This Haitian recipe for ‘Chicken in Sauce’ reminded me so much of one of my childhood favorites Lecho, that I just had to try it. This recipe, like Lecho, uses peppers and onions as a base. It is delicious and very easy to make. Serve it with plain white basmati rice and some good bread for soaking up the sauce.
Tip : You can also add chili peppers if you like heat. The Thai curry paste adds color and a little heat as well.
Ingredients
- 1/2 medium chicken about 2 lbs, cut into serving pieces, skin on
- 1 tbsp olive oil
- 2 tbsp tomato paste
- 2 tbsp Thai red chili paste
- 1 red bell pepper cut into strips
- 1 yellow bell pepper cut into strips
- chicken stock barely to cover chicken
- kosher salt and ground black pepper to taste
Marinade
- 1 tbsp kosher salt
- 1 orange juiced
- 1 lemon juiced
- 1 lime juiced
- 2 medium onions peeled, sliced
- 8 cloves garlic thinly sliced
- 1 tsp dried thyme or 3-4 fresh sprigs of thyme
Garnish
- 2-3 sprigs fresh cilantro coarsely chopped
Instructions
- Gather all ingredients before starting the recipe.
Marinade
- Mix 1 tbsp kosher salt, 1 orange juiced, 1 lemon juiced, 1 lime juiced, 2 medium onions, rough chopped, 8 cloves garlic , smashed, 1 tsp dried thyme and 2-3 sprigs fresh cilantro coarsely chopped in a small bowl.
- Add 1/2 medium chicken cut into serving pieces to a zip lock plastic bag and pour in the marinade mixture, along with the orange, lemon and lime halves after squeezing out their juices. Close the bag, message the chicken to get it to be completely covered with marinade. Refrigerate for 3-4 hours, or over night.
Preparation
- Pre heat oven to 375°F
- Remove chicken from marinade and pat the chicken pieces dry.
- Drain the marinade liquid from the solids, discard the orange, lemon and lime rinds, reserve the onions and garlic.
- Heat 1 tbsp olive oil over medium high heat in a deep sided skillet with a tight fitting lid.
- When the oil is shimmering, add the chicken pieces, skin side down, and cook until the chicken turns a deep golden color, about 8 minutes.
- Remove chicken from pan to a plate, turn the heat down to medium and add the onions and garlic from the marinade. Stir frequently to make sure that the garlic does not color, about 3-4 minutes.
- Add 2 tbsp tomato paste and 2 tbsp Thai red chili paste and stir to combine. Add 1 red bell pepper, sliced and 1 yellow bell pepper stir again to coat the peppers with tomato and curry paste. Season pepper mixture with kosher salt and ground black pepper to taste. Top the peppers with the reserved chicken, skin side up.
- Nestle the chicken between the peppers and onions and add enough chicken stock to barely cover.
- Cover the pan with a tight fitting lid and bake in a pre heated oven for about 40-45 minutes, or until the chicken is ready to fall off the bones.
Serving
- Serve with plain white basmati rice.
