digestion. Recommend! Give it a try. 

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The Salad

- 1 can garbanzo beans, drained, rinsed and dried

- 1 can navy beans, drained, rinsed and dried

- 1 small red onion, diced (about 3/4 cup when diced) OR 1 tsp onion powder

- 2 small bell peppers, diced (red, orange or yellow)

- 1/2 English cucumber, diced

- 1/2 cup Kalamata olives, pitted and sliced

- 6 ounces feta cheese, crumbled

- about 32 medium slices of salami, rolled and cut in half

- 2 cups Arugula 

- 1/4 cup banana peppers (to taste)

- Fresh parsley, stems removed, finely diced

The Dressing 

1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil

Juice of one lemon (about 3 tablespoons)

1 tablespoon maple syrup

1 teaspoon dijon (or onion dijon) mustard

3 large cloves garlic, pressed through a garlic press

1/2 teaspoon fine salt (be generous)

1/2 teaspoon dried oregano

1 tsp sazon completa

Instructions

1. Prepare the veggies. Chop the red onion, bell peppers and cucumber into bite-sized pieces. I use this vegetable chopper to ensure that everything is evenly sized. It saves loads of time too! Slice the pitted Kalamata olives.

2. Rinse the beans. Drain, rinse and dry the chickpeas and navy beans. Add all salad ingredients to a large mixing bowl.

3. Add the salad dressing. Whisk or shake the dressing ingredients together and pour overtop the salad. 

4. Toss well to combine.
Serve! Enjoy immediately or divide into mason jars to save for later.