Chicken Muamba

Goodness, I've been dull as dishwater in the kitchen lately. I tried the Vietnamese chicken salad recipe, which was terrific! I'll make it again, especially this summer, and I'll even make it and put it on a nice platter and garnish with extra cilantro and lime wedges for potluck picnics.

I then transitioned into Thailand because Thai Peanut Noodles with Chicken followed. That's what I've been taking for lunch this week, and it used up the other half of the rotisserie chicken, the shredded carrots and the green onions leftover from Vietnamese Chicken Salad.

Tonight, after working until 6:30 and with another rotisserie chicken waiting in the fridge, I turned my sights to Africa. I'd copied a recipe for something called Chicken Muamba from Recipezaar several months ago because it sounded interesting. Now I've cooked Mediterranean and Moroccan, but this recipe was from "Congo Jim" who claimed its origins in DR Congo. For all the regional and ethnic cooking I've tried, I've never done much cooking from sub-Saharan Africa. Time to give it a try, I decided.

Now, naturally, I adapted the original recipe by combining the author's original directions and the ones he gives for when company arrives unexpectedly and all you've got is what's in the pantry and a couple chicken breasts in the fridge. I was really pleased at how it turned out. I combined softened onions, hot chili garlic sauce, red chile flakes, peanut butter, hot water and some basic jarred marinara sauce with the meat from a rotisserie chicken. The sauce is a lovely orange-pink and is slightly sweet and slightly spicy. The peanut butter tones down the spiciness of the chili and gives the sauce a really rich, fat mouthfeel. I served it over plain white rice. And I am not talking Minute Rice either, because you should just boil the box on that stuff. Plain white rice is easy. Take 1 cup long-grain white rice and combine with 1 1/2 cups cold tap water in a heavy-bottomed saucepan with at least twice as much room above the water in the pan as below it. Add about 1 Tbs. of salt if you wish. Bring to a boil then place a square of aluminum foil over the pan and cover the foil with pan lid. You should get a very tight seal this way. Immediately turn the heat about as low as it will go and let the rice cook for 15-20 minutes. Don't peek. After 15-20 minutes, turn the heat off (remove pan from burner if you use an electric stove) and wait 10 minutes before fluffing the rice with a fork.

While your rice is cooking, you can make Chicken Muamba!

Chicken Muamba

1 rotisserie chicken
1 large onion, diced
2 Tbs. vegetable oil
2 Tbs. hot chili garlic sauce (more if you wish)
1 tsp. hot chili flakes (leave them out if you are scared)
1 cup natural peanut butter (yes, a whole cup!!!)
1 cup water or chicken broth
1 can or jar of your favorite roasted garlic marinara sauce

Heat oil in a large skillet and then add the onions. Cook them until they are softened and lightly browned. Add the chili sauce and chili flakes and stir for a minute or two. Add the peanut butter and then add the stock or water, stirring until it is smooth. Add the marinara sauce. Add more water or broth if you wish, or until you get a sauce that is the consistency you like. Add in the chicken and heat through. Serve over rice. Probably serves about 6.

I really liked this and I'll make it again, especially the next time I am bored by all the usual stuff I do with a rotisserie chicken.