Chef-tested recipe
Green-seasoned chicken, pigeon peas and rice cooked with coconut milk and burnt-sugar browning
Pelau is one of Trinidad and Tobago’s defining one-pot dishes. Green-seasoned chicken is browned in deeply caramelised sugar before rice, pigeon peas, vegetables and coconut milk cook together. The brown sugar must reach a dark mahogany—not black—so it lends colour, mild sweetness and the characteristic smoky depth without bitterness.
Recipe at a glance
- Servings
- 8 servings
- Prep Time
- 35 mins
- Cook Time
- 1 hour 45 mins
- Resting Time
- 8 hours for soaking the pigeon peas.
- Marinating Time
- 2 hours during the pea-soaking time.
- Total Time
- 10 hours 20 mins
- Cuisine
- Trinidadian and Tobagonian
- Course
- Main dish
- Cooking Method
- Soaking, marinating, caramelising and one-pot simmering
- Difficulty
- Intermediate
- Best Served With
- Cucumber salad, coleslaw, avocado, mango chutney, pepper sauce, or slices of ripe tomato.
Before you begin
Ingredients & equipment
Gather what you need first, then cook through the method with confidence.
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Equipment
- Wide heavy pot with tight lidpaid link
- Medium saucepanpaid link
- Blender or food processorpaid link
- Large mixing bowlpaid link
- Wooden spoonpaid link
- Chef’s knifepaid link
- Cutting boardpaid link
- Digital kitchen scalepaid link
Ingredients
For the pigeon peas
- Dried pigeon peaspaid link: 300 g
- Cold water: 1.5 litres, for soaking
- Fresh water: 1.5 litres, for simmering
For the green seasoning and chicken
- Scallions: 120 g
- Chadon beni or fresh coriander: 60 g
- Flat-leaf parsley: 30 g
- Fresh thyme leaves: 15 g
- Garlic: 35 g
- Fresh ginger: 25 g
- Scotch bonnet chilli: 1
- Fresh lime juice: 60 ml
- Water: 60 ml
- Bone-in chicken thighs: 2 kg, skin removed and cut through the bone into serving pieces
- Fine sea saltpaid link: 24 g
- Freshly ground black pepper: 5 g
For the pelau
- Neutral cooking oilpaid link: 45 ml
- Dark brown sugarpaid link: 70 g
- Brown onions: 300 g, diced
- Long-grain parboiled ricepaid link: 800 g, rinsed and drained
- Pumpkin: 400 g, cut into 2 cm cubes
- Carrots: 300 g, cut into 1 cm rounds
- Tomato paste: 40 g
- Thick coconut milkpaid link: 800 ml
- Hot water or unsalted chicken stock: 1.2 litres, plus more if needed
- Fine sea saltpaid link: as needed
Preparation Overview
Soak the pigeon peas for 8 hours, drain, and simmer in fresh water for 40–50 minutes until almost tender; drain. Blend scallion, chadon beni, parsley, thyme, garlic, ginger, Scotch bonnet, lime juice and water into a coarse green seasoning. Mix the chicken with this seasoning, salt and pepper and refrigerate for 2 hours.
Method
Heat the oil in a wide heavy pot over medium-high heat. Add the brown sugar in an even layer.
Let the sugar melt and foam until it becomes a very dark mahogany. Do not allow it to turn black or smell burned.
Immediately add the seasoned chicken, reserving excess marinade. Turn the pieces through the caramel for 8–10 minutes until deeply browned.
Add onion and reserved marinade and cook for 5 minutes. Stir in tomato paste.
Add rinsed rice, pumpkin, carrots and cooked pigeon peas. Turn everything through the browned chicken and aromatics.
Pour in coconut milk and hot water. The liquid should sit about 2 cm above the rice. Bring to a boil and taste for salt.
Reduce to very low heat, cover tightly, and cook for 30–35 minutes without frequent stirring.
Check the rice. If still firm, sprinkle over 100 ml hot water, cover, and cook for 5–10 minutes more.
Rest covered for 10 minutes, then gently turn the pelau from the bottom so the chicken, peas and vegetables are evenly distributed.
Beginner Technique Notes
Watch the sugar continuously. The correct colour is dark mahogany; black caramel makes the entire pot bitter.
Have the seasoned chicken ready before starting the browning because the sugar changes quickly.
Use parboiled long-grain rice, which holds its shape well during one-pot cooking.
Tips and Variations
Cook the pigeon peas up to 3 days ahead or freeze them in measured portions.
If chadon beni is unavailable, coriander is the closest practical substitute, though its flavour is milder.
Keep extra hot water ready because rice brands absorb different amounts.
For meal prep, rest the pelau fully before dividing it so the grains firm up.
Serving Ideas
- Spoon from the bottom of the pot so each serving receives caramelised chicken, seasoned rice, pigeon peas and vegetables.
Storage
Refrigerate for up to 4 days or freeze for up to 3 months. Cool quickly in shallow containers. Reheat to 74°C with a small splash of water and keep covered so the rice stays moist.
Nutritional Value
Allergen Notes
Contains coconut. Check stock and tomato paste for unexpected allergens; the remaining core ingredients do not contain the major common allergens.
Frequently Asked Questions
What gives pelau its dark colour?
Caramelised brown sugar, often called browning, coats the chicken before the remaining ingredients enter the pot.
Can canned pigeon peas be used?
Yes, drain and rinse them and add them with the rice. Dried peas give firmer texture and fit this from-scratch version.
Why is my pelau bitter?
The sugar was taken beyond dark mahogany and burned. Start again rather than trying to cover the bitterness.
Should pelau be wet or dry?
It should be moist and cohesive but not soupy, with distinct tender grains and juices absorbed into the rice.
