Recipes from Madagascar - Coconut Chicken

So there was nothing wrong with this recipe. It was good--flavorful and easy to make. It just wasn't that different--I've already tried a lot of recipes for chicken in a coconut milk sauce. Most of them have some additional feature besides just coconut milk, like a curry paste or garam masala. This recipe was really just coconut milk. There was some garlic and ginger as well, but other than that it was a little plain.

Malagasy Coconut Chicken

Now, I will say that it's really unfair to criticize international recipes for being plain. Sometimes they are plain just based on necessity--not every country has ready access to spices or even standard ingredients we in the west take for granted, like salt. So there's really nothing wrong with "plain." I would have settled for "different," though. But I can't really complain because as blog recipes go, this one was pretty fast and easy to make. Here's how:

Instead of roasting or pan frying your chicken, you boil it. You just put the whole chicken in a pot of boiling water and cook it until a meat thermometer inserted into the thickest part of the thigh reads 175 degrees (note: it's safe to eat at 165, but I find the texture of dark meat to be not quite right until it gets to 175).

When the chicken is done cooking, knock the meat off the bones and set aside. Reserve 2 cups of broth.

Now grate the ginger and garlic:

In a large frying pan (you'll need a large pan because in a minute you're going to be adding a whole chicken to it), heat the oil over a medium flame and add the onions. Cook until translucent, then add the ginger and garlic. Keep cooking until fragrant (one or two minutes). 

Add the chicken to the pan, along with 1 to 2 cups of the chicken broth and the coconut milk. Let simmer for 30 to 40 minutes (you can add a little extra broth if the sauce is too thick). Serve over rice.

And here's the printable, pinnable version:

Malagasy Coconut Chicken

from madarecipes.wordpress.com.

Ingredients

• 1 whole chicken
• 1-2 cups reserved chicken broth
• 1-2 tbsp oil
• 1 garlic clove, crushed
• 1/4-1/2 cup ginger, grated
• 1/4 cup onion, chopped
• 1 15 oz can coconut milk

Instructions

1. Fill up a big pot with water and add the whole chicken. Boil until a meat thermometer inserted in the thickest part of the thigh reads 175 degrees F.
2. Remove the meat from the bones and reserve the broth.
3. In a large frying pan, heat the oil over a medium flame and add the onions. Saute until the onions are translucent.
4. Add the garlic and ginger and keep stirring until fragrant.
5. Now add the chicken, 1 to 2 cups of the broth and the coconut milk. Simmer for between 30 and 40 minutes. You can add a little more broth if the sauce is too thick.
6. Serve over rice.

Approximate time: 1 hour 30 minutes. Serves 8.