A one-pot of caramel-browned chicken, rice, and pigeon peas cooked in coconut milk.

Where does Pelau come from?

Pelau is a Trinidadian dish from Port of Spain, Trinidad & Tobago.

Can Pelau be made vegan, gluten-free, or dairy-free?

Yes. This Pelau recipe includes ingredient substitutions to make it vegetarian, vegan, gluten-free, dairy-free, nut-free, or egg-free — including several of those at once, such as gluten-free and dairy-free together.

How long does Pelau take to make?

About 80 minutes total (25 minutes prep, 55 minutes cooking), serving 6.

Pelau — a Port of Spain, Trinidad & Tobago recipe

Name: Pelau
Prep time: 25 min
Cook time: 55 min
Total time: 80 min
Yield: 6 servings
Cuisine: Trinidadian
Ingredients: 2.5 lb bone-in chicken pieces; 2 cups parboiled rice; 1.5 cups pigeon peas; 1 can (14 oz) coconut milk; 2 tbsp brown sugar; 3 tbsp green seasoning; 1 scotch bonnet

North America → 🇹🇹 Trinidad & Tobago → Port of Spain

Pelau

Trinidadian · medium · serves 6

prep 25 min · cook 55 min

~890 cal · 64g protein · 92g carbs · 29g fat (estimated, per serving)

🍽️

Browned rice with chicken and pigeon peas

🇹🇹 Port of Spain

Pelau is Trinidad and Tobago's beloved one-pot, built on the island technique of "burning" sugar to a dark caramel and searing chicken in it before adding rice, pigeon peas, and coconut milk. Sweet, savory, and endlessly customizable, it is Sunday lime food and cook-up in a single dutch pot.

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Make it yours

Toggle a diet and the ingredients rewrite themselves with regional substitutes.

🥕 Vegetarian

🌱 Vegan

🌾 Gluten-Free

🥛 Dairy-Free

🥜 Nut-Free

🥚 Egg-Free

Ingredients

Serves 6 —

•

2.5 lb bone-in chicken pieces

•

2 cups parboiled rice

•

1.5 cups pigeon peas

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1 can (14 oz) coconut milk

•

2 tbsp brown sugar

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3 tbsp green seasoning

•

1 scotch bonnet

Instructions

1

Marinate the chicken (or mushrooms) in green seasoning.

2

Caramelize the brown sugar in hot oil until dark, then add the chicken and turn to coat.

3

Add the pigeon peas, rice, coconut milk, water, and scotch bonnet.

4

Cover and cook on low until the rice is tender and the liquid absorbed.

5

Fluff and serve with a slice of avocado or coleslaw.

Port of Spain tradition.

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🌏 While it simmers — know your destination

📍

Port of Spain. Carnival city, where breakfast is a bara stuffed with channa.

🗺️

Trinidad & Tobago. Indian, African, and Creole cooking on one small twin-island.

🌍

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 →