Brown Stew Chicken

From America I Am Cookbook.

• Ready In: 4 hrs
• Serves: 6

Ingredients

• 3  lbs chicken, cut into eighths
• 4  chicken thighs
• 3  limes, juice of
• 1⁄3 cup kosher salt
• 4  cups water
• 1 1⁄4 cups  green  seasoning (recipe follows)
• 1⁄4 cup  peanut oil
• 3  garlic cloves, mashed
• 10 -15  shallots, chopped to yield 1 1/2 cups
• 1⁄2 cup ginger, cut into batons
• 5  tablespoons demerara sugar or 5  tablespoons turbinado sugar
• 1⁄2 cup soy sauce
• 1  scotch bonnet pepper
• 1  teaspoon  ground jamaican allspice
• 3  garlic cloves, sliced
•  sea  salt and pepper
• 1⁄2 cup  chopped scallion (to garnish)

• Green Seasoning

• 1  bunch parsley
• 1  bunch thyme
• 1  bunch chives
• 1  bunch scallion
• 1  bunch cilantro
• 1  bunch  cutting celery
• 1  bunch  shado beni or 1  bunch  culantro
• 5  shallots, sliced
• 3  garlic cloves, sliced
• 1  tablespoon sea salt
• 1  tablespoon black pepper

Directions

1. Make the green seasoning: Wash all herbs and dry them in a salad spinner. If thyme stems are woody, remove leaves and discard stems. Chop parsley, chives, scallions, cilantro, celery, and shado beni coarsely. Place all ingredients in bowl of food processor with 1/2 cup water and process to a.
2. rough paste. Herbs should not become liquefied. If necessary, continue to add up to 1/2 cup of water, 1 tablespoon at a time, to facilitate processing. Refrigerate for up to 1 week.
3. Make the Stew: Wash the chicken pieces in cold water, then place them in a large, deep bowl or pot and add the lime juice, salt, and three cups of water. Stir the mixture until the salt is dissolved. Set aside, refrigerate for 1 hour.
4. Remove the chicken from the brine and pat dry. Remove all the skin and fat and set aside.
5. Add 1 cup of the green seasoning to the chicken and mix to coat. Mix reserved skin with 1/4 cup of green seasoning and mix to coat. Allow both mixtures to marinate for an hour.
6. Place the chicken skin in a cast iron skillet over medium heat. When the fat has been rendered and the skin has fried crisp, remove the skin cracklings with a slotted spoon and set them aside. Pour the rendered fat and peanut oil into a large enamel or cast iron Dutch oven and add the chicken. Brown the chicken in a single layer, about 7-8 minutes per side, cooking in batches. Once the chicken pieces have been browned on both sides, remove chicken from pot and set aside on a wire rack set over a sheet tray or a paper towel-lined tray.
7. Add the mashed garlic, shallots, and ginger to the pan. Fry until the shallots begin to soften, then remove shallot mixture from pan. Sprinkle sugar over bottom of pot and allow to melt. When sugar begins foaming, about 1 minute, add soy sauce, Scotch bonnet, and allspice. Return the shallot mixture to the pot, stirring well to mix.
8. Return the chicken and any juices to the pot and lower heat to medium-low. Simmer, covered, over medium heat, stirring occasionally. After 45 minutes, remove the Scotch bonnet pepper. Add 1 cup of water and continue cooking for 20 minutes.
9. Add the sliced garlic to the pot. Taste for seasoning and add salt and pepper, as needed. Stir to mix and remove from heat. Let sit for 10 minutes.
10. Sprinkle the crispy skin and chopped scallions over the stew to serve. Serve with plain rice.