Kuku Paka (Chicken With Coconut)
- Total Time
- 1 hour, plus marinating
- Rating
- Notes
- Read community notes
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Ingredients
Yield:6 servings
- 4pounds chicken thighs and drumsticks on the bone
- 3plum tomatoes
- 1white onion, peeled and quartered
- 12-inch piece ginger, peeled
- 4garlic cloves, peeled
- 4serrano chiles, stemmed and seeded (use fewer if you prefer a mild dish)
- 2teaspoons kosher salt
- 2teaspoons ground cumin
- 1teaspoon ground coriander
- 2tablespoons coconut oil
- 27ounces (2 cans) coconut milk
- Juice of 1 lemon
- Handful of cilantro leaves, chopped, for garnish
- Rice, chapati or flatbread, for serving
Ingredient Substitution Guide
Nutritional analysis per serving (6 servings)
1481 calories; 110 grams fat; 49 grams saturated fat; 0 grams trans fat; 34 grams monounsaturated fat; 17 grams polyunsaturated fat; 12 grams carbohydrates; 2 grams dietary fiber; 2 grams sugars; 108 grams protein; 1216 milligrams sodium
Note: The information shown is Edamam’s estimate based on available ingredients and preparation. It should not be considered a substitute for a professional nutritionist’s advice.
Powered byPreparation
- Step 1
Trim any excess skin from the chicken, keeping some skin intact. Score each chicken piece in 2 or 3 places, slicing about a half-inch into the meat. In a food processor, combine the tomatoes, onions, ginger, garlic, chiles, salt, cumin and coriander. Process until a rough paste forms. Rub 1 scant cup of the mixture all over the chicken, into the cuts and under the skin, reserving the rest for the sauce. Set chicken aside in the refrigerator for at least 1 hour, or up to 5.
- Step 2
Prepare and light a charcoal grill. Meanwhile, as the grill heats, prepare the sauce: In a large pan, heat the coconut oil over medium heat and add the remaining paste, stirring occasionally, until all of the water in mixture evaporates and the oil separates, becoming visible on the surface, about 15 minutes. Continue to cook, stirring more frequently so the bottom doesn’t burn, until the paste is thick and dark and the raw smell has lessened, about 5 minutes. Add the coconut milk and simmer until the sauce is about as thick as cake batter and has turned a mellow shade of orange, about 20 to 25 minutes, then turn off the heat.
- Step 3
Grill the marinated chicken, turning the pieces so the skin is browned and the meat is cooked through, then add to the sauce. If the sauce has become too thick to coat the meat and provide a good gravy, stir in a splash of water. Turn the heat back on to low, cover and simmer for 5 minutes, or until the flavors have melded. Taste the sauce and adjust seasoning with salt and lemon juice, then garnish with cilantro. Serve with rice, chapati or flatbread.
Tip
- The coconut sauce should be creamy but not flat, so be sure to spike it at the end with enough lemon juice to give it the edge of sourness that is one of this great dish's defining characteristics.
Private Notes
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Cooking Notes
Monika (Vail CO)
Deliciousnessss! Similar to another recipe I LOVE -
- Never have serranos in fridge so I add red pepper flakes
- I actually love raw marinades so I suggest leaving a bit separate from the chicken, whir in another 2 tomatoes and using it as a scrumptious fresh sauce for your flatbread
- 1/2 tsp orange or tangerine zest is da bomb
- PLEASE use whole fat coconut milk - I promise u won't get fat from it ;)
Sheila
I don't have an outdoor grill. I'm thinking of browning these in a cast iron pan and then finishing them in the oven. Has anyone done it this way, who may have some advice?
northfork investor
a couple ideas from my jewish kenyan grandmama: 1. add a teaspoon or two of decent quality curry powder to the other dry spices when making the sofrito 2. before you fry up the sofrito ingredients add the excess chicken skin (u dd save that didn't you?) and render it in the coconut oil fishing it out when crisp and when no-one else is looking to eat as a snack for the cook
Lance Mertz
I am really not into grilling either, so experiment. So, for those without grills or the desire to mess with them, browning the chicken in a cast iron pan first after marinading, then pouring on the rest of the sauce and putting into the oven should yield about the same results. The charcoal grill may impart some smokey flavor, but I really think you will get the same result in the end. You could also cook covered for a while then uncover and broil them just at the end or even at end.
LG
Fry and sear on cast iron pan 5-8 mins on each side then transfer to 425 F oven for 20-25 mins for bone-in thighs.
Tom
I didn't want to fire up the grill and don't have Serrano Chilis, but did this instead:
Cast iron, seared the chicken nicely.
Subbed Chipotle Chili in. Added smokiness that not grilling took away.
It was delicious!
Zak
When I tasted this, it got me excited like no dish has in quite a while. The sweetness of the coconut plays fantastically with the lemon. My wife, who is generally against lemon and also against putting a crispy grilled chicken skin into a sauce, loved it as well. She even said it was made better with sauce.
I made this with a whole cut-up chicken, because that was what I had on hand, and about 1-1/2 serranos, because kids. My 8 yr old said it was as good as sushi, and that's saying a lot.
KP
I made this with all bone-in, skin-on thighs, baking them on a sheet pan lined with parchment for about 40 minutes at 425, then broiling for a couple more to really crisp up the skin and get a little bit of char. Made the sauce exactly as directed while the thighs cooked and then served them with basmati rice.
cagallen
Oh sheesh!!! Delicious delicious delicious!!! Make it!! I made it pretty much as in recipe except I only added 2 seranos, cause I bought 4 but wanted to make a green papaya salad to go with and needed them for that, which I STRONGLY recommend!! I was going to cut a papaya for breakfast but it was not ripe. Who knew this would make my dinner the best ever?? Seriously. Get a large green papaya and make a salad (find on this site) and then also make some pickled green papaya to go with it. Rice.
