Poul Nan Sos (Chicken in Sauce)
Photo Credit: Tangie Holifield, 2024
For this ultra-flavorful dish, the chicken is marinated overnight with onions, garlic, thyme, chiles, and citrus before it's stewed with loads of bell peppers. This dish is best served over rice, with plantains and with a rustic bread for soaking up the sauce.
Serves 4 to 6
INGREDIENTS:
3 pounds mixed bone-in chicken thighs and drumsticks
1 tablespoon kosher salt
1 orange, halved
1 lime, halved
1 lemon, halved
2 medium yellow onions, halved, thinly sliced
8 garlic cloves, sliced
2 Scotch bonnet or habanero chiles, cut in half, sliced thin
1/4 cup fresh thyme leaves
1/3 cup extra-virgin olive oil
1/2 cup tomato paste
1 tablespoon kosher salt
2 red bell peppers, seeded and julienned
2 yellow bell peppers, seeded and julienned
2 cups chicken stock
Small handful roughly chopped cilantro sprigs, for serving
DIRECTIONS:
Put the chicken pieces in a large bowl and season with the salt. Squeeze the citrus halves over the chicken. Add the onions, garlic, chili, and thyme and toss well, rubbing the chicken as you do. Cover and marinate in the fridge for at least 12 hours or up to 48 hours.
Preheat the oven to 375°F. Remove the chicken from the marinade, guiding any stuck-on aromatics back into the bowl. Set a strainer over a small mixing bowl. Pour the marinade through the strainer, reserving the solids and liquid. Pat the chicken very dry with paper towels.
Heat the oil in a wide, heavy ovenproof 3 1/2-quart braiser over medium-high heat, until shimmery. Cook the chicken, skin-side down, occasionally turning until the skin is deep brown, about 8 minutes. Transfer the chicken to a plate.
Reduce the heat to medium-low, add the tomato paste and salt, and cook, stirring often, until it slightly darkens, about 3 minutes. Add the bell peppers and the reserved marinade; cook, stirring occasionally, until the peppers soften slightly, about 8 to 10 minutes.
Return the chicken to the pan, skin side up and in a single layer. Add the peppers, onions, and other aromatics on top of the chicken. Evenly pour in the reserved marinade and the stock. Cook in the oven, basting every 15 minutes to coat the chicken with the peppers and sauce, until the sauce has thickened slightly and the meat pulls off the bone with a gentle tug from a fork, about 1 hour. Garnish with the parsley and serve.