Moambe chicken (Poulet Moambe) is a savory and versatile Congolese chicken dish that has an exciting and unique taste!
Moambe chicken is a delightfully tasty chicken dish native to Central Africa. Also called 'Poulet Moambe,' this savory dish is deemed the national dish of both Congos - The Republic of Congo and the Democratic Republic of the Congo.
Interestingly, Moambe chicken is also considered the national dish of Angola (moamba de galinha) and Gabon (poulet nyembwe). It is also a household name in Belgium.
This lip-smacking dish is so beloved by many that countries claim it as theirs. What makes this delicacy so great? Let's find out!
What is Moambe made of?
Moambe chicken stew is primarily made with chicken cooked with peanut butter, palm oil, garlic, tomato sauce, and spices.
These ingredients might seem like your everyday ingredients. However, when cooked together, they transform simple ingredients into finger-licking, drool-causing, and irresistible deliciousness.
Ingredients Used
- Chicken drumsticks: For this recipe, you can use almost any part of a chicken. I prefer to use drumsticks for this.
- Peanut butter: You can use roasted peanuts ground into a paste if no sugar-free, organic peanut butter is available. This recipe is traditionally made with palm nut concentrate but I used peanut butter instead.
- Palm oil: This gives the chicken its rich red color and adds flavor, but you can use olive oil as a substitute.
- Aromatics: Onions, garlic.
- Spices: Cayenne pepper, bouillon powder, smoked paprika, and salt.
- Tomato sauce: You can use a bit of tomato paste diluted with some water.
How To Make Moambe Chicken
- Wash and pat the chicken dry.
- Add palm oil (or olive oil) to a large pan and brown the chicken on both sides.
- Chop onions and mince garlic, and set aside. In a separate pan, saute onions and garlic in palm oil (or olive oil).
- Add tomato sauce, cayenne pepper, bouillon, paprika and salt.
- Add the chicken and stir. Bring to a boil and simmer on low heat for 15 minutes, stirring frequently.
- Add a little water if it gets dry.
- Take out the chicken and add peanut butter to the sauce. Stir till the peanut butter is well mixed in.
- Add the chicken and simmer for 5-10 minutes on low heat.
Storing and Reheating
Moambe chicken stew will remain fresh if stored in the refrigerator for about three to five days. To keep it longer, you can freeze for about two months.
Bring it out of the freezer to reheat and let it thaw fully before reheating it on low heat. Watch it on the fire and turn it intermittently with a spoon so it doesn't burn.
What can I eat this recipe with?
Moambe chicken stew can be eaten with any meal that calls for stew. For example, you can pair it with rice, plantain, boiled yams, spaghetti, or potatoes.
However, enjoy this healthy and tasty chicken stew with cauliflower rice or shirataki noodles for a low-carb alternative.
Tips and variations
- If you prefer not to fry the chicken in oil, you can use an air fryer instead or bake it in an oven.
- If you're a fan of spicy food like I am, you can add a habanero pepper while cooking. Skip the pepper altogether if you don't like spicy food.
Check out these other delicious chicken recipes!
- Nigerian Chicken Stew
- Chicken Pepper Soup
- Doro Wat
- Chicken Suya
- Poulet Yassa - Senegalese Chicken
- Fried Chicken Drumsticks
- Chicken Brochette
- Chicken Hearts Recipe
📖 Recipe
Moambe Chicken (Congo Poulet Moambe)
Ingredients
- 2 lbs chicken drumsticks
- ½ onion
- 2 cloves garlic
- 1 cup tomato sauce
- 3 tablespoon peanut butter substitute with palm nut concentrate
- ½ cup palm oil for frying, substitute with olive oil
- ½ teaspoon cayenne pepper
- 1 teaspoon bouillon powder
- ½ teaspoon smoked paprika
- ½ teaspoon salt
Instructions
- Wash and pat dry the chicken drumsticks.2 lbs chicken drumsticks
- Add palm oil (or olive oil) to a large pan and brown the chicken on both sides.½ cup palm oil
- Chop onions and mince garlic, and set aside.½ onion, 2 cloves garlic
- Saute onions and garlic in palm oil (substitute with olive oil).
