Belizean Stewed Chicken with Rice and Beans

Name: Belizean Stewed Chicken with Rice and Beans
Prep time: 30 min
Cook time: 1 h 15 min
Total time: 1 h 45 min
Yield: 4 servings
Cuisine: Belizean
Ingredients: For the stewed chicken:; 3 lbs bone-in, skin-on chicken pieces (thighs and drumsticks); 3 tbsp recado rojo paste (achiote/annatto paste) — available in Latin grocery stores; 4 cloves garlic, minced; 1/2 tsp cumin; 1/2 tsp dried oregano; 1/4 cup sour orange juice (or 2 tbsp orange juice + 2 tbsp lime juice); 1 large onion, diced; 1 bell pepper, diced; 2 tbsp neutral oil; 1 cup water or chicken broth; Salt and black pepper to taste; For the coconut rice:; 1.5 cups long-grain white rice, rinsed; 1 can (14 oz) coconut milk; 1 cup water; 1/2 tsp salt; 2 cloves garlic, minced; For the beans:; 1 can (15 oz) red kidney beans, drained and rinsed (or 1 cup dried, soaked overnight and cooked); 1/4 onion, diced; 2 cloves garlic, minced; 1/4 cup coconut milk; 1/2 tsp cumin; Salt to taste; For serving: habanero hot sauce, sliced cucumber and tomato

Belize's beloved Sunday dish: chicken rubbed in recado red spice paste, browned and braised until tender and mahogany-dark, served alongside coconut-milk rice and red kidney beans. The dish that Belizeans dream about when they're away from home.

⏱30 min prep 🔥75 min cook ⏰105 min total 🍽4 servings 📊medium

The Cultural Story

Sunday in Belize means rice and beans and stewed chicken. Not rice-and-beans as a single dish (that is the casual weekday version, made together in the same pot), but rice and beans as two separate preparations — the rice cooked in coconut milk, the kidney beans cooked separately until creamy, served alongside each other on the same plate. The chicken, stewed in recado, is the centerpiece. Recado rojo — red recado — is the defining flavor of Belizean cooking. It is a paste made from annatto seeds (achiote), ground together with oregano, garlic, cumin, black pepper, and sour orange or vinegar into a deep brick-red block sold in every Belizean market. Annatto gives food a vibrant red-orange color and a subtle, earthy flavor that you cannot replicate with any other ingredient. Rubbed into chicken the night before, then browned in a heavy pan with onions and peppers and finished with a splash of water until the sauce is thick and almost caramelized, the result is a bird with mahogany skin and deeply savory flesh. The dish tastes like Belize: the slight sweetness of coconut rice against the earthy-savory chicken, the creamy beans, the habanero hot sauce on the side (Belikin beer optional but encouraged). Every Belizean family has the version they grew up with. The recado proportion, whether you use chicken parts or a whole bird, how dark you take the sauce — these are things people have opinions about. What nobody argues: the coconut milk in the rice is not a flourish. It is the point.

Ingredients

For the stewed chicken:
3 lbs bone-in, skin-on chicken pieces (thighs and drumsticks)
3 tbsp recado rojo paste (achiote/annatto paste) — available in Latin grocery stores
4 cloves garlic, minced
1/2 tsp cumin
1/2 tsp dried oregano
1/4 cup sour orange juice (or 2 tbsp orange juice + 2 tbsp lime juice)
1 large onion, diced
1 bell pepper, diced
2 tbsp neutral oil
1 cup water or chicken broth
Salt and black pepper to taste
For the coconut rice:
1.5 cups long-grain white rice, rinsed
1 can (14 oz) coconut milk
1 cup water
1/2 tsp salt
2 cloves garlic, minced
For the beans:
1 can (15 oz) red kidney beans, drained and rinsed (or 1 cup dried, soaked overnight and cooked)
1/4 onion, diced
2 cloves garlic, minced
1/4 cup coconut milk
1/2 tsp cumin
Salt to taste
For serving: habanero hot sauce, sliced cucumber and tomato

Instructions

1Marinate the chicken: in a bowl, combine recado rojo, minced garlic, cumin, oregano, citrus juice, salt, and pepper. Mix into a smooth paste. Rub all over the chicken pieces, getting under the skin where you can. Marinate at least 1 hour, ideally overnight in the refrigerator.
2Brown the chicken: heat oil in a heavy-bottomed pot over medium-high heat. Brown the marinated chicken in batches, turning, until well-caramelized and dark-red on all sides, about 4–5 minutes per side. Remove and set aside.
3Cook the aromatics: in the same pot, add diced onion and bell pepper. Cook 5 minutes until softened. Scrape up any browned bits from the bottom.
4Braise the chicken: return chicken to the pot. Add water or broth. Bring to a boil, then reduce to a simmer. Cover and cook for 45–50 minutes until chicken is tender and the sauce has reduced to a thick, almost sticky consistency. Uncover for the last 10 minutes to let the sauce thicken. Taste and adjust salt.
5Make the coconut rice: combine coconut milk, water, salt, and garlic in a medium pot. Bring to a boil. Add rinsed rice, stir once, reduce heat to very low. Cover and cook 18 minutes without lifting the lid. Remove from heat, rest 5 minutes, then fluff.
6Make the beans: in a small pot, sauté onion and garlic in a little oil for 3 minutes. Add drained beans, coconut milk, cumin, and salt. Cook over medium heat for 10–15 minutes, stirring occasionally, until creamy and fragrant.
7Plate the Sunday meal: a generous scoop of coconut rice, a generous scoop of beans alongside, two or three pieces of stewed chicken with its dark sauce spooned over, and cucumber-tomato salad on the side.
8Habanero hot sauce on the table. Cold Belikin beer if you have it. This is Belizean Sunday, and it should be eaten slowly.

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