Instant Pot Cook-Up Rice with Casareep Chicken

Ingredients:

For Casareep Chicken:

• 10 to 12 pieces chicken thighs/drumsticks

• 1 tbsp casareep sauce

• 1 tsp Worcestershire sauce

• 2 to 3 tsp water

• 1 tsp each: dried thyme, oregano, smoked paprika, onion powder, garlic powder

• 1/2 tsp each: black pepper, ground cumin, ground coriander, ground sage, salt

• 1/4 tsp each: cayenne pepper,

For Cook-Up Rice:

• 1 1/2 cups brown rice

• 2 cups coconut milk

• 1 3/4 to 2 cups chicken broth

• 1 1/2 tbsp casareep sauce

• 2 cups cooked red beans

• 1 large onion, cut into 1/8 pieces

• 2 to 3 carrots, cut into large chunks

• 10 to 12 fresh or frozen okra

• 2 tsp dried thyme

• 2 whole wiri-wiri peppers or hot pepper of your choice, optional

• 1/4 tsp black pepper

• 1 tsp salt

• oil

1. Wash and trim chicken of excess fat and hanging skin. In a small bowl, combine all other ingredients for casareep chicken to form a paste. Rub paste all over the chicken and let marinate in the refrigerator for at least one hour.

2. In an Instant Pot, heat 1/2 tbsp oil on the "Brown" setting. Brown both sides of the chicken pieces in the hot oil for a few minutes. Set aside.

3. Add a bit more oil if needed, saute onions and carrots for about 5 minutes using the "Saute"setting on the cooker. Add rice and cook for 2 minutes more. Add beans, thyme, peppers, black pepper, and salt. Stir to combine.

4. Pour the coconut milk, chicken broth and casareep sauce. Stir.

5. Place browned chicken on top of rice, cover with lid. Use the "Brown Rice" setting and cook for 30 minutes.

6. At the end of the 30 minutes, remove chicken from pot and place okra on top of rice,then place chicken on top of okra. Cook for an additional 15 to 20 minutes.

7. Remove chicken to a platter, stir okra into the cooked rice.

8. Serve.

Notes&Tips:

• Traditionally, this dish is cooked with black-eyed peas or pigeon peas in Guyana. Red beans is a good substitute, though. It is also traditional to use salted fish in cook-up rice.

• Since I wanted to use large pieces of chicken for this dish, I seasoned the chicken with the flavors that are in the cook-up rice.

• If you do not have an Instant Pot, this dish can be cooked on the stove stop following the directions above. Cook on simmer once you're at step 5.

• Casareep is a traditional sauce made from a special variety of the root vegetable cassava or yucca (Mexican). It is a very thick sauce that is dark brown to almost black in color. Casareep can be purchased at any West Indian Grocer.