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Fried Plantains with Poulet DG

Fried Plantain with Poulet DG (Director General) is a super flavorful African meal featuring fried plantains, chicken, and vegetables in a tasty herb sauce inspired by French cuisine. Fancy and delicious, this dish is traditionally reserved for special occasions.

Poulet DG with plantains and carrots in a beautiful wooden bowl.

I’m proud to collaborate with more than 30 Black recipe developers as we celebrate Black History Month 2022. This Virtual Potluck explores Black food through the lens of Afrofuturism. Our collaboration of recipes explores the intersection of the Black diaspora via culture, future, geopolitics, imagination, liberation, culture, and technology.

Cook and share the inspiring recipes by checking out the list of participants below. Follow each participant and continue the discussion with us on social media using the hashtag #BHMVP2022!

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My beloved Cameroonian dish isn’t just any chicken dish; this one is for special guests. Cameroonians (my peeps) call this the ultimate chicken dish because it’s so much better than other chicken meals. This one-dish meal is bite-sized chunks of chicken smothered in a flavorful herb sauce and then paired with vegetables and topped with crispy fried plantains. Oui, merci!

Recipe Ingredients

  • Plantains – Anyone who lives in the tropics understands the importance of plantains. You Northerners have your potatoes, and we have cassava and plantains.
  • Chicken – While I really love thighs, you can use any boneless chicken you have on hand.
  • Herbs – Onion, garlic, fresh parsley, basil, celery, and, honestly, whatever fresh herbs you have on hand (oregano, thyme, you name it) make the sauce absolutely drool-worthy.
  • Vegetables – Carrots, bell peppers, and green beans were my pick for this recipe, but you can use what you’ve got.
Green beans, carrots, and fried plantains in a white bowl.

How to Make Fried Plantains with Poulet DG

  1. Grind the onion, garlic, and herbs in a food processor until they make a paste.
  2. Season the chicken with salt, white pepper, and a couple of tablespoons of herb paste. Set aside and let it marinate.
  3. Sauté the chicken until it’s beautifully golden, remove from the pan, and set aside.
  4. Add in the rest of the herb paste, tomatoes, and paprika. You can pour in a little chicken broth if it starts sticking.
  5. Throw the vegetables into the mix; let it simmer for 2-3 minutes. Adjust seasonings to taste. Turn off the stove. Now, for the plantains!
How to Fry Plantains

How to Fry Plantains

  1. Peel the plantain and slice it into 1-inch rounds. Then fry them in about ½ inch of oil until golden. Drain.
  2. When ready to serve this amazing dish, stir in the fried plantains and serve immediately.
Poulet DG with green beans, carrots, and fried plantains.

Tips & Tricks

  • Chicken and vegetables are obviously good for you. But did you know plantains are high in potassium, magnesium, and vitamin A, C, and B6? So go ahead and add plantains to your diet!
  • This recipe doesn’t have any heat, so if you want to spice things up a bit, feel free to throw in a Scotch bonnet or habanero.
  • The fried unripe plantain goes in immediately before serving to retain its crunchiness. This is how I do it: cook everything and wait until everyone is ready, then fry the plantains. It sure makes a difference because it tastes 100% better when hot.
  • Plantains are great green or ripe, so it depends on how sweet you want them. When people see black plantains, they tend to think they’re rotten; however, that’s when they’re the sweetest. 
White bowl filled with chicken, fried plantains, carrots, and green beans.

More Plantain Recipes to Try

Plantains and Beans

Gizdodo (Gizzards and Plantains)

Sese Plantain Porridge

Tatale (African Plantain Pancakes)

I know this is a special occasion recipe, but it’s so easy to make; why should we wait? And it’s the perfect recipe to celebrate Black History Month, so go for it!

Participant List

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Collard Green Hand Pies by A Girl Called Adri

