Tanzania | Mchuzi Wa Kuku

CLICK HERE FOR THE RECIPE I USED

Tanzania was a pleasant surprise for me. I went in expecting that I’d find recipes for groundnut stews or some sort of dried beef with a corn-based side because those seem to be common meals throughout Africa but, instead, I found a wide variety of foods. It was easy to find information on Tanzania but I had “Africa” by Toto stuck in my head for days because the Serengeti and Mount Kilimanjaro are located there and were mentioned frequently in my research. (And now it is back in my head again…)

I chose this chicken stew because I was in the mood for chicken and it is loaded with veggies (canned tomatoes, carrots, peas, onions, and bell peppers) which was also appealing to me. All of the ingredients were easy to acquire or I already had on hand. (My spice cupboard is overflowing!)

This isn’t difficult to make but there is a fair amount of chopping involved. When the chopping is done, you put the things in a pan, in a specific order, and then let it all simmer until the potatoes are cooked through.

The result is a chicken stew that tastes fresh and bright and lovely. It is not spicy, but I’m sure you could make it spicy by adding some Serrano peppers (or your preferred pepper). It is definitely tomato-forward but the coconut cream takes the edge off the acidity of the tomatoes and adds a depth that rounds everything out really well.

I ate it over rice, rather than by itself in a bowl and it was SO good! It would also be great with some kind of flatbread, if rice is not your thing.

Would I make it again?

Yes! But I’d use thighs next time around to keep the chicken from drying out when reheated.