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There are a thousand and one ways to make chicken and this recipe right here is one of the most popular ones, thanks to the exquisite texture, the incredible look, and the unrivaled deliciousness of the resulting chicken stew. The ingredients for the recipe are all healthy and easy to find.
This recipe incorporates three cooking methods (boiling, baking, and stewing). The best part about this recipe is that it is suitable for the whole family. The thick stew sauce, for instance, makes a perfect addition to toddler dishes like rice or mashed potato. Serving suggestions are included at the bottom of this post.
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Chicken Stew with Coconut Milk
Course: MeatsCuisine: East African, West AfricanDifficulty: Moderately difficult4
servings20
minutes40
minutes20
minutes1
hourThis chicken stew goes perfectly with white rice or mashed potatoes and some steamed or sautéed vegetables.
Ingredients
Chicken – 4 drumsticks and 4 thighs
Onions – 1 medium
Carrots – 1 medium
Bell peppers – 1/4 piece @ green & red
Tomatoes – 3 medium
Coconut milk – 1/2 cup
Paprika – 2 tsp (optional)Black pepper, onion powder, garlic powder – 1 tsp@ (all optional)
Ginger and garlic paste – 1 tbsp (optional)
Cooking oil – ¼ cup
Water – ½ cup
Salt to taste
Directions
- Preheat the oven to 400F.
- Wash the chicken and place it in a large cooking pot.
- Add half a cup of water to it.
- Mix the black pepper, paprika, onion powder, salt, and garlic powder in a bowl, and add the mixture to the pot.
- Bring the pot to a boil on the stovetop. Reduce the heat to medium-low and cook the chicken for 12-15 minutes. Stir halfway through.
- Turn the stove off and separate the chicken pieces from the stock. Save the stock for later use.
- Line a baking tray with aluminum foil. Then, arrange the chicken pieces on it.
- Bake at 400F for 20 minutes or until light brown.
- As the chicken bakes, wash and prepare all the vegetables: crush ginger and garlic and chop the onions and bell peppers.
- For the tomatoes and carrots, chop them finely, grate them, or run them through a food processor separately.
- Place a clean and large enough cooking pot on medium-high heat and add cooking oil to it.
- Add onions and fry until golden brown. Stir frequently.
- Add the ginger-garlic paste and fry for about 20 seconds. Stir throughout.
- Add carrots and bell peppers and fry until they cook down. Add tomatoes and stir. Cover and let it cook until all the liquid evaporates. Stir occasionally even if using a non-stick pot.
- Continue stirring the thick paste until the oil in it begins to separate, an indication that all liquid has evaporated. This step is crucial in ensuring a great flavor later. Otherwise, the stew could taste quite sour from the tomatoes and bell peppers.
- Add coconut milk and stir. Then, add the stock from the boiled chicken. Add salt to taste.
- Add the baked chicken to the pot. Stir, cover, and reduce heat to medium-low. Simmer for 10 minutes.
- Serve with your favorite sides (see serving suggestions below).
- Find additional tips on substituting ingredients, etc., below.
Recipe Video
Serving Suggestions for Chicken Stew with Coconut Milk
This chicken stew goes perfectly well with starchy dishes including rice, pasta, ugali, and chapati among many others, and with all common vegetables. As mentioned earlier, this dish is as great for adults as it is for toddlers. Mix the thick sauce from this recipe with white rice and mashed eggplant for a delicious and filling lunch or dinner for your little one. A picture of a similar meal is included below to help you visualize the meal.
Also, here are some additional serving suggestions you may not have thought of with links to additional recipes so you can create delicious and wholesome meals for yourself and your family from scratch.
- Chicken stew with white rice and cabbage.
- Chicken stew with ugali and kale.
- Chicken stew with chapati and cabbage.
Additional Tips
- Use one cup of water instead of the ½ cup listed in the recipe to boil the chicken if you want it to be more soupy. The more water you use to boil it, the more stock you will end up with.
- You can boil the chicken plain if you don’t wish to use the ground spices listed in the recipe. Note that the dish will taste a little plainer if you do so, but it will be great anyway.
- For those in countries where the chicken is mainly organic and much tougher (note that in the United States, most of the regular chicken sold in grocery stores is much softer), please boil your chicken (step 5 above) a lot longer until it is tender before you bake it. Then, continue with the other steps and follow the recipe to the end.
- A quarter cup of cooking oil may sound too much, but you only need this oil to fry the ingredients for the stew flavor to be great. I usually glean this oil from the stew after it settles, just before serving. Otherwise, if you choose to use much less oil, bear in mind that there will be some sourness to the stew from the bell peppers and tomatoes.
