Chicken Stew (Dominican Calypso Chicken)

Calypso Chicken is a savoury and flavourful chicken stewed with mushrooms, onion, ginger, red wine and spices and served over rice, and is a typical meal from the Caribbean island of Dominica. Not to be confused with the Dominican Republic, the Commonwealth of Dominica is a small island situated between Martinique and Guadeloupe in the Lesser Antilles archipelago in the southern Caribbean Sea. The island was named for the day in which Christopher Columbus came to the island: “Domenica”, or “Sunday”. The small island of Dominica is a cultural melting pot of native Carib, British, French and African people and its cuisine is exemplary of this mixture of cultures. Traditional Caribbean foods such as plantains, yams, rice, and peas are typically stewed with chicken and foods like ginger and thyme to create a distinctive Dominican flavour profile. Calypso Chicken is a prime example of this mixture of cultures and the cuisine of Dominica. Calypso chicken is a delicious traditional recipe from Dominica where chicken breasts are marinated before being cooked with mushrooms and cashew nuts.

4 chicken breasts
2 cloves garlic, pressed
4 Tbsp. wine vinegar
4 Tbsp. dried thyme
sunflower oil
2 Tbsp. brown sugar
1 onion, grated
1 (1") piece ginger, thinly sliced
1 lb mushrooms, cut into thick slices
½ cup red wine
1 Tbsp. all-purpose flour, unbleached
3 oz cashew nuts, roasted, unsalted

To Serve:
white rice, cooked

In a large container, combine the chicken breasts, thyme, vinegar and a 1 crushed clove garlic. Season with salt and pepper. Mix well, cover and marinate in a cool place for 5 hours.

Drain the chicken breasts thoroughly.

Heat 3 Tbsp. of oil in a non-stick cooking pot over medium heat. Melt the brown sugar in this oil, then brown the chicken breasts on high heat, turning them regularly. Remove the chicken breasts and set aside.

Deglaze the juices of the saucepan with the wine and half a glass of water on medium-high heat. As soon as bubbles first appear, lower the heat to maintain a small boil.

Add the chicken breasts, and cook for about 20-25 minutes until the chicken is tender.

Pour 2 Tbsp. of oil into a frying pan and, without waiting for the oil to warm, add the cashew nuts. Fry them for one to two minutes or until they get some colour.

Remove the cashew nuts with a skimmer and place on a plate lined with paper towel. In the same pan, add 2 Tbsp. of oil and cook the onion, the remaining clove garlic, the fresh ginger and the mushrooms over medium heat for 10 to 15 minutes. Add salt and pepper. Add the chicken breasts and their cooking juices.

Whisk the flour in 3 Tbsp. of cold water and pour over the chicken. Mix well. Simmer over low heat for 20 minutes.

Serve with rice.

Makes 4 servings.