5 lb chicken
2 tb fresh lime juice
2 tb browning sauce, divided
1 tb Chinese dark soy sauce
1 ts salt
1 ts garlic powder
1/2 ts onion powder
1/2 ts freshly ground black pepper
3 tb neutral oil
1 md yellow onion, peeled, halved
and sliced 1/4 inch thick
1 md red, orange, or yellow bell
pepper, cored, seeded, and
sliced 1/4 inch thick
3 plum tomatoes, cored, diced
3 scallions, ends trimmed,
white and green parts sliced
crosswise 1/4 inch thick
3 md garlic cloves, sliced
5 sprigs fresh thyme or
1 ts dried thyme
2 ts cornstarch
2 tb granulated sugar
1 whole Scotch bonnet pepper
5 allspice berries
1/4 c ketchup
White rice, rice and peas,
and/or cooked cabbage, for
serving
Using a heavy knife, cut the chicken into 8 pieces. Cut each bone-in
breast in thirds crosswise to yield 3 pieces, to make 12 pieces of
chicken in total. Remove chicken skin only if desired. In a large
bowl, stir together lime juice, 1 tablespoon browning, dark soy
sauce, salt, garlic powder, onion powder, and black pepper. Add
chicken and toss to coat. Cover and refrigerate for at least 2 and
up to 8 hours. Chicken pieces marinating in dark soy and browning
sauce mixture.
In a Dutch oven or large saute pan, heat oil over medium heat until
shimmering. Working in batches to avoid crowding the pan, add
chicken and cook, turning occasionally, until browned all over,
about 3 minutes. Transfer chicken to a platter, and reserve
marinade.
Add onion, bell pepper, and tomatoes to the pot and cook, stirring
often and scraping the bottom to release any browned bits, until
vegetables are softened, about 8 minutes.
Add scallions, garlic, and thyme and cook, stirring, until garlic
and scallions are softened but not browned, about 1 minute. Stir in
cornstarch and cook, stirring, for 1 minute.
Add 2 cups water along with the reserved marinade, sugar, Scotch
bonnet, allspice, and the remaining 1 tablespoon browning. Nestle
the chicken drumsticks, thighs, and wings into the braising liquid,
bring to a boil over high heat, then reduce heat to a simmer, cover,
and cook for 40 minutes.
Nestle the reserved chicken breasts into the stew, then simmer until
chicken breasts register 155 F on an instant-read thermometer, about
20 minutes. Check the consistency of the liquid: While called
"gravy," the cooking liquid should not be thick like a roux-based
gravy. It should have more body than water but should still be quite
liquid and not coat the back of a spoon; if it's too thick, add
additional water, 1/4 cup at a time until a rich and glossy but
otherwise fluid sauce forms.
Stir in ketchup, then simmer, uncovered, 5 minutes longer. Serve
with white rice, rice and peas, and/or cooked cabbage.
Notes:
You can adjust the spicy intensity of the Scotch bonnet by either
leaving it whole (mild heat), cut and seeded (medium heat), cut open
with seeds (hot).
Adding the chicken breast pieces to the stew for only the final 25
minutes of cooking ensures they won't overcook.