Sweet Potato Wedges with Peanut Dipping Sauce by Big Delicious Life

Sweet Potato Biscuits by Black Girls Who Brunch

Chicken Plantains and Vegetables by Black Peoples Recipes

Bobo de Camarao (Brazilian Shrimp Stew) by Brazilian Kitchen Abroad

Salted Caramel Chocolate Tart with Candied Peanuts by Britney Breaks Bread

Vegan Coconut Cake with Lime Glaze by Chenée Today

Fried Green Tomato BLT by Coined Cuisine

Shrimp Po’ Boy Salad by Collards Are The Old Kale

Warm Brewed Zobo Drink by Dash of Jazz

Sorrel Martini Popsicles by Dish It With Tisha

Fish Patties with Pontchartrain Sauce by Dude That Cookz

Stuffed Shrimp & Grit Collard Green Rolls by Fior

Spicy Berbere Lentil Chili by Flights and Foods

Sankofa Bowl w/ Suya Duck Breast by Food Fidelity

Brown Stew Pineapple Chicken with Roasted Groundnuts by Geo’s Table

Champurrado Custard by Global Kitchen Travels

Caribbean Fish and Chips with Tamarind Sauce by Heal Me Delicious

Curry crab stuffed dumplings by Home Made Zagat

Nigerian Chapman Cocktail by Immaculate Ruému

Dragon Fruit Pineapple Rum Punch by Jamieson Diaries

Smothered Okra & Tomatoes by Kenneth Temple

Brown Butter Sombi –  Coconut Rice Puddng Brulee by Meiko And The Dish

Coffee and Bourbon Braised Short Ribs by My Pretty Brown Fit + Eats

Fig Cake with Tamarind Glaze by My Sweet Precision

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Sous Vide Ox Tail with Coconut Rice by Sweet Tea + Thyme

Yam Gnocchi served with Oxtail Peppersoup by The Food Disciple

Brown Butter Brulé Bean Pie by The Queen of Yum

Black Eyed Pea And Cornbread by The Vgn Way

Fried plantains with carrots and chicken on a board in a while casserole
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5 from 1 vote

Fried Plantains with Poulet DG

Fried Plantain with Poulet DG (Director General) is a fabulicious African meal featuring fried plantains, chicken, and vegetables in a tasty French-inspired herb sauce.
Prep Time 15 minutes
Cook Time 40 minutes
Total Time 55 minutes
Servings 4
Calories 558kcal
Author Imma

Ingredients

Poulet DG

  • 1 small onion, chopped
  • 4 cloves garlic
  • cup fresh herbs (parsley, celery, basil, etc.)
  • 1-1½ pounds boneless chicken, cut into small chunks
  • Salt to taste
  • 1 teaspoon ground white pepper
  • 2-3 tablespoons cooking oil (butter and olive oil work, too)
  • 2-3 fresh tomatoes, diced
  • ½ teaspoon smoked paprika
  • ½ cup chicken broth (optional)
  • 1 pound vegetables (carrots, green beans, green pepper, etc.)

Fried Plantains

  • 1 ripe plantain
  • Oil for frying (Lard it awesome if you have it!)

Instructions

Poulet DG

  • Blend the onions, garlic, and fresh herbs in a food processor or blender into a rough paste.
  • Salt and pepper your chicken, and stir in 2-3 tablespoons of the herb blend to the chicken. Set aside. (You may do this step ahead of time and let it marinate.)
  • Preheat a Dutch oven or other large, heavy pot over medium-high heat.
  • Add 2-3 tablespoons of oil to the pot. Add the chicken, sauté for about 5-7 minutes chicken, turning once, until golden brown on both sides—transfer chicken to a plate.
  • Dump the rest of the herb mixture, tomatoes, and paprika into the pot, scraping up any browned bits with a wooden spoon, occasionally stirring, for 8-10 minutes. Add about ½ a cup of chicken stock if it gets too dry.
  • Mix the carrots, green beans, and green peppers into the pot; let it simmer for 2-3 minutes. Adjust seasonings to taste. Turn off the stove.

Fried Plantains

  • Using a sharp knife, cut both ends off of the plantain. That will make it easy to grab the skin of the plantains. Slit a shallow line down the long seam of the plantain; peel only as deep as the peel. Remove plantain peel by pulling it back.
  • Cut plantains into round slices about an inch thick.
  • Heat a large, heavy-bottomed or cast-iron skillet with oil about ½ inch deep on medium-high until hot but not smoking.

  • Fry the plantain rounds until golden brown, set aside until you’re ready to serve the meal, then toss them in with the chicken and vegetables.

  • Serve immediately. Enjoy!

Notes

  • The fried unripe plantain goes in immediately before serving to retain its crunchiness. This is how I do it: cook everything and wait until everyone is ready, then fry the plantains. It sure makes a difference because it tastes 100% better when hot.
  • Plantains are great green or ripe, so it depends on how sweet you want them. When people see black plantains, they tend to think they’re rotten; however, that’s when they’re the sweetest. 

Nutrition

Calories: 558kcal

Recipe Rating




Christine Elvira

Sunday 12th of March 2023

First of all Poulet DG is a Cameroonian dish. The chicken is seasoned with Cameroon spices and the way it’s cooked and presented is different from what I can read here.

Carolyn VandeWiele

Tuesday 15th of February 2022

Do you really cut the Plantain in to inch thick slices, the photos look more like a third to half and inch

Imma

Tuesday 15th of February 2022

Hi Carolyn! It all depends on the individual, I cut various depending on the type of plantains I buy. For a crispier plantains cut into a third of an inch . Hope this helps.