A staple of Belizean cuisine, this Belizean Stewed Chicken in the Instant Pot is much faster to make, but just as delicious as the original! Naturally low in carbs, this stewed chicken recipe is fantastic served over cauliflower rice or mash!
Since this week is all about low carb Instant Pot recipes, I thought I’d tinker with a delicious stewed chicken recipe that’s insanely popular here in Belize. It usually marinates overnight and cooks for hours, but when I made this Belizean Stewed Chicken in the Instant Pot, it cooked in less than half an hour and just fell off the bone!
Cooking this stewed chicken on the pressure cooker setting also drove the flavors of that delicious marinade all the way through the meat, creating the most delicious sauce/gravy!
Traditionally, Belizean stewed chicken (referred to in Belize simply as “stew chicken”) is seasoned with a dash of vinegar, soy sauce or Worcestershire sauce (depending on who is making it,) onions, garlic, spices, and recado rojo seasoning – which is sold in the US and Mexico as Achiote paste. Some family recipes also include peppers or even tomatoes – but I didn’t add either to my version since Mr. Hungry has a deep aversion to both. ?
You can find Achiote paste or seasoning in the Latin section of your grocery store (see example) – or order traditional recado or achiote on Amazon. Deep red in color, the flavors are rich and earthy, with a pleasant tangy sweetness that perfectly complements the traditional rice and beans that it is served with.
For my fellow low carbers, this Belizean stewed chicken recipe also works perfectly alongside a cauliflower puree or my coconut cauliflower rice! Typically you would get a side of cole slaw if you ordered this out – so my keto broccoli slaw would work great too.
If you’re looking for an economical keto recipe that is easy to make, as well as homey and comforting, then this Belizean stewed chicken in the Instant Pot is the perfect fit! If you don’t have an Instant Pot, this can be made in your slow cooker or simmered on the stove for hours when you’ve got a leisurely afternoon at home planned.
Your house will smell amazing, so be prepared for random neighbors and friends to drop by around dinner time.
Typically, Belizean stewed chicken would marinate overnight, but because we are using the Instant Pot pressure cooker feature, that’s not as important – though I recommend it if you can. Then you just sear the meat, remove and toss in your onions to brown them, then add back the chicken and the marinade + chicken broth and seal that baby up for 20 minutes.
Be aware that the skin will stick to the pot during the initial sear, even with the coconut oil in it – that’s ok as long as it doesn’t burn. During the pressure cooking those brown bits will melt into the sauce making it taste even more amazing!
Boom. A keto friendly, fall off the bone chicken dinner on the table that will have everyone clamoring for seconds!
Try a taste of Belize this week – I promise it will be a huge hit with the entire family! Ironically, I’m typing this up while in the states for a visit and just remembering how good it was is making me look forward to returning to Belize (and my Instant Pot) next week so I can have it again!
Check back on Friday when I’ll be posting a collection of my favorite low carb and keto friendly Instant Pot recipes from around the web! See you then!
Belizean Stewed Chicken in the Instant Pot Recipe Notes:
Some of these are sprinkled throughout the post but I’ll restate here for those of you that like to skip down to the recipe!
First – don’t add salt to the marinade! There is a lot of sodium in the seasonings used, so cook it first and then taste and add a little salt as needed to avoid it being overly salty out of the gate.
Second – in case you missed it, you can get Achiote seasoning or paste in the Latin section (usually where the Goya foods are found) of your grocery store. If you can’t find it, you can get it cheap on Amazon or find recipes to make your own on the internet.
Third – Belizean chickens are on the small side (and so tasty) so you can easily eat a leg and thigh as one serving. In the states, where the chickens are a little heftier, you might find a single thigh or drum to be enough – thus I called for 8 pieces in this recipe. You can also use just thighs if you prefer, and that will give you 8 solid servings if that’s what you need. I will do the nutrition info for an average serving of chicken, with the sauce broken out separately in case you want to eat two pieces and do your own calculations.
Fourth – your chicken will stick a bit during the browning process – that’s totally ok, as the browned skin that’s stuck to the bottom will melt into the sauce during cooking, leaving your pan easily cleaned and your sauce tasting amazing.
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Belizean Stewed Chicken in the Instant Pot – Low Carb
- Yield: 8 servings 1x
Description
A low carb Belizean Stewed Chicken recipe made in your Instant Pot! Homey and comforting, this is an economical keto chicken dinner that the entire family will love!
Ingredients
- 4 whole chicken legs (thigh and drumsticks, separated into 8 pieces)
- 1 Tbsp coconut oil
- 2 Tbsp recado rojo or achiote seasoning/paste
- 2 Tbsp white vinegar
- 3 Tbsp Worcestershire sauce
- 1 cup sliced yellow onions
- 3 cloves garlic, sliced
- 1 tsp ground cumin
- 1 tsp dried oregano (Mexican if you can get it!)
- 1/2 tsp ground black pepper
- 1 Tbsp granulated sugar substitute (I used erythritol)**
- 2 cups chicken stock
- DON’T ADD SALT
Instructions
- Combine the recado or achiote paste, vinegar, Worcestershire sauce (or soy sauce), cumin, oregano, pepper and sweetener in a large bowl.
