STEWED CHICKEN AND GRAVY RECIPES

Steps:

• For the chicken: Season chicken with salt, pepper, thyme and garlic. Heat two tablespoons of oil in large frying pan over moderately high heat. Brown chicken, turning pieces once, about 4 minutes per side. Add a few teaspoons of water to skillet. Repeat a few times and then add watered flour to make a gravy. As chicken browns, add onions, cover pan and simmer on low heat for 10 to 15 minutes so chicken will stew. (Typically back home in Belize onion was the only vegetable used with the chicken, however many Belizians that are now in the Unites States add bell pepper and tomatoes to this dish.)
• For the rice and beans: Clean beans and check for stones. Put beans in a stockpot with water to cover, thyme, onions, garlic and pepper. Do not add salt at this time because the beans will turn hard. Cover and cook over moderate heat for 1 hour, stirring every 10 minutes and adding a little water if necessary. Cook until beans have softened. Add salt, coconut milk and uncooked rice. Cover and barely simmer over low heat (milk may easily burn) for 10 to 15 minutes, stirring occasionally.

Steps:

• Heat oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Season stew meat with salt & pepper then add to skillet, stirring once or twice to sear as many sides of the cubes as possible, for about 3-4 minutes. Remove from heat and set aside.
• In a medium-sized stock pot, combine beef broth, onion soup mix and 1/2 cup water then stir well. Add stew meat, stir and cook over LOW heat, covered, for 1-2 hours. Do not let the pot reach a full boil or the meat will get tough.
• Add cornstarch to a small bowl then whisk in remaining 1/2 cup of water until smooth. Drizzle cornstarch liquid into pot, bring to a low simmer then cook, while stirring, for 1 minute or until broth has thickened into a gravy. Serve over white rice or egg noodles.