Haitian-Inspired Epis Chicken

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My absolute favorite place to visit is Haiti. Not only do I love visiting my family, but I love having authentic Haitian food. If you haven’t tried Haitian food yet, it’s a must! It has so much flavor and you can literally taste the love that is put into making it. The base of most Haitian food comes from a seasoning blend called epis. Epis is a mixture of vegetables, herbs, and olive oil that is blended into a consistency similar to pesto that is used in almost all Haitian dishes. Depending on the region of Haiti, the recipe may vary. The epis recipe that I’m going to share with you today comes from my Tati (aunt) Nirva who always has the most flavorful chicken and told me that this is what she uses. I may or may not have changed up the recipe a little based off my flavor preferences, but don’t tell her!

There are two things that I love about cooking. One is being flexible and changing up the recipe. I believe that the only way to have fun with cooking is to cook from the heart and taste as you go, instead of rigidly following a recipe. I encourage you to change the recipe however you see fit! Maybe you want to use this on fish instead of chicken. I bet this would be delicious on shrimp! Or maybe you like things spicier and with a little more garlic! I always look at recipes as a guide. You are not going to hurt my feelings by changing up this recipe. I already changed it up myself! I do encourage you to try authentic Haitian food from wherever you can and open yourself up to new cultures and experiences.

If you look at this recipe and feel overwhelmed, have no fear. Just use what you have on hand. Identify the key ingredient which would be epis in this particular recipe and hang onto that. But if you don’t have all other ingredients on hand, don’t let that be a barrier. No tomatoes, no problem. Just leave them off. Or try substituting what you have on hand. When cooking becomes stressful, it doesn’t happen! So be anxious about nothing...including cooking!

The second thing I love about cooking is the mindset that it puts me in. I often put on the Pandora worship music and worship and thank God for everything that He has given me while I’m cooking. When you are able to be more flexible in your preparation, it gives you that opportunity to be in a prayerlike state and let His peace calm you in every step of the process. When I feel His presence over me, I feel more open to the actual act of cooking and to the conversations that I am about to have with the people that God has brought into my life. Don’t be afraid to try this recipe even if cooking is overwhelming for you. Turn up the music and ask God to be with you during the process. “Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.”- Philippians 4:6-7

 I truly hope you enjoy my take on Haitian Epis Chicken that I paired with grits (Mayi Moulin Ak Epis Poul).

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 Haitian-Inspired Epis Chicken

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Ingredients:

1 green bell pepper

1 red bell pepper

1 habanero pepper (2 if you like it spicy)

2 stalks of celery

3 spring onions

2 shallots

1 head of garlic

2-3 sprigs of thyme, destemmed

1 bunch of parsley

4 cloves

2 Maggi chicken bouillon cubes

1 lime, juiced

¾ cup oil, divided

1 3-4 lb whole chicken, cut into parts (or use whatever part of the chicken that you like)

About 2 pints of cherry tomatoes

1 10 oz bag of baby spinach

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Directions:

1. Roughly chop all the vegetables except tomatoes and spinach. Throw the peppers, celery, spring onions, shallots, garlic, thyme, parsley, cloves, Maggi cubes, lime juice, and ½ cup of oil in a high-powered blender or food processor. (Traditionally, a mortar and pestle is used.) Blend until everything is chopped and combined. (Note: the epis should not be smooth. It should look similar to a pesto.) Taste and adjust to your liking.

2. Season chicken with salt and pepper, then place in a large pot or bowl with a lid.

3. Pour enough epis over chicken and mix around until all pieces are covered. (I used about ½ of the mixture.) Put a lid on the chicken and marinate in the fridge for a few hours to overnight. Put leftover epis in a jar and store in the fridge or freezer to use in other dishes!

4. Once marinated, heat a pan over medium heat on the stove (I used cast iron) and preheat oven to 375 degrees. Put a little canola oil in the pan and place some of your chicken pieces skin side down in the pan, being careful not to overcrowd it. Cook chicken about 5-10 minutes on each side until browned. (Your chicken will not be fully cooked!)

5. Line a sheet pan with foil and place browned chicken on it. Continue to brown your chicken until all pieces are done and place all pieces on the sheet pan.

6. Put chicken into the oven and bake for 20-30 minutes until chicken is cooked through to a temperature of 165˚F. Keep an eye on your chicken! If you ended up cooking some pieces longer on the stove or if some pieces are bigger than others, they may not cook at the same time. I ended up cooking the breasts for about 5 minutes longer than the other pieces.

7. Take the same pan that you browned the chicken in and place it over medium high heat. Pour in the tomatoes and cook for about 5 minutes or until tomatoes start to blister. Add the spinach and cook until wilted. Season with salt and pepper to taste.

8. Serve this over potatoes, rice, etc. I served this dish over coconut mayi moulin (Haitian grits) that I cooked in the same pot that I marinated the chicken in, making sure that the leftover marinade came up to 165˚F. If you are wary about using leftover marinade, you can use some of what you put in the jar for later.

9. Enjoy!

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Want more?

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