- Mix well.
- Add the chicken pieces and rub the marinade into the skin. Marinate for at least one hour up to overnight.
- Place the insert in your Instant Pot and set to saute.
- Heat the coconut oil and brown the chicken in batches, skin side down for about 2 minutes per side (reserve the marinade to add back in later.)
- Remove the seared chicken to a plate and set aside.
- Add the onions and garlic to the Instant Pot and saute for 2-3 minutes until steaming and softened.
- Add the chicken pieces back to the Instant Pot.
- Pour the chicken broth into the bowl containing the remaining marinade and stir well.
- Pour the broth/marinade over the chicken pieces in the Instant Pot.
- Seal the Instant Pot according to manufacturers instructions.
- Set the Instant Pot to Manual, High pressure, for 20 minutes.
- When the timer goes off, release the steam.
- Taste the sauce and add a little salt if needed (it probably won’t need it,) then serve the chicken hot, garnished with cilantro if desired.
Notes
** See the IBIH Pantry Page for products I use and recommend for best results!
Approximate nutrition info breakdown:
1 leg or small thigh: 279 calories, 18g fat, 0g carbs, 28g protein
1/4 cup sauce: 40 calories, 4g protein, 3g net carbs, 0g protein
- Category: Low Carb Instant Pot Recipe
- Cuisine: Belizean
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 pc chicken, 1/4 cup sauce
- Calories: 319
- Fat: 22g
- Carbohydrates: 3g net
- Protein: 28g
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Drew says
Oh man…
When I visited Belize, for our second half of the trip we stayed at Xanadu Island Resort, and at the entrance to the place these guys would set up a stand around 10-11am with some well-used stew pots, a propane burner stove, a couple of card tables and a tent canopy, and they would sell heaping mounds of amazingly-seasoned stew chicken with “riceanbeans” on the side in those generic styrofoam to-go containers – you couldn’t even close the lid. I was practically first in line all 4 days we were there, I miss that so much! This is a must-try.
Mellissa Sevigny says
Between that, the Belizean tacos, the small meat pies, and the guys barbecuing chicken and pork on the streets – we were never at a loss for what to eat when we lived there! Hope you enjoy this stewed chicken recipe – it was given the seal of approval by my Belizean friends when we tested it so hopefully it will bring back some good memories for you!
Janet says
Melissa, I really dont like to complain but is there any way to eliminate those Facebook, Twitter, etc icons from the site or at least put them at the very bottom? They make reading very difficult and irritating thereby making me want to just leave the site which I really don’t want to do! Thanks for any help you can give.
Leslie says
If you were going to add the peppers and tomatoes, would you add them while sautéing the onions? If you used canned tomatoes do you think I should drain them?
Cristina McKenzie says
Soften the paste in water or vinegar
Kim says
This was a huge hit in our home. My sister was over for dinner and she tends to be picky. She loved it and went back for seconds. This recipe is definitely a keeper
★★★★★
Elena says
I love this recipe but I have a real issue getting the achiote paste to smooth out in the marinade–is there a trick to getting it less chunky/solid or should it stay that way?
★★★★
Mellissa Sevigny says
Maybe blend it in a magic bullet or blender?
Shawn says
I can’t wait to try this recipe. Can I use brown sugar instead of the sugar substitute?
Mellissa Sevigny says
As long as the carbs aren’t an issue for you then yes!
Lindsey says
We had stewed chicken when we went to Belize and have been thinking about it since. This recipe is pretty easy and so delicious!!! We made coconut rice with it and it was perfect!
★★★★★
Bonnie Knoppe says
I pretty much gave up on skin on chicken in the instant pot. This recipe made a believer out of me. The spice paste and sweetener are perfect. The chicken falls off the bone. Thanks!
GRAYSON HITE says
This looks so yummy cant wait to try it
Libby says
The chicken comes out fall off the bone, and the flavor profile is the perfect balance of spice and sweet. Delicious!
Roimata says
I’m not in the US so can’t get this spice paste, do you have a recipe for a home made version?
Sheri says
How can I do this in crock pot? Sounds so delicious!
Allie says
This recipe was absolutely delicious and fairly easy to make. The kitchen smelled so good while I was cooking! We used boneless thigh filets for ease. Such great taste!
Rachel Virden says
All poultry and pork grown in the US is free of added hormones (including growth hormones). It’s illegal to use them and has been since the 1950s. Not only is it illegal it’s also not logistically feasible to administer them. This is because growth hormones cannot be fed to chickens. They must be injected and in order to be effective would need to be done at least 1x per day if not multiple times a day. The difference in size of Belize chickens vs US chickens is either a result of the breed of chickens used (same reason yorkies and bull mastif dogs are both canines but look very different) or the actual age of the bird at the time of processing (younger birds will obviously be smaller). My husband has a phd in poultry nutrition and works with almost all major poultry producers in the US.
