Chicken Cook-Up Rice

Name: Chicken Cook-Up Rice
Prep time: 30 min
Cook time: 8 h 50 min
Total time: 9 h 20 min
Yield: 8 to 10 servings
Cuisine: caribbean
Ingredients: 1 bunch thyme, stems removed; 1 bunch basil, stems removed; ½ bunch parsley, roughly chopped; 10 to 12 scallions, roughly chopped; 1 large yellow onion, chopped; 1 head garlic; 3 to 4 wiri wiri peppers or 1 whole Scotch bonnet pepper; 1 cup dried black-eyed peas (see Tip); 1 whole (3-pound) chicken, cut into pieces and skin removed; Salt and black pepper; 1 pound smoked turkey necks, wings or tails; 1 carrot, roughly chopped; 1 celery stalk, roughly chopped; 2 large onions, 1 quartered and 1 chopped; 2 bay leaves; 1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil; 4 garlic cloves, minced; 1 small bunch thyme; 1 Scotch bonnet, wiri wiri or habanero pepper; 2 cups parboiled long-grain rice; 4 scallions, finely chopped; 2 ½ cups chicken stock; 1 (13-ounce) can coconut milk

By Millie Peartree

Published Dec. 1, 2023

Chicken Cook-Up Rice — Linda Xiao for The New York Times. Food Stylist: Barrett Washburne.

Total Time: 9 hours 20 minutes
Prep Time: 30 minutes
Cook Time: 50 minutes, plus overnight soaking and marinating
Rating: 4(116)
Comments: Read comments

Hearty and satisfying, this one-pot meal combines tender coconut rice and black-eyed peas with chicken. Marinated in a slightly spicy and herbaceous green seasoning, the meat ends up deeply flavorful. The term “cook-up” is a Caribbean expression for a dish that incorporates the ingredients at hand, so it changes from cook to cook. Different iterations vary among the islands, including the types of beans and meat used. This version of cook-up rice is inspired by a one-pot Guyanese rice dish generally made on the weekends and also on New Year's Eve. With a tradition similar to American Southerners preparing black-eyed peas for a lucky new year, this beautiful dish is hearty and satisfying.

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Ingredients

Yield:8 to 10 servings

For the Green Seasoning

1bunch thyme, stems removed
1bunch basil, stems removed
½ bunch parsley, roughly chopped
10 to 12scallions, roughly chopped
1large yellow onion, chopped
1head garlic
3 to 4wiri wiri peppers or 1 whole Scotch bonnet pepper

For the Rice

1cup dried black-eyed peas (see Tip)
1whole (3-pound) chicken, cut into pieces and skin removed
Salt and black pepper
1pound smoked turkey necks, wings or tails
1carrot, roughly chopped
1celery stalk, roughly chopped
2large onions, 1 quartered and 1 chopped
2bay leaves
1tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
4garlic cloves, minced
1small bunch thyme
1Scotch bonnet, wiri wiri or habanero pepper
2cups parboiled long-grain rice
4scallions, finely chopped
2½ cups chicken stock
1(13-ounce) can coconut milk

Ingredient Substitution Guide

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Preparation

Step 1
Make the green seasoning: Add all the ingredients to a food processor and blend, adding water a few tablespoons at a time – up to 4 tablespoons – until you get a thick purée. (The seasoning can be stored in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to a day.)
Step 2
Make the rice: Place peas in a bowl with enough water to cover and soak overnight in the refrigerator. Season chicken with the green seasoning, 1 teaspoon salt and 1 teaspoon black pepper, and marinate for at least 1 hour and up to overnight in the refrigerator.
Step 3
When ready to cook, strain peas, place in a large pot and cover with water. Add smoked turkey, carrot, celery, quartered onion and 1 bay leaf. Bring to a boil over medium heat. Cook, skimming any scum that rises to the top, until the peas soften but still have some bite, about 20 minutes. (They’ll continue cooking with the rice.) Strain the peas, remove the aromatics, reserve the turkey, and set aside.
Step 4
Scrape off any excess marinade from the chicken. In a large pot over medium heat, add oil. Add chicken and brown, about 7 minutes per side. Transfer the chicken to a plate.
Step 5
To the same pan, add the chopped onion, garlic, thyme, Scotch bonnet pepper, ½ teaspoon salt and ½ teaspoon black pepper and stir for 1 to 2 minutes, until fragrant.
Step 6
Add rice and cook, stirring, for about 1 minute to absorb the fat from the pan.
Step 7
Add smoked turkey, drained peas, scallions, chicken stock, coconut milk and remaining bay leaf to rice and stir thoroughly. Add 2½ cups water and bring to a boil, then add chicken and its juices to the pot.
Step 8
Lower to a simmer, then cover the pot and cook for 25 to 30 minutes. The rice should be tender and all of the liquid should be absorbed. If rice is not tender and all of the liquid is gone, add water, a little at a time, and continue to cook until rice is tender. Serve immediately.

Tip

You want to use dried beans here, rather than canned, for taste and texture. Canned beans don’t retain the same bite as dried.

Ratings

4 out of 5

116 user ratings

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Comments

HNR1 year ago

Nice. Trinidadian 75-min version: 1. season 1lb of diced breast or thighs w/scallion, onion, 1 plum tomato diced, garlic, parsley, culantro/cilantro, ginger, thyme, hot pepper. 2. Brown/caramelize 1 tbsp sugar in canola or ghee & sauté chicken on high. 3. Add 1 cup rice & 1 tin drained Goya pigeon peas or red kidney beans or black eye peas.1/2 cup diced carrot. 4. Add 1 cup Goya coconut milk and 1 cup water. For richer, 2 cups of coconut milk. 4. Cover, cook on low till liquid is absorbed.

Bill1 year ago

Respectfully, I have long been frustrated by recipe ingredient lists that measure herbs or anything else in "bunches". There is simply no way to determine how much that means in real terms - cups, tablespoons or whatever. A "bunch" of parsley is quite differently sized in Whole Foods and Safeway, for example. It seems to me that one would want to duplicate the recipe writer's dish exactly the first time, and only later vary amounts of thyme, basil, or parsley to taste.

James A1 year ago

Curious, and concerned for Bill… I googled “how much is a bunch of herbs?” For me, I use my judgment. But: “Larger-leafed varieties, like mint, parsley, and basil, should go closer to two or more ounces, while more compact and potent plants like thyme and rosemary stick closer to one. (Bay leaves are the one exception: Per The Book of Yields, just a half-ounce qualifies as a bunch.)Feb 13, 2023”

Bill4 weeks ago

I am a different Bill. I do large bunches. I made this and mine was bland which is crazy; because so much went into making it! The chicken was perfectly tender. I love the sear. I also enjoyed the adventure of finding smoked turkey neck. The local butcher had it: we don't eat much meat.

J. Demers5 months ago

The green puree can be sealed in ziplock bags and frozen. Make a big batch, and save time later.

wgh1 year ago

Maybe I'm being dense, but step two's first three words are "Make the rice:", but rice is not mentioned anywhere else in the step. Can someone clarify?

Jane1 year ago

The "rice" is the mixture of all those other ingredients, starting with the peas. There is rice in that grouping.

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