Heidi
This literally means "chicken cat" in swahili. Kuku Paka is a game that children in Kenya play - similar to duck duck goose in America. Just thought you should know if you are cooking it.
margaret peters
I made this tonight - amazing, excellent flavours - only change I made was I used only 1 can of coconut, and had the perfect amount of sauce. Will definitely be making this again.
tasneem
I loved reading this recipe as I grew up in Mombasa and make kuku paka often for dinner but with a whole chicken, skinned and cut into parts. For my quick weeknight version I sear the marinated chicken (I use a paste made with ginger, garlic, cilantro, lemon and tumeric) in a wok and pour the coconut milk sauce (blended with sautéed onions, tomatoes, tumeric) over it and let the chicken simmer with 2 whole chilies until cooked. The juices from the chicken add to the sauce. Finish with lemon.
Plantace
I'm going to try this dish today, and look forward to it! I always try recipes as written the 1st time, and make notes about changes in future. Thinking ahead: couldn't this dish also be made by coating chicken with paste and then placing into coconut milk to marinate, the way that Buttermilk Roasted Chicken can be? When ready, remove chicken, pat dry and grill. Use marinade to prepare sauce as written. Just wondering.
Ana
Yes. With another recipe for something else.
Megan
This is arguably my favorite chicken dish EVER. The flavors are killer - creamy, but bright and decadent as it comes. I reduced the sauce for about an hour to get it to the batter consistency - awesome texture. I also removed the skins and would bet the meal was better for it. Browned in a cast iron with coco oil, then popped into the oven at 375. I recommend serving it with the Jollof Rice (recipe from NYTimes) and a light salad!
samk
This is a family favourite. For convenience, I cook the chicken pieces in the oven in a deep oven tray for half an hour while I cook the sauce on the hob, adding a squeeze of lemon juice at the end. Then I add the sauce to the chicken and bake in the oven for a further 15 mins. I serve with plain basmati rice and a simple green vegetable on the side. So good, I often serve for guests.
Claire Gunter
1st time, I followed the recipe to the letter. Amazing. Here are my modifications for ease: - make the marinade the night before - use boneless/skinless chicken thighs - sear them in the pan, then put in oven at 325º while you make the sauce - serve with jollof rice Major crowd pleaser.
Jennie
Well, I did a quick version: no time to marinate, and no grill, so made the paste, slathered on my chicken quarters, popped them into a 425 oven for 45 minutes while I continued with the sauce on the stovetop. It never got as thick as cake batter--I see some people subtracted one of the cans of coconut milk which seems right--and although the sauce was tasty, the flavors seemed masked by the coconut. After 45 mins., I popped the chicken into the sauce for 5 mins. A solid A-, with my shortcuts.
Shivani Somaiya
Really enjoyed this recipe. We substituted the serrano chiles for 2 habanero chilies (Pili Pili Mbuzi is also used a lot in East African cooking) and it was great. Would even add another habanero chili!
Esz
Insanely good! I used way more tomatoes so the sauce was kind of more like smoothie thickness and thus needed cooking longer but this is not a bad thing at all cos the flavors get really deep. Added a whole bunch of chili’s - 1 Serrano, 1 jalapeño and 3 of those thin long ones. Just right kinda spicy. Put chicken under grill setting on my oven and then when the sauce was thicker I put it all together and cooked for about 20mins. Serve with rice. So complex and delicious. Don’t skip the lemon
i swag, i cook
Followed recipe more or less exactly, was good, I had to cook the sofrito 10 minutes longer than receip said. Would add additional Serrano or 2 next time.
Denise Sanders
Diced chicken breasts 1 can of Rotel 1 white onion, peeled and quartered 1 2-inch piece ginger, peeled 4 garlic cloves, peeled 2 teaspoons ground cumin 1 teaspoon ground coriander 2 tablespoons coconut oil 1 can of coconut milk Lemon wedges Handful of cilantro leaves, chopped, for garnish Rice, chapati or flatbread, for serving
Thomas
Delicious! I marinated skinless thighs for 3 days before roasting/broiling. The chicken was tender and juicy, and the charring from broiling added great flavor. When cooking the paste pre-coconut milk, add a splash of water occasionally to the fond on bottom of the pan, scrape up and mix back into the paste. This gets it uniformly dark and flavorful without burning. Two cans of coconut milk reduced on medium for ~45 minutes yielded a luscious sauce - rich, creamy, perfect with a lot of lemon.
Jin Yi Kwon
If I choose not to grill the chicken, could I use liquid smoke to get that Smokey flavor? And if so, how much would be needed for this recipe? Thank you!
Joel
Excellent : seared both sides in cast iron skillet; then baked at 425 degrees Used almost 2 cans coconut milk( that’s what we had on hand ) and 3 chilis
Joel
Used whole cut up chicken, no skin.did not have coconut oil so I used peanut oil
Joel
See general notes- terrific
Joel
Made this last night for company and it was exquisite! I marinated the chicken( whole cut up) for several hours and then baked it at 425 degrees for about 45 minutes and then on broil briefly to really crisp it up. I let it simmer for a long time in the coconut sauce and I would absolutely do it this way again- excellent dish!
Kate
Maybe try Kaffir lime leaf next time?
David Barnes
I understand that charcoal grilling is not feasible for everyone, but if you can do it, the smoky flavor of the chicken is magical. I am a major chile-head, but I thought 4 serranos would be too much if I wanted to share this with loved ones. It's not too much! There's an edge of spice to the finished dish that is stimulating but not overpowering. This is a deeply savory dish (I serve it over rice with sauteed greens) that I just want to keep eating day after day—yum!
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