• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar
Rosanna ETC logo
  • Recipes
  • Travel
  • About
  • Writing portfolio and press
menu icon
go to homepage
  • Recipes
  • Travel
  • Media
  • Ebooks
  • About
    • Instagram
    • Pinterest
    • Twitter
    • YouTube
  • subscribe
    search icon
    Homepage link
    • Recipes
    • Travel
    • Media
    • Ebooks
    • About
    • Instagram
    • Pinterest
    • Twitter
    • YouTube
  • ×

    Home » Blog posts by Rosanna ETC » Food

    Belizean stewed chicken

    Published: Mar 17, 2021 · Modified: Dec 6, 2021 by Rosanna Stevens · This post may contain affiliate links · 1 Comment

    Belizean Stewed Chicken is a cosy and comforting meal that breaks the monotony and tingles the tastebuds. Whilst living in Belize I ate it all the time and before I left I was determined to try to create a recipe for it myself. This traditional Belizean dish has a subtle warmth and deep, delicious flavour. The first time I tried Belizean Stewed Chicken was from a street seller in Seine Bight and the meat just fell off the bone, it was so tender. I will never be able to replicate it, cooked like that in a Belizean home with a recipe likely passed down in the family, but if getting to Belize isn't an option right now, I hope my recipe will give you a taste of this amazing country! Served with a thick sauce and sweet peppers on a bed of rice (often rice and beans) it's a hearty dish with the warmth and character of beloved Belize.

    I put off trying to make Belizean Stewed Chicken for a while. I have such a love for this country and their food, I was scared to mess it up! But after trying it several times I am finally happy with this recipe (although nothing will ever beat Belizean stewed chicken with rice and beans made fresh by a local street seller in Belize, it is worth coming here just for that). You want to let it cook for quite a while and use chicken on the bone so it doesn't dry out.

    Belizean Stewed Chicken

    The deep red colour of the gravy comes from red recado which is a spice paste made here in Belize and Central America. Its red colour comes from annatto, which is made from the seeds of the Achiote tree native to the region.

    annato seeds

    I served my Belizean Stewed Chicken with some coconut rice cooked with a bit of dried thyme and the whole meal was just so comforting and warm, I can't wait to make it again once I am back in the UK. It will be like having a Belizean hug. So here we are, my recipe for Belizean Stewed Chicken. Happy cooking!

    You can also check out all my other Belizean recipes here!

    Jump to Recipe

    Ingredients

    Belizean stewed chicken ingredients
    • Chicken
    • Red recado
    • Bell peppers
    • White onion
    • Soy sauce
    • Worcestershire Sauce
    • Ginger
    • Garlic
    • Cumin
    • Dried oregano
    • Dried thyme
    • Coconut oil

    See the recipe card for quantities

    Instructions

    Mix the recado with a splash of oil to slacken it up and then rub it all over the chicken.

    Place in a zip lock bag with the spices and then pour in the soy and Worcestershire sauce. Seal the bag and pop in the fridge for at least 2 hours, or even overnight.

    Remove from the fridge and fry the chicken in some coconut oil, reserving the rest of the marinade.

    Once browned on both sides, remove the chicken from the pan briefly whilst frying the pepper and onion. As they begin to soften, return the chicken to the pan and pour over the rest of the marinade liquid. Finally, add some water, enough to just cover everything. Bring to a simmer and allow to gently reduce to a thick gravy for approximately 1 hour.

    Leave to cook and reduce for at least an hour when the sauce will be nice and thick.

    Serve the Belizean Stewed Chicken on a bed of steaming rice and enjoy!

    Equipment

    It is best to cook the Belizean stewed chicken in a thick-bottomed casserole dish like this one from Le Creuset. They might be expensive but they are worth it as they will last a lifetime. I use Le Creuset dishes that were given to my parents as wedding gifts in 1975!