- Add tomato sauce, cayenne pepper, bouillon, paprika and salt.1 cup tomato sauce, ½ teaspoon cayenne pepper, 1 teaspoon bouillon powder, ½ teaspoon smoked paprika, ½ teaspoon salt
- Add the chicken and stir.
- Bring to a boil and simmer on low heat for 15 minutes.
- Add a little water if it's getting dry.
- Take out the chicken and add peanut butter to the sauce.3 tablespoon peanut butter
- Stir till the peanut butter is well mixed in.
- Add the chicken and simmer for 5-10 minutes on low heat.
Notes
- If you prefer not to fry the chicken in oil, you can use an air fryer instead or bake it in an oven.
- If you're a fan of spicy food like I am, you can add a habanero pepper while cooking. Skip the pepper altogether if you don't like spicy food.
This was amazing and easy to make. I made it with skinless thighs and it was still delicious.
I'm so glad you enjoyed it!
My hubby loved it. He rarely tells me he likes something verbally. He just goes back for seconds. But he cleaned his plate and then said, “I really liked that. It was really good!” I will add that the only change I made was using skinless chicken thighs.
That's a win! So glad the recipe got the verbal seal of approval from your hubby 🙂
I lived as a child in the DRC (then Zaire), and loved this dish. Had no idea how to make it! However: 1)Amazon sells cans of red palm solids these days, and I'm pretty sure it's a healthier choice than PB -- besides being, well, Mouambe. They arrive in 2 days -- no reason for substitutions. Be generous -- there has never been left over sauce that was not eaten with a spoon long after the chicken was done in my house! 2) With drumsticks, you can pre-boil them with ginger, onions and garlic -- makes a wonderful broth you can use in the Mouambe and avoids the uncooked chicken issue. Also, the Mouambe itself can simmer for a very long time on the lowest of heat. 3) In my memories of the dish, it was served with fufu and rice, along with cooked manioc, spinach style. That's something you cannot find, but a sauteed leafy side is worth adding. Fufu is available to purchase online or make your own -- essentially tapioca powder, widely available. Either add plantains to the mix, or fry them and add them on the side. Manioc is just the leaves of the cassava plant. Grows everywhere around there. I'm reasonably sure none of the Fufu or its substitutions are keto friendly, so maybe going with riced cauliflower is the better idea. 4) There was definitely a coconut component to the dish -- I have not been able to see a reference anywhere, but the dish of my childhood had all this goodness in it, but also a noticeable coconut taste. It may have been a regional version (Kinshasa)? I would love to hear from congolese people on this issue... Or maybe it was coconut rice? Whatever it was,, it complemented the flavors beautifully.
How much does it cost to make
The price will vary based on the cost of ingredients where you are.
First off, I will say that the flavor of this recipe is absolutely amazing. I was blown away by how the simple combination of ingredients could create something so flavorful. Even my wife who hates peanut butter thought it was delicious. I will absolutely be making this again.
The main issue I ran into was that the meaty, bone-in drumsticks take a long time to heat through and don’t get as tender as I would like. I significantly upped the cook time and still ended up with chicken that was slightly on the underdone side. If I had used chicken thighs instead I think it would have been perfect. If I make it again with drumsticks I will throw them in the oven (400, ~25mins) along with a cup of chicken broth for step 7 to get them tender while maintaining crispiness.
Overall I’m very happy I stumbled upon this recipe and can’t wait to try it again soon!
I'm glad you enjoyed it, Dominic! Yes, I agree chicken thighs can take a bit longer to cook.
I just started Keto with my mother, she was complaining that she missed our traditional foods. I can't tell you how happy I am to have found that you can do Keto and still eat our traditional foods. Thank you for this page, I can't wait to try these recipes!
You're welcome, Atosh. I hope you enjoy them!