Galinha à Africana - African Chicken from Macau
With several flavours borrowed from different cuisines – almost every place ruled by the Portuguese lent its own trademark flavour to this dish. Portugal (smoked paprika), Africa (peanuts), India (coconut) and China (five-spice) this African style Chicken is served on the menu of almost every Macanese restaurant with the best version served at Henri’s Galley.
Servings 4
Ingredients
- 1 kg boneless chicken breasts
- 2 big potatoes peeled and quartered
- For the marinade:
- 1 tsp red chilli powder
- 1 tsp garlic finely chopped / minced
- 2 tbsp onions finely chopped / minced
- 1 tsp paprika chilli flakes
- 2 tsp Five Spice powder * see notes
- 2 tsp salt
- a sprinkling of freshly ground black pepper approx 1/2 tsp
- For the sauce:
- 1/4 cup oil
- 1 cup onion finely chopped / minced
- 1/2 cup garlic finely chopped / minced
- 1/2 cup sweet paprika finely chopped or substitute it with 1/2 cup red bell pepper capsicum
- 1 tsp chilli power optional - if additional spice required
- 1/2 cup grated coconut pulse it just a couple of times in a grinder
- 1 tbsp peanut butter or 1 tbsp of roasted peanuts finely ground
- 1 cup chicken stock
- 1/2 cup coconut milk
- 2 bay leaves
- salt to taste
Instructions
- Wash and drain the chicken breasts. Wipe with a kitchen tissue to remove excess moisture. Marinate it with all the ingredients mentioned under 'For the marinade', cover the bowl with plastic wrap & refrigerate overnight for best results (or for a minimum of 2 hours)
- To make the sauce, heat oil in a saucepan over medium heat, add onions, garlic and cook until soften for about 5 minutes. Add the sweet paprika or bell pepper and extra chilli powder if required, ground coconut and cook for another few minutes. Add chicken stock, coconut milk, bay leaves and peanut butter and simmer for 10 minutes over low heat.
- Heat 2 tbps oil and fry (browthe chicken and transfer the same onto a well greased baking tray, also fry the potatoes in the same oil for about 5 minutes on a low heat and transfer the same to baking tray. Cover the chicken and potatoes with the cooked sauce.
- Preheat the oven to 200Put the baking tray in the oven and bake for about 45 to 50 minutes. Check after 30-35 minutes to see if the potatoes and chicken are tender.
- Serve with bread or rice.
Notes
Five spice powder is available in most supermarkets or those that stock Chinese condiments & spices