    Storage

    Store the chicken in the fridge prior to cooking. Once made, it will keep in an airtight container in the fridge for 2-3 days. Reheat thoroughly.

    This dish is best eaten fresh and not frozen.

    Top tip

    Use chicken on the bone for this Belizean stewed chicken recipe so that it stays nice and moist whilst cooking

    Belizean Stewed Chicken

    Belizean Stewed Chicken

    Rosanna Stevens
    A warm and fragrant chicken stew from beautifil Belize
    5 from 1 vote
    Print Recipe Pin Recipe
    Prep Time 2 hrs 30 mins
    Cook Time 1 hr
    Total Time 3 hrs 30 mins
    Course Main Course
    Cuisine American
    Servings 4 people
    Calories 324 kcal

    Equipment

    • Casserole pot or dutch oven

    Ingredients
      

    • 1 kg chicken (use on the bone pieces)
    • 1.5 tablespoon red recado paste
    • 2 bell peppers
    • 1 white onion
    • 1 tablespoon soy sauce
    • 1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
    • 1 tablespoon ginger
    • 1 clove garlic
    • 1 tso cumin
    • 1 teaspoon dried oregano
    • 1 teaspoon dried thyme
    • 1 tablespoon coconut oil

    Instructions
     

    • Mix the recado paste with a splash of oil to slacken it up and then rub it all over the chicken.
    • Place in a zip lock bag with the spices and then pour in the soy and Worcestershire sauce. Seal the bag and pop in the fridge for at least 2 hours, or even overnight.
    • Remove from the fridge and fry the chicken in some coconut oil, reserving the rest of the marinade.
    • Once browned on both sides, remove the chicken from the pan briefly whilst frying the pepper and onion.
    • As they begin to soften, return the chicken to the pan and pour over the rest of the marinade liquid.
    • Finally, add some water, enough to just cover everything in the pot.
    • Bring to a simmer and allow to gently reduce to a thick gravy for approximately 1 hour.
    • Serve the Belizean Stewed Chicken on a bed of steaming rice and enjoy

    Nutrition

    Calories: 324kcalCarbohydrates: 7gProtein: 24gFat: 22gSaturated Fat: 8gPolyunsaturated Fat: 4gMonounsaturated Fat: 8gTrans Fat: 1gCholesterol: 90mgSodium: 340mgPotassium: 419mgFiber: 2gSugar: 4gVitamin A: 2044IUVitamin C: 80mgCalcium: 33mgIron: 2mg
    Keyword belizean chicken stew, Belizean food, Belizean stewed chicken
    Tried this recipe?Let us know how it was!

    Want to do a cookalong? Here's a YouTube video of me making this dish in Belize

    More Food

    • Red lentil, coconut and sweet potato dahl.
      Red Lentil & Sweet Potato Dahl With Coconut Milk
    • Cast iron skillet turkey and ham pot pie.
      Cast Iron Skillet Turkey And Ham Pot Pie
    • Eggplant masala
      Spiced Eggplant Masala
    • A close up of food on a plate, with rich Madeira sauce bring poured over it.
      Rich Madeira Sauce

    Share this post

    • Facebook
    • Twitter

    Reader Interactions

    Comments

    1. Victoria says

      February 08, 2022 at 2:53 pm

      5 stars
      I loved eating this in Belize and so happy I can now make it at home. Thank you for the recipe!

      Reply

    Leave a Reply Cancel reply

    Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

    Recipe Rating




    Primary Sidebar

    Rosanna Stevens opening a bottle of champagne.

    Rosanna Stevens opening a bottle of champagne.

    I'm Rosanna, a trained chef, published writer and food and style fanatic. I believe in using food and drink to make every day an event with fresh and seasonal produce, wine pairings and a perfectly styled plate.

    I write for publications in the UK, USA and Central America on food, travel and the destinations I love and have also created several recipe ebooks and Stop The Scroll, a beginner's guide to food styling and photography. Thanks for being here!

