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Mozambican · Portuguese

Frango à zambeziana

Non-vegetarian

Chicken marinated in lime, garlic and chilli, then grilled and basted with a rich coconut-milk sauce. A celebrated dish from Mozambique's Zambezia province.

Frango à zambeziana is a Mozambican main course from Mozambique, ready in about 3 hours 10 minutes and made with chicken pieces, skin-on, lime juice and coconut milk. It serves 4 and is rated intermediate to cook.

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Prep
20 min
Cook
50 min
Rest
2 h
Total
3 h 10 min
Serves
4
Level
Intermediate
Calories
767

Marinating can be extended overnight.

Ingredients

4 servings

For the marinade

For the coconut sauce

Equipment

Method

  1. Step 1

    Mix the lime juice (opens in a new tab), garlic (opens in a new tab), chilli, paprika (opens in a new tab), salt and oil. Slash the chicken pieces, rub with the marinade and refrigerate for at least 2 hours.

    • 10 min

    Food safety: Marinate raw chicken in the fridge and discard any marinade that is not boiled.

    Meat coated in a spiced marinade in a bowl
    How it looks · Photo: Ip Photographer on Pexels

  2. Step 2

    Lift the chicken out and pour the leftover marinade into a saucepan (opens in a new tab) with the coconut milk (opens in a new tab), onion (opens in a new tab) and tomato (opens in a new tab). Bring to a full boil for 3 minutes, then simmer until the sauce is thick enough to coat a spoon.

    Food safety: The sauce contains raw-chicken marinade, so it must boil for several minutes.

  3. Step 3

    Grill the chicken over medium coals or under a medium grill, turning often, for 30–35 minutes. Baste with the coconut sauce for the last 10 minutes.

    Food safety: Cook until the juices run clear and the thickest part reaches 74 °C.

    Food cooking over a grill
    How it looks · Photo: Malte Luk on Pexels

  4. Step 4

    Serve the chicken with the remaining sauce poured over and rice or xima alongside.

      A finished dish being plated
      How it looks · Photo: Willians Huerta on Pexels

    About this dish

    Origin
    Zambezia province, Mozambique · Well documentedMore food from Mozambique
    Dish
    Lunch · Dinner · Main courses · Grills & kebabs
    Cooking method
    Marinated / cured, Grilled, Simmered
    Taste
    creamy, citrusy, garlicky, spicy (chilli heat)
    Diet
    No gluten ingredients · Dairy-free · No nut ingredients · High-protein
    All labelsNon-vegetarian · No gluten ingredients · Dairy-free · Egg-free · No nut ingredients · No added sugar · Alcohol-free · Pork-free · Beef-free · High-protein
    Worked out from the ingredients. How labels work
    Good for
    Festive & celebration · Make-ahead
    Cook more with
    Chicken pieces, skin-on · Lime juice · Coconut milk · Garlic · Fresh red chilli · Paprika
    Techniques
    Grilling · Charcoal grilling · Boiling · Simmering · Marinating

    Allergens

    None of the 14 major allergens appear in the listed ingredients.

    Based on typical versions of these ingredients and not verified allergen-free. Brands differ and cross-contact happens, so always check labels. For severe allergies, follow your clinician’s advice.

    Nutrition

    767 kcal per serving

    Calculated

    1 serving ≈ 414 g · recipe makes 4

    Where the energy comes from

    • Protein 23%
    • Carbohydrate 5%
    • Fat 72%
    Nutrition per serving and per 100 g
    NutrientPer servingPer 100 g*
    Energy767 kcal186 kcal
    Protein44.9 g10.9 g
    Carbohydrate10 g2.4 g
    Net carbohydrate——
    Sugars——
    Added sugars0 g0 g
    Fibre——
    Fat61.8 g14.9 g
    Saturated fat28.8 g7 g
    Trans fat——
    Cholesterol169 mg41 mg
    Sodium1049 mg254 mg
    Salt equivalent2.6 g0.6 g
    Vitamins & minerals per serving
    Potassium
    813 mg
    Calcium
    65 mg
    Iron
    5.7 mg
    Magnesium
    100 mg
    Vitamin A (RAE)
    121 µg
    Vitamin C
    21 mg
    Vitamin D
    0.5 µg
    Vitamin B12
    0.7 µg
    Folate (DFE)
    40 µg

    How these numbers were made

    • Calculated from USDA FoodData Central (SR Legacy) per-100 g values and the listed quantities.
    • *Per 100 g of combined raw ingredients; the cooked dish may weigh more or less.
    • Optional ingredients are not included: long-grain white rice.
    • “—” means the value isn’t known for enough of the ingredients; it is never zero by default.
    • Values are estimates for guidance, not for medical dosing. U.S. Department of Agriculture, Agricultural Research Service. FoodData Central, 2019. fdc.nal.usda.gov.

    Good to know

    Tips

    • Grilling over charcoal is traditional; a hot oven at 220 °C works for 40 minutes too.

    Common mistakes

    • Basting too early makes the coconut sauce burn before the chicken is cooked.

    Serve with

    • Rice or xima and a tomato-onion salad.

    Storage

    • Keeps 2 days in the fridge.

    Reheating

    • Reheat in a hot oven until piping hot.

    Original editorial recipe · FriendsPantry editorial · Not yet independently reviewed · Added · Updated

    Recipe DNA

    How this dish is built

    Built from the recipe’s own sections. Each band’s width is its share of the dish by weight. Choose a component to see what it does.

    What the dish is built around

    Main ingredient

    Used in steps 1, 4

    Reviews & corrections

    Reviews come from signed-in cooks and appear after a moderator checks them. We never show made-up ratings.

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