Moambe Chicken | International Dinner

I made Moambe Chicken for our Church Missions Conference International Dinner.

Moambe Chicken is the national dish of the Democratic Republic of the Congo. The special ingredients were red palm oil and palm nut cream. I found several recipes that substituted peanut butter for the palm nut cream, but a commenter explained that moambe means palm nut cream. In that case, Moambe Chicken can't be Moambe Chicken without the Moambe! 

(I will leave links at the end for the blog and video that I used as my primary sources for this recipe.)

I found a store in Chicago, Yado Market, that carries and ships palm nut cream. The shipping was very fast and the price for palm nut cream was the lowest that I could find on the internet. I also had some correspondence with their customer service and they were quick to reply and very courteous. I recommend their business. Here is a link: Yado Market.

The palm nut cream had a mild nutty, toasted flavor. It was stiff in the can but turned liquid-y once it was heated thoroughly. It must have a lot of fat that is hard at room temperature and liquid when warm.

Ingredients:

3-4 pounds of Skinless, Bone In, Chicken (legs or thighs are good)

3-4 TBS. Red Palm Oil

1 Onion, Chopped

4-5 Cloves of Garlic, Minced

1 ½ Inches of Ginger, Minced 

1 ½ Bay Leaves

1 TBS. Paprika 

2 tsp. Cumin

¼ tsp. Red Pepper Flakes 

4-6 TBS. Tomato Paste 

1 cup Crushed Tomato 

1 800g. Can Palm Nut Cream 

1 quart Chicken Broth 

Salt to taste 

Salt the chicken pieces.

Heat palm oil in a dutch oven.

Brown the chicken piece on all sides.

Remove chicken.

Saute the onion in the dutch oven in the remaining oil.

Once the onions are soft add the spices and the ginger and garlic. Cook while stirring for a minute, until fragrant. 

Add the tomato paste and let it toast and brown a little the bottom of the pan. 

Add the crushed tomato, palm nut cream, and the chicken broth. 

Scrape the bottom of the pan while stirring to deglaze and get all that browning dissolved in the base.

Add the chicken back to the pan and simmer for 35to 40 minutes with lid slightly cocked, until chicken is done.

Serve over hot rice. In the Congo they also serve Chicken Moambe with a starchy food called Fufu.

For the International Dinner I deboned the chicken and served little portions in these decorative cups.

I liked this meal as did my family. If I didn't have to mail order Palm Nut Cream, I would be making Chicken Moambe regularly.

Source material:

Explorer's Kitchen (with additional information in the comments.)

Video recipe by Rivet Gardener: