Muamba Chicken aka Muamba de Galinha – An aromatic Angolan Chicken Stew , flavored with garlic , chilli , vegetables and cooked in palm oil. Lip-smacking good and filling weeknight meal!
For a while now, palm oil has had a bad rap- not eco-friendly, contains saturated fat and not good for the body. In the recent years, that theory is quickly changing into palm oil is good for you, and “labeled better for you than butter”.
With all these chattering going on about palm oil, nothing could surprise me more than finding palm oil at Trader Joes.
Yes, you heard right Trader Joes. What!
I just couldn’t believe it! I read the labels again and just had to put it to the taste test. AND folks, it sure is palm oil and their selling point is eco-friendly palm oil. So check it out when you visit your Neighbor hood Trader Joes.
If you are new to pam oil, this is a great recipe to start off with.
Chicken muamba is an extremely popular chicken stew in Central Africa and most would say, it is Angola’s National dish. It is rich with the aromatic flavors of garlic, tons of onions, spiced up with hot pepper and thickened with okra.
Here, the chicken is first marinated with garlic, paprika and salt then seared with in red oil. (I used half palm oil and half canola oil). Then it is simmered with all the other ingredients until the chicken is thoroughly cooked and the flavors come together.
You may substitute butternut squash with pumpkin, or sweet potatoes. I throw in the okra towards the end, because I like the it slightly crunchy and don’t want my soup to be too thick.
When searing chicken, it is best to marinate, however it is not compulsory. You may proceed with salt and pepper.
Enjoy!
Watch How To Make It
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Muamba Chicken (Muamba de Galinha)
Ingredients
- 3 – 3 1/2 pound chicken cut in pieces
- Juice ½ lemon optional
- 1 teaspoon white pepper
- 1 teaspoon minced garlic
- ½ teaspoon dried thyme
- 1 teaspoon salt
- ½ teaspoon smoked paprika
- ½ teaspoon chicken bouillon powder
- ¼ cup canola oil
- ¼ cup palm oil
- 4-5 garlic minced
- 2-3 onions sliced
- 2 tomatoes diced
- 1 teaspoon white pepper
- 1 teaspoon smoked paprika
- Whole hot pepper pierced chili, Scotch bonnet
- ½ -1 pound butternut squash cut into large cubes
- 18-20 Okra sliced in half
- 2 cups or more chicken broth or water
- Salt to taste
Instructions
- Place chicken in a large bowl or saucepan, rub with lemon juice ,
- Then add salt, garlic, thyme, white pepper and chicken bouillon.
- Mix chicken with a spoon or with hands until they are well coated, set aside.
- When ready to cook, heat up large saucepan with palm and canola oil, then add chicken, brown both sides for about 4-5 minutes.
- Add garlic, chili pepper and smoked paprika, stir for about a minute then add onions and tomatoes, sauté 2-3 minutes until onions is translucent.
- Add chicken stock if necessary to prevent any burns
- Next add chicken stock or water (about 2 cups or enough to cover chicken. Add chicken bouillon, and squash. Bring to a boil and let it simmer until sauce thickens, it might take about 20 or more depending on the type of chicken used. Throw in okra, continue cooking until desired texture is reached about 5 minutes or more
- Adjust for salt, pepper and stew consistency.
- Serve warm with Cornmeal mash or rice.
Tips & Notes:
- You may substitute butternut squash with pumpkin, or sweet potatoes.
- I throw in the okra towards the end, because I like the it slightly crunchy.
Nutrition Information:
Heather says
My family was over the moon for this dish! I served it with your fufu recipe and it was so hearty and wonderful. First time making it but instantly qualified as comfort food and a keeper!
ImmaculateBites says
I’m thrilled to hear that the dish was such a hit with your family! Pairing it with the fufu recipe sounds like the perfect combination for a hearty, comforting meal.
Hi Heather,
There’s something special about a dish that instantly qualifies as comfort food, especially when it’s your first time making it. It’s wonderful to know that this recipe has earned a spot in your “keeper” list.
Thank you for sharing your experience and for giving the recipes a try. It’s feedback like this that makes the food community so enriching. Keep cooking and keep enjoying! ️✨
Vincent Watson says
Fantastic flavors! We will make this again!!!
Imma says
Thank you so much, I am sure you would love all recipes once you try them. Keep loving:)
Alex says
When cooking with palm oil should you always mix it with a more neutral oil or is that just your personal preference?
ImmaculateBites says
It is my personal preference . Try it both ways and see which one you like best .
Angolana says
Hey Angolan here! We do not use squashes or pumpkins on moamba. Also this dish is made with palmnut cream and not palm oil. I would also skip the lemon, thyme, and paprika when seasoning the chicken.
Let me know if tastes any different!
Imma says
Thanks for your feedback. Every Muamba chicken dish I’ve tried has had squash and palm oil, but the way you describe it sounds great too.❤️
Olamide says
Just made this, and it was extremely delish. This recipe is definitely going into one of our favorite family meals!
Alex Dupaix says
It was OK. And there seemed to be some sort of discrepancy between the instructions and the ingredients. Added the thyme in about the same time as the other spices for the chicken.
Immaculate Bites says
Hi Alex! Thanks for dropping by! 🙂 It’s a homemade recipe and I shared it so my friends can also enjoy this kind of food. Alternatively, you can add other spices to coat the chicken before browning them or when sauteeing other ingredients after browning the chicken. Both process will infuse flavor to the food.
HI Cookery says
Looks like others are also cooking recipes from A-Z countries around the world and stumbled on your site just like we did. We made this chicken dish and it was delicious. Thank you for sharing the recipe and look forward to cooking more from your blog. God bless!
Beth S says
I tried this yesterday as a part of a lockdown challenge to cook the world (alphabetically!). Turned out really well, despite me being a bit nervous to experiment with palm oil. Substituted sweet potato and tinned plum tomatoes for fresh due to patchy shopping. Tasty, the right level of spice – will definitely make again
Wendy says
Hola niña hermosa; quería hacer éste pollo, pero tengo un problema. Aquí en España (creo que en toda la comunidad europea) está prohibido el aceite de palma, dicen, que por lo perjudicial para la salud ¿?. Cambia mucho el sabor si utilizo otro aceite? .Gracias de antemano. Cuídate mucho. Besitos
P. D. En mi etapa de vivir en Arabia Saudita comíamos mucho fuera de casa y usan muchísimo el aceite de palma, por lo barato qué és, y aquí estamos, frescos como una lechuga ja ja ja ja
Tom says
Are paprika and thyme supposed to go with step 2? Paprika is listed twice in the ingredients, but only once in the instructions. Thyme is mentioned in the ingredient list, but not in the instructions at all. I want to try to make it, but I don’t want to mess it up. Tnaks.
ImmaculateBites says
Hi Tom! Yes, paprika and thyme are used to season the chicken (step 2) and paprika is also used when making the sauce (step 5) Thank you for bringing this to my attention. Recipe Updated.
Happy cooking :)!