Margarita's International Recipes

Ivory Coast

Kedjenou

Ivorian Stewed Chicken


Kedjenou


Kedjenou is the Ivory Coast's most beloved dish. It's basically a stew of chicken, onions and tomatoes, originally cooked in an earthenware pot in ashes. The slow cooking worked to tenderize the oldest chickens or, as was traditional, guinea hens. Nowadays it's cooked in the oven or stove top, but using the oven allows you to just put everything in the pot, and forget about it until dinner.

The traditional recipe calls for fresh tomatoes, but I used canned which made the resulting broth too liquidy. You'll probably be OK if you use a 15 oz can instead of the 28 oz can I used.

This stew, like most, really benefits from being cooked at least a day in advance.


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Kedjenou

Ingredients

  • 4-5 lbs chicken parts
  • 2 onions, chopped
  • 5 ripe tomatoes, chopped or a 15 to 28 oz can diced tomatoes
  • 2 green bell peppers, chopped
  • 1 Tbsp garlic, crushed
  • 1 Tbsp pureed ginger root
  • 1 tsp smoked paprika
  • 1/4 tsp ground ginger
  • 1 bay leaf
  • salt to taste

Directions

Preheat oven to 350°F.

Place all ingredients in a dutch oven or large ceramic oven-safe pan. Seal well with aluminum foil and then cover with oven-safe lid. Cook for at least 1 to 2 hours.


Adapted from a recipe in Jessica Harris' The African Cookbook.


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