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Congolese

Moambe chicken

Non-vegetarian

Poulet à la moambe

Chicken simmered in a rich, brick-red palm sauce with onion, garlic and chilli. Often called the national dish of the DR Congo and eaten with fufu or rice.

Moambe chicken is a Congolese stew from DR Congo, ready in about 1 hour 15 minutes and made with chicken pieces, skin-on and red palm oil. It serves 6 and is rated easy to cook.

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Plate of chicken in moambe palm-nut sauce with rice and cassava leaves
Photo: Brigade Piron / Wikimedia Commons · CC-BY-SA-4.0
Prep
15 min
Cook
1 h
Total
1 h 15 min
Serves
6
Level
Easy
Calories
593

Ingredients

6 servings

Equipment

Method

  1. Step 1

    Season the chicken with 1 tsp salt, the pepper (opens in a new tab) and half the garlic (opens in a new tab). Brown it in 2 tbsp of the palm oil (opens in a new tab) and set aside.

  2. Step 2

    Add the remaining palm oil (opens in a new tab), the onions (opens in a new tab) and the rest of the garlic (opens in a new tab) and cook until soft. Stir in the tomatoes (opens in a new tab) and tomato paste (opens in a new tab) and cook until thick.

    • 10 min
    • medium heat
    Onions frying golden in a pan
    How it looks · Photo: Magda Ehlers on Pexels

  3. Step 3

    Return the chicken with the water, chilli and remaining salt (and peanut butter (opens in a new tab) if using). Cover and simmer gently until the chicken is very tender and the sauce is thick and red.

    • 40 min
    • low heat

    Food safety: Chicken should reach 74 °C at the thickest part.

    A curry simmering in a pot
    How it looks · Photo: Bachir Mamud on Pexels

  4. Step 4

    Skim off some of the oil if you prefer and serve with rice, fufu or chikwangue.

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

    About this dish

    Origin
    DR Congo · Commonly attributedPalm-nut chicken stews are shared across Central Africa (e.g. Gabonese nyembwe, Angolan muamba).Also popular in Republic of the Congo, Angola, GabonMore food from DR Congo
    Dish
    Lunch · Dinner · Stews & braises · Main courses
    Cooking method
    Braised, Simmered
    Taste
    rich, savoury, spicy (chilli heat), earthy
    Diet
    No gluten ingredients · Dairy-free · Keto-style · Low-carb · High-protein
    All labelsNon-vegetarian · No gluten ingredients · Dairy-free · Egg-free · No added sugar · Alcohol-free · Pork-free · Beef-free · Keto-style · Low-carb · High-protein
    Without the optional extras: Whole-food focused, Paleo-style, No nut ingredientsWorked out from the ingredients. How labels work
    Good for
    One-pot · Festive & celebration · Make-ahead
    Cook more with
    Chicken pieces, skin-on · Red palm oil · Onion · Garlic · Tomato · Tomato paste
    Techniques
    Simmering · Braising

    Allergens

    • Contains, can be adapted: Peanutsfrom peanut butter

    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

    593 kcal per serving

    Calculated

    1 serving ≈ 383 g · recipe makes 6

    Where the energy comes from

    • Protein 26%
    • Carbohydrate 4%
    • Fat 69%
    Nutrition per serving and per 100 g
    NutrientPer servingPer 100 g*
    Energy593 kcal155 kcal
    Protein38.3 g10 g
    Carbohydrate6.6 g1.7 g
    Net carbohydrate5.3 g1.4 g
    Sugars3 g0.8 g
    Added sugars0 g0 g
    Fibre1.3 g0.3 g
    Fat45.4 g11.9 g
    Saturated fat16.1 g4.2 g
    Trans fat0.2 g0.1 g
    Cholesterol150 mg39 mg
    Sodium730 mg190 mg
    Salt equivalent1.8 g0.5 g
    Vitamins & minerals per serving
    Potassium
    571 mg
    Calcium
    50 mg
    Iron
    2.1 mg
    Magnesium
    52 mg
    Vitamin A (RAE)
    101 µg
    Vitamin C
    14 mg
    Vitamin D
    0.4 µg
    Vitamin B12
    0.6 µg
    Folate (DFE)
    26 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: peanut butter, 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

    • If using palm-nut concentrate, simmer uncovered at the end until the red oil rises — that's the sign the sauce is cooked.

    Common mistakes

    • Boiling hard — the palm sauce splits and turns greasy; keep it at a bare simmer.

    Serve with

    • Serve with rice, cassava fufu or chikwangue and a side of pondu.

    Storage

    • Keeps 3 days refrigerated; freezes well.

    Reheating

    • Reheat gently, covered.

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

    Sauces, chutneys & dips for this dish

    Recipe DNA

    How this dish is built

    Grouped by each ingredient’s role in the dish. 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, 2, 3, 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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