This Grenadian chicken stew is made with bone-in chicken legs, vegetables, and lots of flavorful spices. It’s the perfect Caribbean chicken dish.
Disclosure: I was paid for my time in Grenada. As always, all opinions and thoughts are 100% my own.
If you follow me on Instagram you might have noticed over Thanksgiving I set off with Gina and traveled to Grenada for the Pure Grenada Nutmeg Festival.
While we were there we soaked up the sun, enjoyed the warmth, and ate our nutmeg-loving hearts out.
We spent lazy mornings cooking breakfast in our open-air cottage, afternoons sitting on the beach talking about how much we loved the sun, and the evenings eating till we could eat no more.
So many desserts were consumed in 2 weeks.
I wish I had taken a log of all the sweet treats we consumed.
It would have been amazing to look back on.
However, one breezy day our Grenadian friend Jen picked us up and invited us to spend the day with her family.
We all went grocery shopping together and then headed to her house to try our hands at some traditional Grenadian cooking.
Her lovely husband Christopher walked us through exactly how he prepared his chicken stew and what it is about each ingredient that makes it so special.
Christopher started off by letting us both know that Grenadians are obsessed with keeping a kitchen clean and washing their hands while cooking.
Apparently, Christopher grew up without refrigeration for a portion of their life so he learned exactly how to prepare food so it tasted delicious and (most importantly) wouldn’t make you sick.
He prepped his chicken by rinsing in lime water (I skipped this step) and cutting off any extra fat.
He then cut up fresh carrots, onions, bell peppers, and garlic and tossed them with a mix of curry powder, smoked paprika, oregano, kosher salt, and black pepper.
The most interesting part of this dish was when I watched him pour sugar onto the bottom of the stew pot.
Instinctually he knew just the right amount of sugar and how long it would take to go from sugar to beautiful dark amber in color.
At that moment he poured in the chicken, added some water, and waited for time to do its magic.
For my adaptation of his recipe, I opted to use chicken stock instead of water.
The part I enjoyed most was the love of the day.
I quietly moved around the kitchen taking pictures of Christopher cooking and in the next room over listening to Jen and her daughter laugh as they decorated their Christmas tree.
It made me miss home. It made me miss being in the kitchen with my mom and sharing our love for cooking secret family recipes.
I watched Christopher lift the lid off the chicken and know from years of experience exactly how long it would take before it was perfect.
He then stirred the callaloo and mashed the pumpkin. It was as if these skills had been ingrained in him since the day he was born.
After it was ready we all sat together at the family dinner table and feasted.
Even though I wasn’t part of their family I felt like they had opened the door and welcomed me with open arms. And after a few nips of rum and 2 helpings of chicken stew, I was officially stuffed.
Even though I adored the food one of my favorite parts was after dinner when Jen invited me to join her for a walk. She promised she was going to take me somewhere amazing and she did not disappoint.
To this day I will hand down say that Fort Jeudy is one of the most beautiful places I have ever been.
If I could go back there right now I would.
In a heartbeat.
We walked down a little path that was covered with tall grass and little baby cacti.
At first, I was worried this would be a crazy hard hike that I wouldn’t be able to do.
Then I heard the ocean. I got closer and was rewarded with a salty breeze and beautiful blue water. I of course couldn’t resist snapping a few pictures of the beautiful sites.
It was pure breezy ocean-filled heaven.
Even though Grenada was heaven I did eventually have to go home.
It’s the downside of traveling, I know.
However, after I got home I couldn’t stop thinking about the chicken stew I had in Jennifer and Christopher’s home. I had to make it.
I kept the basics of what he taught me but changed a few little things just to give it my own personal spin.
This dish is best served over rice but I will admit that I’m happy to eat it plain from the pan.
More chicken recipes
- Need a one pot meal? Try my African Chicken Peanut Stew.
- Craving crispy skin chicken? Try my Air Fryer Chicken Thighs.
- Love that sweet and spicy combo? Try my Hot Honey Chicken Skewers.
- Want big flavor without a lot of work? Try my Grilled Cilantro Lime Chicken Thighs.
Grenadian Chicken Stew
Ingredients
- 6 chicken legs skin removed
- 3 carrots diced
- 2 cloves garlic minced
- 1 yellow onion diced
- 1 red bell pepper diced
- 2 teaspoons curry powder
- 1 teaspoon smoked paprika
- 1/2 teaspoon oregano
- Kosher salt and pepper to taste
- 2 tablespoons sugar
- 2-3 cups chicken stock
- 1 tablespoon ketchup
- 2 tablespoons chopped cilantro for topping (optional)
Instructions
- In a large bowl add chicken, carrots, garlic, onion, and bell pepper. Mix together.
- Sprinkle on curry powder, smoked paprika, oregano, kosher salt, and pepper. Stir to evenly coat the whole mixture in seasoning.
- In a large pan (I used my 3.5 quart braiser pan) add sugar over medium-high heat. Keep an eye on the sugar and watch it start to melt and slowly turn from clear to golden brown to dark amber brown. You have to keep your eye on the sugar as it can go from perfectly caramelized to burnt in a few seconds.
- Once the sugar is dark amber in color (think the color of maple syrup) add in the chicken and veggies and just enough chicken stock to reach the top of the chicken without totally covering it.
- Stir in ketchup, cover with a lid and let simmer over medium heat until the chicken is fall off the bone tender and fully cooked, about an hour. The mixture will cook down so if it starts to get dry and the chicken is not fully cooked simply add a little more stock.
- Once fully cooked sprinkle with cilantro and serve plain or overtop rice.
Sheri
Monday 27th of June 2022
I don't see the part about the lime water. Can you tell me where to find that?
Frank
Monday 27th of June 2022
Where is the information for the lime water? And are you making it with lime juice or calcium hydroxide?
Wendy Zecchino
Sunday 27th of June 2021
What happened to the lime water? No mention of it in the ingredient list or directions.
Susan Mercurio
Monday 27th of June 2022
@Wendy Zecchino, I agree! I looked for it but it was nowhere to be found.
Anna | ANNAdventure
Monday 19th of January 2015
Wow what an amazing experience!!! That chicken looks tantalizing. Beautiful photography!!
Celeste
Friday 16th of January 2015
I just made a double batch of this tonight and it was soooo delicious. It really has a lot of flavor! All five of my kids loved it too and some of them are picky eaters. I'll definitely be making this again and I think it will make a great dish to serve company too! Thanks for sharing it!
nutmegnanny
Sunday 18th of January 2015
Hi Celeste! Thank you so much for letting me know you tried the dish. I'm so glad the whole family loved it!