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Chicken and Plantain Moqueca

Quiche 'n' Tell
A tropical chicken dish for hot summer days
Prep Time 30 minutes
Cook Time 1 hour
Total Time 1 hour 30 minutes
Servings 4

Ingredients
  

  • 1 big chicken with skin, chopped into 8-10 pieces
  • 4 tbsps dende oil I used sunflower
  • 1 medium onion thinly sliced
  • 2 green onions sliced on the diagonal
  • 1/2 green pepper thinly sliced
  • 1/2 cup white wine
  • 4 cloves of garlic minced
  • 1 small piece of ginger grated
  • 3 cups chicken stock
  • 11/2 cups coconut milk
  • 3 tbsp tomato paste
  • 2 bay leaves
  • 1/2 kg ripe but still firm bananas
  • 3 plum tomatoes peeled, deseeded and sliced
  • 4 tbsps fresh cilantro chopped
  • Salt
  • Pepper

Instructions
 

  • Marinate the chicken in salt, pepper and 2 tablespoons of dende oil for 30 minutes at room temperature.
  • Heat the remaining oil in a Dutch oven and brown the chicken (skin side down first) on both sides and set aside on a separate plate.
  • Sauté both types of onions and peppers in the same pan till softened before adding the wine. Reduce the wine by half and put in the garlic and ginger and cook for a minute. Now stir in the stock, coconut milk, tomato paste and bay leaves and bring to a boil.
  • Reduce to a simmer and add the chicken. Season, cover and cook for about an hour.
  • Peel and cut the plantains into 1-inch thick chunks and add to the pan after the chicken has cooked for 30 minutes. Cover and cook for 5-7 minutes till plantains are cooked but not mushy. Take off the lid and simmer for a few more minutes till the gravy is slightly thicker. Then add the tomatoes a few minutes before serving, garnish with cilantro and serve with white rice.

Notes

Adapted from The Brazilian Kitchen by Leticia Shwartz