~635 cal · 86g protein · 13g carbs · 23g fat (estimated, per serving)
🍽️
Dark-glazed stewed chicken pieces beside rice and beans
🇧🇿 Belize City
Ask any Belizean about Sunday dinner and stew chicken comes up first. The secret is "browning" — melting sugar until it's nearly burnt, then searing the recado-marinated chicken in it for a deep mahogany color and bittersweet edge that defines Creole cooking on the Caribbean coast.
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🥕 Vegetarian
🌱 Vegan
🌾 Gluten-Free
🥛 Dairy-Free
🥜 Nut-Free
🥚 Egg-Free
Ingredients
Serves 4 —
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3 lb bone-in chicken pieces
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2 tbsp recado rojo (annatto) paste
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2 tbsp brown sugar, for browning
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1 onion
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4 cloves garlic
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1 tsp thyme
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2 tbsp coconut oil
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1 tbsp a splash of vinegar
Instructions
1
Rub the chicken (or tofu and mushrooms) with recado, vinegar, garlic, and thyme; marinate at least 30 minutes.
2
Melt the sugar in coconut oil over medium heat until it foams and turns deep amber — watch it closely.
3
Add the chicken and turn to coat in the dark caramel, searing until the pieces take on color all over.
4
Add the onion and a cup of water, cover, and stew 35–40 minutes until the sauce is thick and glossy.
5
Serve over rice and beans with a spoonful of the dark gravy.
Belize City Creole kitchen.
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🌏 While it simmers — know your destination
📍
Belize City. Creole coast where stew chicken meets rice and beans.
🗺️
Belize. Where Creole, Maya, and Garifuna share the stew pot.
🌍
North America. A collision of Indigenous, colonial, and immigrant tables.
The story behind this dish is up top — worth a read while the pot works.
👩🍳
Richard Moore & Kelsey Tucker
Recipes cooked, tested, and researched by the creators of Spin the Globe. How we build our recipes →
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