African Kuku Paka: Smoky Grilled Chicken in Coconut Curry Sauce

⏱ Marinate: 1 hr, overnight 🔥Cook: 50 min 👤Serves: 4–6 🌍Origin: Swahili Coast, Kenya

African kuku paka is the dish of the Swahili coast, born in the port towns of Mombasa and Lamu where African, Indian and Arab trade routes met for centuries and left their flavors behind in the cooking. Kuku means chicken in Swahili; paka refers to the coconut sauce it swims in. Chicken marinated in turmeric, garlic and lemon, grilled until charred and smoky, then finished in a creamy coconut and tomato sauce that absorbs all that char into something the grill alone couldn’t have made. Two techniques, one pot, completely worth both.

Ingredients

For the chicken and marinade

• 2 lbs bone-in, skin-on chicken thighs and drumsticks, bone-in stays juicier through both the grill and the sauce simmer
• 1 teaspoon ground turmeric
• 1 teaspoon ground cumin
• 1 teaspoon ground coriander
• 1 teaspoon chili powder, adjust to taste
• 3 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 tablespoon fresh ginger, grated
• 2 tablespoons lemon juice
• 1 tablespoon oil
• Salt to taste

For the coconut sauce

• 2 tablespoons oil or ghee
• 1 large onion, finely chopped
• 4 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 tablespoon fresh ginger, grated
• 2 medium tomatoes, chopped, or one 400g can crushed tomatoes
• 1 tablespoon tomato paste
• ½ teaspoon ground turmeric
• 1 teaspoon ground cumin
• 1 green chili, sliced, adjust to taste
• 1 can (400ml) full-fat coconut milk
• Salt to taste
• 1 tablespoon lemon juice, added at the very end
• ½ cup fresh cilantro, chopped, half stirred in during cooking, half for garnish

Step by step

1. Marinate the chicken. Score each piece of chicken with 2–3 deep slits through to the bone, this lets the marinade penetrate properly. Combine the turmeric, cumin, coriander, chili powder, garlic, ginger, lemon juice, oil and salt. Rub all over the chicken, working it into the slits. Marinate for at least 1 hour, or overnight in the fridge for the best result.
2. Grill the chicken. Heat a grill or grill pan to medium-high. Grill the chicken 5–6 minutes per side, turning every few minutes, until it develops good char on the outside but doesn’t need to be fully cooked through, it will finish in the sauce. Set aside.That char is the signature of kuku paka and it flavors the entire sauce when the chicken finishes cooking in it. Don’t skip this step or rush past it, pale chicken produces a noticeably flatter-tasting sauce.
3. Build the sauce. Heat the oil or ghee in a large pot over medium heat. Sauté the onion until golden, about 8 minutes. Add the garlic, ginger and chili, cooking 1 minute until fragrant. Stir in the tomato paste, turmeric and cumin, cooking another minute.
4. Cook down the tomatoes. Add the chopped tomatoes and half the cilantro. Cook for 5–7 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the tomatoes break down completely and the sauce thickens and the oil starts to separate at the edges.Let the tomatoes fully break down before the coconut milk goes in, this is what gives the sauce its body and depth. Add coconut milk too early and it never thickens properly.
5. Simmer with the chicken. Pour in the coconut milk and stir to combine. Add the grilled chicken pieces, nestling them into the sauce. Bring to a gentle simmer, cover, and cook for 20–25 minutes until the chicken is cooked through and the sauce has thickened.
6. Finish and serve. Stir in the lemon juice and remaining cilantro. Taste and adjust salt. Serve hot over basmati rice or with chapati, spooning plenty of sauce over each portion.

Why the grill comes first

Most coconut chicken curries go straight from raw into the sauce. Kuku paka doesn’t, and the difference is immediately obvious in the eating, the char on the outside of the chicken doesn’t disappear when it simmers in the coconut sauce, it dissolves into it, adding a smoky depth that the sauce can’t develop any other way.

It’s an extra step that takes about fifteen minutes and changes the dish completely.

