Season’s Eatings: Africa Born’s Swahili Christmas Chicken

The festive season is all about coming together with friends and family for long, laughter-filled meals, and this recipe for slow-braised coconut and spice chicken is one of our favourites. 

Inspired by traditional Swahili coastal cooking, this dish not only looks beautifully bright and festive but is fragrant, delicious and perfect for sharing. At Africa Born, our approach to cooking in the bush mirrors this ethos - using fresh, locally sourced ingredients and simple, thoughtful techniques adapted to life in the wild, which we share more about in A Recipe for Success: The Africa Born Bush Kitchen.

Give it a whirl, we’d love to know what you think.

Happy Christmas from Antonia and the Africa Born kitchen team

Slow-braised coconut and spice chicken (serves 6-8)

Ingredients

• 1 whole chicken (1.8–2 kg), cut into pieces
• 2tbsp coconut oil (or groundnut oil)
• 1 large onion, finely sliced
• 4 cloves garlic, crushed
• 2 tbsp fresh ginger, grated
• 2 tsp ground coriander
• 1 tsp ground cumin
• 1 tsp mild curry powder
• ½ tsp ground cinnamon
• ½ tsp ground cardamom
• 1 tsp smoked paprika
• Salt & black pepper
• 400 ml full-fat coconut milk
• 1 cup chicken stock
• Juice of 1 lime
• Fresh coriander (dhania)
• Toasted cashew nuts (optional)

Method

1. Season the chicken with salt, pepper, coriander, cumin, curry powder, cinnamon, cardamom and smoked paprika.
2. Heat coconut oil in a heavy pot. Brown the chicken pieces until golden. Remove and set aside.
3. In the same pot, sauté onions until soft and lightly caramelised. Add garlic and ginger and cook for 1 minute.
4. Return the chicken to the pot. Add coconut milk and chicken stock and bring to a gentle simmer.
5. Cover and cook on low heat for 45–60 minutes until the chicken is tender and the sauce rich.
6. Finish with lime juice, add seasoning as required and garnish with fresh coriander and toasted cashews.

Serve with pilau rice or coconut rice, sukuma wiki or sautéed greens, and a fresh mango and avocado salad for balance. The perfect dish to add a little safari spirit to your Christmas feast.