POULET DG – RECIPE

“Poulet DG”, sounds in English like “General Manager Chicken”. Funny right?  You may ask yourself: why?

As a broad statement, a general manager is an executive who has lots of responsibilities and presumably lots of money as well. Those days in Cameroon, chicken was not only sold as a whole but was also expensive and eggs were a luxury. Meaning, you wanted to eat chicken you needed to buy an entire one believe me it was not given to any family. I grew up in a family of 4 we ate poulet DG only on special occasions like Christmas, new year’s eve, first communion party Moreover, my mother used to make this dish for specials or distinguished guests.

At that time in restaurants, only rich people could afford this dish. When an executive class met for business receptions, wedding ceremonies, political events the poulet DG was the centerpiece on the tables.

So if I translate it in my own terms, I would say poulet DG is a chicken dish for rich people. I do not need to mention that it is no longer the case. In other words, this dish is no longer for rich people/elite/executives only. Poulet DG is an affordable dish and is nowadays very common.

How do you cook it?

Poulet DG recipe:

• Serve: serves 4
• Cooking  Method: fried, pan
• Course: lunch or diner
• Cuisine: Cameroonian
• Preparation:  15 minutes
• Cooking time: 40 minutes
• Difficulty: easy

Ingredients:

–> For the plantains:

• 4 plantains (I have a preference for green to medium ripe plantain)
• Oil for frying; it is even better if you have a deep fryer

–> For the sauce:

• 1 large onion, chopped
• 3 fresh tomatoes, diced
• 1 big carrot, cut into discs
• 4 cloves garlic, chopped
• 1 tablespoon of fresh ginger, finely chopped
• 1 cup celery, chopped
• Black pepper or white pepper
• 1 green pepper, sliced
• 1 cup of sliced green beans
• 2 tablespoon of oil

Optional:

• 1 scotch bonnet pepper or habanero pepper
• 1 Bouillon cube ( I have a preference for Maggi cube)

–> For the chicken:

• 1.5 kilos of chicken thigh
• 1 tablespoon of spicemazing chicken seasoning

Optional

• 1 tablespoon provencal herbs

Instructions

For the chicken:

1. Mix well the chicken with spicemazing chicken seasoning and a little bit of salt or Bouillon cube in a bowl’;
2. Fry the chicken until golden brown. Remove and reserve.

For the plantains:

1. Snip the ends of the plantains, make a slit down the length of it, and remove the skin. Cut the plantains into small discs;
2. Heat some vegetable oil and fry the plantains until golden brown. Remove and reserve.

For the tomato sauce:

1. Heat 2 tablespoons of olive oil or vegetable oil. Add chopped onions and cook till translucent;
2. Add the carrots and the green beans.  Then stir fry for few minutes;
3. Add the tomatoes, garlic, and onions, ginger, cover, and allow to cook on low heat for 5 minutes;
4. Add in the celery and black or white pepper. Add the optional ingredients such as bouillon cube and scotch bennet. Stir fry for at least  5 minutes. You may now also add a little bit of  water at a time to prevent tomatoes from drying up or burning;
5. Add the fried plantains with one cup of water,  the fried chicken,  the green pepper, and salt to your taste. Toss well to combine;
6. Let it cook on low heat for 10 minutes. Make sure to stir occasionally to prevent the plantain to stick to the bottom of the pot.

When your dish is ready, serve immediately and enjoy!

Poulet DG dish is best served hot