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Poulet Mafé

In Senegal at the Keur Moussa monastery, a typical meal includes poulet mafé, a thick peanut sauce with chicken, root vegetables, and cabbage served over rice, fonio, or millet couscous. For chef Pierre Thiam, poulet mafé is the ultimate comfort food. His advice: "Be patient when cooking mafé. Let the stew simmer slowly until the oil rises to the surface."

How to Make It

  1. Stir together garlic, ginger, salt, and black pepper in a large bowl. Add chicken; press garlic mixture into chicken pieces. Cover with plastic wrap; refrigerate at least 3 hours or up to 12 hours.

  2. Heat oil in a large Dutch oven over medium-high until oil shimmers. Add onion; cook, stirring often, until onion starts to become translucent, about 3 minutes. Stir in tomato paste and fish sauce. Cook, stirring constantly, until combined and tomato paste caramelizes and turns a few shades darker, 6 to 8 minutes. Add 7 cups water, scraping up any browned bits from bottom of Dutch oven. Add chicken and any remaining garlic mixture in bowl to Dutch oven. Bring to a boil over high. Reduce heat to medium-low.

  3. Place peanut butter in a medium-size heatproof bowl; stir in 1 1/2 cups liquid from Dutch oven, 1/4 cup at a time, until peanut butter is thinned out and mixture is creamy. Add to mixture in Dutch oven; bring to a vigorous simmer over medium-low. Simmer, undisturbed, 20 minutes.

  4. Stir cabbage and carrots into mixture in Dutch oven; return to a vigorous simmer over medium-low. Simmer, undisturbed, 10 minutes.

  5. Stir potato and sweet potato pieces into mixture in Dutch oven; return to a vigorous simmer over medium-low. Simmer, undisturbed, until chicken and vegetables are tender and oil has separated from thickened sauce, 30 to 35 minutes. Remove from heat; stir in Scotch bonnet chiles, if using, and season with salt to taste. Serve over rice.

Ingredients

  • 3 medium garlic cloves, finely chopped

  • 1 tablespoon peeled and finely chopped fresh ginger

  • Pinch of kosher salt, plus more to taste 

  • Pinch of black pepper

  • 1 pound bone-in chicken thighs, skin removed

  • 1 pound chicken drumsticks, skin removed

  • 3 tablespoons vegetable oil

  • 1 small yellow onion, chopped

  • 1 (6-ounce) can tomato paste

  • ¼ cup fish sauce (such as Red Boat) 

  • 7 cups water

  • 1 cup unsweetened creamy peanut butter (such as Smucker's Natural Creamy Peanut Butter), well stirred

  • 8 ounces green cabbage, cored and cut into 2-inch wedges

  • 3 medium carrots, cut into 2-inch-long pieces

  • 2 medium Yukon Gold potatoes, peeled and cut into 1 ½ -inch pieces

  • 1 medium-size sweet potato, peeled and cut into 1 ½ -inch pieces

  • Sliced fresh Scotch bonnet chiles, to taste (optional)

  • Cooked white rice, for serving

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