Macanese African Chicken
By: Adam Fratto
Published: Thursday, December 10, 2009 - 12:22am

Ingredients




1 3 1/2 lb chicken
MARINADE:
1 tablespoon garlic
1 tablespoon Sambal or other chile paste
1/2 tablespoon salt
1/2 tablespoon pepper
2 tablespoons canola oil
SAUCE INGREDIENTS:
1 cup chopped shallots
2 heads garlic, cloves peeled and chopped
8 jalapeno chiles, seeded and stemmed
1 3/4 cups grated coconut
3 tablespoons tomato paste
1/2 cup canola oil
3 tablespoons paprika
2 tablespoons peanut butter
1/2 cup water
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon pepper

Preparation

1 Preheat oven to 325. 2 Cut the chicken into pieces and marinate with the garlic, chile paste, salt and pepper for 2 hours. 3 Make the sauce: Heat 1/2 C oil in a saucepan.  Saute shallots, garlic and chiles for 3 minutes.  Stir in tomato paste and paprika; sauté for another 3 minutes.  Remove from the burner and let cool for 5 minutes.  Add water, peanut butter and coconut.  Blend thoroughly in a food processor, adding water if necessary.  Season with salt and pepper.  Set aside. 4 Heat 2 tablespoons oil in a saucepan on high heat.  Sear the chicken on all sides. 5 Place the chicken in a roasting pan and smother with the sauce.  Bake for 35 minutes. 6 Serve with steamed rice.

About


Most good restaurants in Macau serve their own version of the official local delicacy: a yummy stew of cross-cultural goodness called African Chicken.  Combining influences from Africa, Europe, and Southeast Asia, it's a perfect fit for this worldly little trading outpost.  
This is a combination of various recipes for the dish.  It is drier than most and is more like a saucy baked chicken dish than a stew.