Muamba de Galinha

(Angola Chicken Stew)

September: National Chicken Month

Chicken stew is a comforting meal for many, including us. But we wanted to try something a little more “exotic” so we would not be eating the same old stew. As we continue to “cook our way through the calendar/countries”, we found a delicious recipe for chicken stew from Angola called muamba de galinha. It is a hearty stew filled with chicken and a variety of vegetables. The vibrant color comes from red palm oil and paprika. For something deliciously different, cook Angola’s national dish, muamba de galinha, during National Chicken Month.

Recipe
(Adapted from African Bites)

Ingredients

  • 3 pounds chicken cut into pieces (we used chicken drumsticks)
  • ½ lemon, juiced
  • 1 teaspoon salt or to taste
  • 1 + 1 teaspoon white pepper
  • ½ teaspoon thyme
  • ½ teaspoon chicken bouillon, crushed into a powder
  • ½ + 1 teaspoon paprika
  • 3 + 3 garlic cloves, minced
  • 1 red pepper (chili or jalapeño), pierced
  • 2 tomatoes, diced
  • 2 onions, sliced
  • ¼ cup red palm oil
  • ¼ cup canola oil
  • 18-20 okra, sliced in half
  • 2+ cups of chicken broth or water
  • ½ – 1 pound of butternut squash, cut into cubes

Directions

In a large bowl, place the chicken pieces. Juice the lemon over them. Sprinkle with salt, a teaspoon of white pepper and thyme.

Sprinkle the powdered chicken bouillon, ½ teaspoon paprika and 3 minced garlic cloves. Toss and combine well. Pierce the red hot pepper and set aside.

Dice the tomatoes and slice the onions. Set aside. In a large pot, combine the red palm and canola oils and heat until sizzling. 

Brown the chicken pieces on all sides. Transfer to a plate and keep warm. To the same pot, add the remaining 3 minced garlic cloves and onions to saute.

Stir in the tomatoes and sprinkle the remaining 1 teaspoon of white pepper and 1 teaspoon of paprika. Mix the sauce well. Return the chicken pieces to the pot. Cover the chicken with enough broth or water. Add the butternut squash, red pepper and okra. Mix well and bring to a boil. Lower the temperature to medium, cover the pot and simmer for another 30 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the chicken is no longer pink inside and the vegetables are cooked through. Adjust salt to taste. Turn off the heat and let stand for 5-10 minutes before dishing out. 

Notes

  • Serve this muamba de galinha with white rice or a side of Angola-style corn and rice bread.
  • Search our blog for more chicken recipes.