Make it your own

Claire’s note

Hard-boiled eggs are a traditional addition in some Kenyan version, nestle them into the sauce for the last 10 minutes so they absorb the flavor. Chunks of potato are also common, added with the coconut milk so they cook through during the simmer. For a milder version, swap the green chili for a diced green bell pepper. Kuku paka keeps refrigerated for up to 3 days and genuinely tastes better the next day once the chicken has had time to soak further into the sauce.

Serve with

African kuku paka is traditionally served over basmati rice or alongside chapati, with extra sauce spooned generously over the top. For more from the African collection the complete African food guide has it all.

Add African kuku paka to your weekly meal planner, marinate the chicken the night before for an easy, mostly hands-off dinner. And for more recipes, follow us on Pinterest.

African Kuku Paka

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• Author: Claire Bennett
• Total Time: 110 minutes
• Yield: 4 servings 1x
• Diet: Gluten-Free

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Description

A traditional dish from the Swahili coast featuring grilled chicken in a rich coconut and tomato sauce.

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Ingredients

Scale 1x2x3x

• 2 lbs bone-in, skin-on chicken thighs and drumsticks
• 1 teaspoon ground turmeric
• 1 teaspoon ground cumin
• 1 teaspoon ground coriander
• 1 teaspoon chili powder, adjust to taste
• 3 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 tablespoon fresh ginger, grated
• 2 tablespoons lemon juice
• 1 tablespoon oil
• Salt to taste
• 2 tablespoons oil or ghee (for sauce)
• 1 large onion, finely chopped
• 4 cloves garlic, minced (for sauce)
• 1 tablespoon fresh ginger, grated (for sauce)
• 2 medium tomatoes, chopped, or one 400g can crushed tomatoes
• 1 tablespoon tomato paste
• ½ teaspoon ground turmeric (for sauce)
• 1 teaspoon ground cumin (for sauce)
• 1 green chili, sliced, adjust to taste
• 1 can (400ml) full-fat coconut milk
• Salt to taste
• 1 tablespoon lemon juice (added at the very end)
• ½ cup fresh cilantro, chopped

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Instructions

1. Marinate the chicken. Score each piece of chicken with 2–3 deep slits through to the bone. Combine the turmeric, cumin, coriander, chili powder, garlic, ginger, lemon juice, oil and salt. Rub all over the chicken and marinate for at least 1 hour, or overnight for best results.
2. Grill the chicken. Heat a grill or grill pan to medium-high. Grill the chicken for 5–6 minutes per side until charred but not fully cooked. Set aside.
3. Build the sauce. Heat oil or ghee in a large pot over medium heat. Sauté onion until golden, about 8 minutes. Add garlic, ginger, and chili, cooking for 1 minute until fragrant. Stir in tomato paste, turmeric, and cumin, cooking for another minute.
4. Cook down the tomatoes. Add chopped tomatoes and half the cilantro. Cook for 5–7 minutes until the tomatoes break down completely and the sauce thickens.
5. Simmer with the chicken. Pour in coconut milk and stir to combine. Add grilled chicken, nestling into the sauce. Cover and cook for 20–25 minutes until the chicken is cooked through.
6. Finish and serve. Stir in lemon juice and remaining cilantro. Adjust salt to taste. Serve hot over basmati rice or with chapati.

Notes

For a traditional addition, include hard-boiled eggs or chunks of potato in the sauce. Kuku paka keeps refrigerated for up to 3 days and tastes even better the next day.

• Prep Time: 60 minutes
• Cook Time: 50 minutes
• Category: Main Course
• Method: Grilling and Simmering
• Cuisine: African

Nutrition

• Serving Size: 1 serving
• Calories: 650
• Sugar: 6g
• Sodium: 600mg
• Fat: 35g
• Saturated Fat: 20g
• Unsaturated Fat: 10g
• Trans Fat: 0g
• Carbohydrates: 30g
• Fiber: 4g
• Protein: 45g
• Cholesterol: 130mg