This slow-cooked chicken stew is a popular dish in the Cote d’Ivoire, where the less-than-tender poultry benefits from the long cooking time; sometimes it’s prepared by wrapping the ingredients in banana leaf packets and cooking them on hot coals. More often the cooking method is to place the ingredients in a tightly sealed jar-shaped clay cooking pot called a canari or canary which is then placed on hot coals. The canari is gently turned or shaken periodically as the Kedjenou cooks, to prevent it from sticking; the dish can be cooked in the oven, in a large pot on top of the

stove or in a slow cooker; come to think of it, a pressure cooker could also work. Anyway, whatever method you decide to use, it’s very important that the cooking vessel be closed with a tight-fitting cover so that moisture and steam can’t escape.

Ingredients

• 1,5 kg large chicken cut into serving-sized pieces – in Cote d’Ivoire they use older chickens for this recipe and if you  have this kind of meat available, use it
• 4 small aubergines, peeled and cut into pieces
• 6 okra, cleaned and chopped
• 2 onions, chopped
• 1 – 2 hot chillies, chopped
• 4 large tomatoes, blanched, peeled and chopped
• 2 cm length fresh ginger, peeled or use 1 heaped tbsp  fresh grated ginger
• 1 bay leaf
• 1 sprig of thyme
• 2 garlic cloves, crushed and chopped
• 120 ml fresh chicken stock
• 1 tbsp peanut oil
• Salt and pepper to taste

Method

• Pre-heat oven to 160 C.
• Combine all ingredients in a large cooking pot and stir until everything is well mixed before sealing the pot with a tight-fitting lid – to make sure it’s well sealed, cover the pot with aluminium foil and then cover it with the lid.
• Place in the oven (or cook over low heat on top of the stove or on the embers of a wood fire) and remember to shake the cooking vessel every 5 to 10 minutes during cooking process – so, if it’s in the oven, you’ll just have to open the door and shake it before putting it right back in the oven for about 100 minutes – the shaking is vital.
• Take the pot from the oven and allow to rest for 10 minutes before serving with FuFu.
• If you decide to use a crock-pot, cook according to the manufacturer’s instructions, and skip the turning or shaking.
• In Cote d’Ivoire, Kedjenou is usually served with attiéké but it can be served with fufu or rice as well.