    Learn more about me →

    Trending posts

    • Asparagus mousse amuse bouche.
      Asparagus Mousse Amuse Bouche
    • chocolate meringue nests filled with mini eggs candy
      Mini Chocolate Meringue Nests
    • Easy Salmon En Croute With Dill Cream Sauce
    • Caramelised Balsamic Shallots

    As seen in

    as seen in the media

    Spring recipes

    • Asparagus And Prosciutto Quiche
    • Rainbow Carrots cooked en papillote with star anise, in a serving bowl.
      Honey Glazed Rainbow Carrots En Papillote
    • Easy asparagus tart on a wooden serving board.
      Asparagus Cheese Tart With Puff Pastry
    • Juicy Lamb Rump Roast With Rosemary Butter

    Download your free guide to what's in season

      We respect your privacy. Unsubscribe at anytime.
      Built with ConvertKit

      Check out my ebook

      Front cover of Stop the Scroll

      Soup season

      • cheesy beer soup
        Cheesy Beer Soup With Cheddar And Crispy Bacon
      • Butternut autumn squash soup with crispy sage
        Autumn Squash Soup With Crispy Sage
      • Smoked Sausage Soup With Cabbage And Sauerkraut
      • smoked haddock recipes
        Smoked Haddock And Sweet Corn Soup With Crispy Bacon
      • Recipes
      • Travel
      • About
      • Writing portfolio and press

      Footer

      ↑ back to top

      About

      • About me

      Newsletter

      • Sign up

      Contact

      • Contact

      View privacy policy

      This site uses affiliate links

      Copyright © 2022 Rosanna ETC

      Manage Cookie Consent
      To provide the best experiences, we use technologies like cookies to store and/or access device information. Consenting to these technologies will allow us to process data such as browsing behavior or unique IDs on this site. Not consenting or withdrawing consent, may adversely affect certain features and functions.
      Functional Always active
      The technical storage or access is strictly necessary for the legitimate purpose of enabling the use of a specific service explicitly requested by the subscriber or user, or for the sole purpose of carrying out the transmission of a communication over an electronic communications network.
      Preferences
      The technical storage or access is necessary for the legitimate purpose of storing preferences that are not requested by the subscriber or user.
      Statistics
      The technical storage or access that is used exclusively for statistical purposes. The technical storage or access that is used exclusively for anonymous statistical purposes. Without a subpoena, voluntary compliance on the part of your Internet Service Provider, or additional records from a third party, information stored or retrieved for this purpose alone cannot usually be used to identify you.
      Marketing
      The technical storage or access is required to create user profiles to send advertising, or to track the user on a website or across several websites for similar marketing purposes.
      Manage options Manage services Manage vendors Read more about these purposes
      View preferences
      {title} {title} {title}
      Manage Cookie Consent
      To provide the best experiences, we use technologies like cookies to store and/or access device information. Consenting to these technologies will allow us to process data such as browsing behavior or unique IDs on this site. Not consenting or withdrawing consent, may adversely affect certain features and functions.
      Functional Always active
      The technical storage or access is strictly necessary for the legitimate purpose of enabling the use of a specific service explicitly requested by the subscriber or user, or for the sole purpose of carrying out the transmission of a communication over an electronic communications network.
      Preferences
      The technical storage or access is necessary for the legitimate purpose of storing preferences that are not requested by the subscriber or user.
      Statistics
      The technical storage or access that is used exclusively for statistical purposes. The technical storage or access that is used exclusively for anonymous statistical purposes. Without a subpoena, voluntary compliance on the part of your Internet Service Provider, or additional records from a third party, information stored or retrieved for this purpose alone cannot usually be used to identify you.
      Marketing
      The technical storage or access is required to create user profiles to send advertising, or to track the user on a website or across several websites for similar marketing purposes.
      Manage options Manage services Manage vendors Read more about these purposes
      View preferences
      {title} {title} {title}