Rachel Virden says
We are trying this recipe tonight with some quail. It’s looks delicious. Thanks for the recipe!
Yarble Larb says
Cool story.
Brandi says
I made this for dinner last night (only my 3rd recipe in my new Instant Pot!). It was VERY tasty and the whole family loved it! We did serve over plain, white rice. The smell was amazing! I used two bone in, skin on chicken breasts, two thighs and two drumsticks. Cooked for 23 minutes which was a little too much for the breasts but great for the dark meat which turned out flavorful and juicy. Next time, I’ll add some veggies. There was a little too much “soup” for my taste and nothing to soak it up with! Thank you for sharing!
Ilana says
I made this last night but didn’t have time to marinate the chicken for more than a few minutes. It still was delicious. Everybody liked it. I’ll definitely be making this again. Thanks for this wonderful recipe.
Ellen K Stehouwer says
Made this for supper tonight. Had bone in chicken breasts in the freezer so used these instead. Prepared the marinade and applied to the chicken breasts last night. This was my third instant pot experience – love it! Turned out wonderfully. Thank you!
★★★★★
McDonna says
This is in my Instant Pot at this moment. My kitchen smells like las cocinas criollas of my homeland, Tampa Bay! HEAVEN!
Since moving to Virginia years ago, some days I long for the Latin environment of Tampa. The cuisine, smells, influence of the Latin culture are not found in abundance up here. Some days I need me some pollo asado and cafe con leche. This chicken dish will placate my palate nicely!
Can’t wait to taste it! I will come back and let you know how we loved it after we eat our fill.
Thanks for this, Melissa! It’s well-timed!
Carrie says
I do not have one of those little instant pots. I made the marinade and put the chicken cuts we prefer in over night. Cooked in the oven next day. All I can say is, I am in love! I will be using this marinade on plenty more than just chicken! Delicious! We are new to Keto and recipe’s like this really just open up the possibilities. Thank you!
★★★★★
Natalie Palombi says
Do you think I could use the Sazon Goya “con culantro y achiote” seasoning? (https://www.amazon.com/Goya-Sazon-Culantro-Achiote-1-41-Ounce/dp/B008BRLNAA)
I think I’ll try it and let you know…or you may respond with a “duh yeah that’s fine!” LOL
Anyway, I’m gonna make it tonight and I’m excited as can be!
Love your blog, you rock so much for all the incredible content you provide here! <3 Big fan!
TracySP says
Just made this in a slow cooker with chicken tenders I had in the fridge. So good.
love Belize but have a hard time not eating all the amazing fresh fruit there.
Mellissa Sevigny says
For sure Tracy – the struggle is real! I ate a mango the other day because they are in season and so incredibly good that I couldn’t pass it up. Totally worth it too!
Nicole says
Tracy what setting and time did you leave the chicken in on the slow cooker for this recipe? As it will be my first time using one I can’t yet gauge. I’ll be using skinless chicken breasts too. Thanks!
Kathy says
So are you making your own recado rojo paste, or can you buy the paste somewhere? If so, where? I’d rather not have to make it from scratch, but I NEED this stewed chicken. :)
Mellissa Sevigny says
I buy it here in Belize for cheap, but you can get the achiote paste from Amazon or even most large grocery stores in the states!
Kathy says
Thanks! San Pedro is probably my favorite vacation spot on the planet!, I’ve already searched local shops for it, so I guess I either need to make my own or get from Amazon.
Diana says
I do not have this pot. Can I make this on the stove top? It sounds really yummy.
Thank you
Diana
★★★★★
Mellissa Sevigny says
Yes, just simmer it covered for a few hours until the chicken is tender!
Ryan Luedecke says
Wow. I didn’t realize instapot cooking was a thing. I assumed this was slow cooker recipe. First need to buy an instapot then try this recipe. Love the simplicity and that it’s Belizean. Don’t think I’ve ever cooked anything that was strictly Belizean before. Thanks!
-ryan
Rob Miles says
I see Instant Pot recipes that talk about “cook on high pressure”, but as near as I can tell my 6-in-1 Instant Pot does not have a “high” or “low” pressure setting. I also notice that when I follow the times given for a recipe, whatever I’ve cooked doesn’t seem to be as done as it should. Am I missing something? (To clarify, I’ve read the IP instructions over and over and cannot find any reference to changing the pressure setting, though I can choose between high and low when I’m using the slow-cooker function on it.)
Mellissa Sevigny says
I have the 7-in-1 so not sure exactly how the 6 works, but it appears from the console that you can adjust the plus sign on manual setting and it will switch over to the high setting. Otherwise you may just need to cook it a little longer?
Kathy says
Just use the manual mode, and do ‘natural’ release instead of quick release.
Stephanie Leavitt says
I had the same one…no pressure cooker option….so annoyed!
Lea says
I dont really like dark meat. Can I use this recipe for bone-in chicken breasts or wings?
Mellissa Sevigny says
Yes Lea – the wings would be only 10 minutes I’m guessing, while the bone in breasts might be more like 25 minutes if they are large!