To anyone who has asked me for Cameroonian recipes and everyone else, today I have a very special Cameroonian recipe for you all! When I moved to the U.S., there were a lot of Cameroonian dishes that I just kind of gave up on trying because I didn’t know where I would find the ingredients. Poulet DG is one of those few Cameroonian recipes that you can find everything you need at almost any common grocery store. So if you want to eat like a Cameroonian without having to look for an African grocery store, try this recipe.
Poulet DG is short for Poulet Directeur Général which translates to Chicken Director General. It is a one pot meal made up of fried plantains, chicken, vegetables and delicious spices. Back home it was one of those special occasion dishes because traditionally it used a whole chicken. I believe it actually has its name because it was often served to entertain people of high status or they were some of the few ones who could afford to order a meal with a whole chicken for just themselves.
Nowadays this dish is not as unique to special occasions but it is still as special. You can use a whole chicken or get the cuts you prefer. I like to use the thighs and drumsticks. The plantains and chicken are often both deep fried but I like to either shallow fry the chicken or bake them in the oven. I’ve seen some people use unripe plantains to make Poulet DG before and to that I say why? I prefer ripe plantains, not overripe but still yellow and sweet. Like a lot of my recipes, quantities are flexible so don’t worry about having exact measurements of any of the ingredients below. Ok let’s move on to the recipe.
Poulet DG
- 4 large ripe plantains, sliced (they should be yellow, not too soft nor too hard)
- 1 whole chicken or 4 chicken quarters, chopped into chunks (about 4 to 5 pounds)
- Oil for deep frying plantains plus 1/4 cup
- 1 onion, chopped
- 5 garlic cloves, minced
- 1 inch ginger root, minced
- 6 to 8 medium tomatoes, chopped
- 2 medium carrot, chopped
- 1 to 2 cups green beans, chopped
- 2 bell pepper, preferably a mixture of colors, chopped
- 3 stems of green onions, chopped
- 1 bunch of parsley, minced
- 1/2 teaspoon white pepper (can substitute with black pepper)
- 4 small bouillon cubes (Maggi)
- Salt and pepper to taste
- 1 scotch bonnet (habenero) pepper (optional, crushed or blended for extra heat)
