Poulet DG
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 Cameroonian food 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 or think CEO Chicken. 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. And they were often the few people 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.
Some Tips
- 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. If baking them, bake at 400ºF for about 20-25 minutes.
- I’ve seen some people use unripe plantains to make Poulet DG before and to that I say why? I suggest using ripe plantains, not overripe but yellow, soft 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
Ingredients
- oil for deep frying about 4-6 cups depending on pan size
- 4-6 ripe plantains sliced
- 1 whole chicken (4 chicken quarters work too) cut in pieces
- 1 large onion diced
- 6 cloves garlic minced
- 3 tbsp ginger minced
- 5-7 roma tomatoes chopped
- 3 carrots chopped
- 1/2 lb green beans chopped
- 2-3 bell peppers, multiple colors chopped
- 3 scallions chopped
- 1 scotch bonnet or habanero pepper
- 2 large bouillon cube
- salt and pepper to taste
- 1/2 cup fresh parsley chopped
Instructions
- Heat enough oil for deep frying in a pot over medium heat.
- When oil is hot enough, fry the plantain until golden to slightly dark brown. (To check if the oil is hot, you can drop a slice of plantain in it. It is ready when the plantain begins to fry.) When fried, place in a strainer and set aside.
- Season chicken generously with salt and pepper and set aside. You can also season with garlic and ginger, and marinade overnight or for a few hours in the fridge.
- In the same pot, shallow or deep fry the chicken. If shallow frying, remove some of the oil from the pan until you are left with about 1/4 cup. Fry chicken in batches until golden brown, flipping the pieces around to make sure they brown evenly. Set chicken aside when cooked.
- Leave behind about 2-3 tablespoons of oil in your pot. Add onions and let it cook until translucent.
- Next add ginger and garlic and cook until fragrant. Then add tomatoes and let them cook until they aren’t sour anymore, about 15 minutes.
- Mix in carrots and green beans then bell peppers, scallions and whole scotch bonnet pepper.
- Season with bouillon cubes and salt and pepper to taste. Stir and let cook for about 5 minutes.
- Add the chicken, stir and cook covered for another 5 to 10 minutes.
- When the vegetables are cooked to your liking, taste for seasoning and adjust as necessary then add the fried plantains followed by the parsley. Stir gently to avoid breaking the plantains. Cook for another 5 minutes then turn the heat off. Serve hot and enjoy!
