Jamaican Brown Stew Chicken

📝 Ingredients

• 700 g boneless, skinless chicken thighs
• 3 garlic cloves
• 2 tsp sweet paprika + 1 tsp dried thyme
• 2 tbsp soy sauce
• 1 tbsp light brown sugar
• 1 tbsp sunflower oil
• 1 brown onion (about 150 g)
• 1 red pepper + 1 green pepper (about 300 g)
• 2 tomatoes (about 250 g) + 1 tbsp tomato purée
• 1 chicken stock cube + 300 ml hot water
• 280 g long-grain rice
• 2 spring onions
• Salt, black pepper

🍴 Utensils

• Mixing bowl
• Flameproof casserole dish with lid
• Large saucepan
• Colander
• Chopping board
• Knife

📖 Steps

1. Peel and chop the garlic. Cut each chicken thigh into 2 or 3 pieces and put them in a mixing bowl with the garlic, paprika, thyme, soy sauce and a grind of pepper. Mix to coat the meat well, cover and leave to marinate for at least 30 min in the fridge (or overnight).
2. While it marinates, thinly slice the onion, cut the peppers into 1 cm strips, removing the seeds and white membranes, and dice the tomatoes. Dissolve the stock cube in the hot water.
3. Heat the oil in a casserole dish over a medium heat, add the brown sugar and let it melt without stirring for 1 to 2 min: it will froth, then turn dark brown. Don't let it blacken; if it smokes heavily and smells burnt, rinse the pot and start again, or the sauce will be bitter.
4. Immediately add the drained chicken pieces (keep the marinade) in a single layer, in 2 batches if your pot is small; watch out for splatters. Fry them for 3 to 4 min per side over a medium-high heat until deeply browned and caramelised, then set aside.
5. In the same pot, fry the onion and peppers for 4 min over a medium heat, scraping up the browned bits from the bottom. Add the tomato purée and stir for 1 min to caramelise it slightly.
6. Return the chicken and its marinade to the pot, add the tomatoes and stock, then bring to a simmer. Cover and leave to simmer gently for 30 min, stirring from time to time, until the chicken is very tender.
7. Meanwhile, rinse the rice in cold water until the water runs almost clear, then cook for 12 min in a large saucepan of boiling salted water. Drain and leave to swell for 5 min, covered, off the heat.
8. Remove the lid and leave to reduce for 10 min over a medium heat, until you have a thick, glossy brown sauce that coats the chicken. Taste and add salt if needed. Serve over the rice, sprinkled with sliced spring onions.