Kenyan-Style Coconut Chicken Curry
By Dennis The Prescott
In his new book Cook with Confidence: Over 100 Inspiring Recipes to Cook and Eat Together, Dennis Prescott shares the origin story for this fragrant chicken curry. Through his work with World Vision Canada, Dennis has visited Kenya several times. In Dzikunze, a remote village in the drought-ridden southeastern region of the country, he met a woman (now a friend) named Beatrice. Because of the persisting drought in the region, Beatrice’s property often goes weeks (if not months) without substantial rain, making growing crops, feeding livestock, and, ultimately, putting food on the table, an incredible challenge. Dennis was honored to cook along with Beatrice and her family. This recipe, a fragrant slow-cooked stew packed with rich spices, fragrant ginger, cilantro, and coconut milk, was inspired by a day spent cooking with them. Says Dennis: "Cooking this dish with Beatrice, her family, and friends is one of the greatest honors of my life."
Prep Time
20 Min
Cook Time
1 Hr
15 Min
Pellets
Apple
Ingredients
This recipe serves:
4
Activating this element will cause content on the page to be updated.Units of Measurement:
Marinade
| 4 Pound | bone-in chicken drumsticks |
| 3 | plum tomatoes, roughly chopped |
| 1 Large | red onion, roughly chopped |
| 1 | 2-inch piece fresh ginger, peeled |
| 4 | garlic cloves, peeled and smashed |
| 3 | serrano chilies, stemmed and seeded |
| 1/4 Cup | roughly chopped cilantro stems |
| 2 Teaspoon | ground cumin |
| 1 1/2 Teaspoon | ground coriander |
| 1 Teaspoon | ground turmeric |
| 1 Teaspoon | garam masala |
| As Needed | sea salt and freshly ground black pepper |
Sauce and serving
| 2 Tablespoon | coconut oil |
| 2 | 14-oz cans coconut milk |
| Juice of 1 lemon | |
| 1/2 | chopped fresh cilantro |
| 1 | or 2 green chilies, sliced (optional) |
| Beatrice’s Chapati (see recipe on the Traeger website) | |
| Cooked rice (optional) |
Steps
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Dennis Prescott’s Kenyan-Style Coconut Chicken Curry
1
Score each piece of chicken 2 to 3 times with a sharp knife, slicing about 1/3 inch into the meat. Place the chicken in a large bowl.
2
In a food processor, place the tomatoes, onion, ginger, garlic, serrano chilies, cilantro stems, cumin, coriander, turmeric, garam masala, and a generous pinch each of salt and pepper, and pulse until a paste forms. Add one-third of the marinade to the chicken and massage until the chicken is entirely coated. Cover and refrigerate for at least 1 hour (although 4 hours is best). Cover the remaining paste with plastic wrap and refrigerate until it’s time to cook.
3
When ready to cook, preheat the Traeger to 180°F; use Super Smoke if available and get that smoke rolling.
180 ˚F / 82 ˚C
Super Smoke
4
Place the chicken directly on the grill grates and smoke for 30 minutes.
180 ˚F / 82 ˚C
00:30
Super Smoke
5
Increase the grill temp to 350°F, and continue grilling the chicken until it reaches an internal temperature of 165°F, about 30 to 35 minutes.
350 ˚F / 177 ˚C
165 ˚F / 74 ˚C
6
While the chicken grills, heat the coconut oil in a large, high-sided skillet over medium heat. When the oil is hot, add the remaining marinade paste and cook, stirring often, until most of the moisture evaporates, about 15 to 20 minutes. Add the coconut milk, bring to a simmer, and let the sauce bubble away for 25 to 30 minutes, or until thickened. Season to taste with salt and pepper.
7
Add the grilled chicken to the sauce, and then bring to a simmer over medium heat to let all of those flavors mingle and spend a little quality time together.
350 ˚F / 177 ˚C
00:10
8
Squeeze in the lemon juice, and transfer to a large, deep serving platter. Top with the cilantro and green chilies (if you’re feeling spicy), and serve with chapati and rice alongside (if using) alongside.
9
Excerpted from Cook with Confidence: Over 100 Inspiring Recipes to Cook and Eat Together by Dennis Prescott. Copyright © 2024 by Dennis Prescott. Used by permission of Harper Celebrate. Photo credit: Dennis Prescott from Cook with Confidence
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