Moambe chicken
Muamba chicken — the national dish of both the Republic of the Congo and the Democratic Republic of the Congo — is a rich stew in which chicken is cooked in a sauce made from palm paste (or red palm oil with peanut butter), tomatoes, garlic, and chili. Moamba or muamba comes from the Lingala word for the fat extracted from the kernel of palm fruits. The deep orange-red sauce is characteristic and difficult to replicate without authentic palm oil. Served with fufu (pounded cassava or maize), rice, or boiled plantains. Similar versions exist across Central and West Africa under different names. The tomato's acidity and the chili's heat balance the palm oil's richness.
Rich in protein
Filling and nutritious
Can be frozen
Great for meal prep
One-pot
Minimal washing up
Traditional recipe
Authentic taste
Ingredients 4 servings
- 1.5 kg bone-in skin-on chicken thighs and drumsticks (about 8 pieces)
- 1 tsp fine sea salt + 0.5 tsp freshly ground black pepper for the chicken
- 60 ml red palm oil (or 30 ml palm + 2 tbsp neutral oil if the flavour is too strong)
- 2 large onions (about 400 g), finely diced
- 6 garlic cloves, finely chopped
- 1 thumb-sized piece of fresh ginger (about 20 g), finely grated
- 400 g ripe tomatoes, grated, or 1 × 400 g can chopped tomatoes
- 2 tbsp tomato paste
- 100 g unsweetened smooth peanut butter (or 200 g canned moambe palm paste when available)
- 2 fresh scotch bonnet or habanero chillies, slit lengthwise (or 1 tsp dried chilli flakes; adjust to taste — moambe is hot)
- 2 bay leaves
- 500 ml hot unsalted chicken stock or water
- 1.5 tsp fine sea salt, plus more to taste
- 2 tbsp finely chopped flat-leaf parsley (or 2 tbsp lemon basil), to garnish
- Steamed white rice, fufu, or boiled plantains, to serve
How to make it
- 1Pat the chicken pieces dry and season both sides with 1 tsp salt and 0.5 tsp pepper; rest at room temperature for 15 minutes.
- 2Heat the palm oil in a heavy 28 cm pot over medium-high heat — palm oil melts into a deep orange-red liquid; when shimmering, add the chicken pieces skin-side down in one layer (work in two batches if needed) and sear for 4–5 minutes per side until the skin is deep golden; lift onto a plate.
- 3Reduce the heat to medium; add the diced onions and a pinch of salt to the same pot and cook for 8–10 minutes, stirring often, until soft, glossy, and lightly golden but not browned.
- 4Add the garlic and ginger and cook for 1 minute until fragrant; stir in the tomato paste and grated tomatoes and cook for 5–6 minutes, stirring, until the mixture darkens to a rich brick-red and the palm oil starts to separate around the edges — this oil split is the signature look of moambe.
- 5Whisk the peanut butter with 200 ml of the hot stock in a small bowl until smooth, then pour into the pot and stir to combine; add the remaining 300 ml stock, the bay leaves, slit chillies, and the remaining 0.5 tsp salt.
- 6Return the chicken to the pot in a single layer, nestling the pieces into the sauce skin-side up so the skin stays above the liquid; bring to a gentle simmer.
- 7Cover with a lid set slightly ajar and cook on the lowest heat for 35–40 minutes, stirring once at the halfway mark, until the chicken pulls easily from the bone and the internal temperature reads 75°C; the sauce should be coral-orange and thick enough to coat the back of a spoon — if it tightens too much, loosen with a splash of hot water.
- 8Taste and adjust with salt or extra chilli; lift the chicken into a warmed serving dish, spoon the sauce generously over the top, scatter with chopped parsley, and serve immediately with steamed rice, fufu, or boiled plantain to soak up the sauce.
Nutritional info
per serving (~400 ml)
Estimated nutritional values.
Pairs perfectly with
