If you’re looking for a hearty chicken vegetable stew that is versatile and perfect for feeding a crowd, you’ve found it! Based on a mix between Gordon Ramsay’s Malaysian curry and Kenyan Cafe’s chicken stew, this is sure to become a family favorite!
Before moving to Atlanta, we lived in Morgantown, West Virginia. Our FAVORITE restaurant was a place called Kenyan Cafe. They made the best chicken stew recipe I have had or ever will have. Their beef samosas were pretty good, too, but that’s a whole different story.
After we moved to Atlanta, Kenyan Cafe closed down (likely because we were 80% of their clientele). And we haven’t yet found a replacement restaurant in our area. However, Zach did find a recipe that he adjusted to taste more like the chicken stew we used to get at Kenyan Cafe.
This recipe is adapted from Gordon Ramsay’s Malaysian curry recipe. It accounts for the difficulty of finding certain ingredients in a standard American grocery store. It probably won’t win any authenticity awards, but it is a delicious, hearty curry recipe. And it can be tailored to suit any taste.
The Best Hearty Chicken Vegetable Stew
Any vegetable can be added or removed as you see fit. We really like the zip and texture of cabbage, as well as the extra body from the green beans.
This is the closest we’ve been able to come to finding a recipe for the Kenyan chicken stew. We’ll continue adapting and searching. Until then, this is a household favorite of ours.
Seasonal Notes
This adapts to the seasons in a weird, but great, way. In winter, it feels hearty, bold, and warm. Perfect for staving off the cold. In summer, the vegetables make it feel light. As long as you’re up to stovetop cooking in the summer, that is. You would think it would be too heavy for summer, right? We made this the last time we went to the beach, and it was perfect! I just stay away from the rice, which is what adds to the heaviness for me.
Chicken vegetable stew is my favorite thing that Zach makes. It’s great for feeding a crowd or for keeping leftover throughout a busy week. It’s a dish we have never gotten sick of. Definitely a keeper for this house!
But if anyone in Morgantown sees this and has figured out how to make an exact copy of Kenyan Cafe’s chicken stew…please email me or leave a comment. I need that recipe.
Chicken and Vegetable Curry
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Ingredients
- For the paste:
- 1-2 tbsps lemongrass paste
- 1 tsp ground ginger
- 5 green onions, sliced
- 1 tsp turmeric
- 2-3 chopped red chilis
- 1 tbsp garlic powder
- 2 tbsps sunflower oil
- For the curry:
- 1 tbsp oil
- 2 lbs boneless chicken thighs
- salt and pepper, to taste
- 1 large onion, chopped
- 1 medium cabbage, chopped
- 1 lb green beans
- 2 cups sliced carrots
- 2 lbs potatoes, diced
- 1 tsp ground cinnamon
- 1 can coconut milk
- 1/2 cup chicken broth
- 1 tsp brown sugar
- 2 tbsps soy sauce
- 2 tbsps fish sauce
Instructions
For the paste:
Step 1: In a blender, process the green onions, red chilis, ginger, garlic, lemongrass, turmeric, and oil. Blend until it becomes a paste.
For the curry:
Step 2: Add 1 tbsp oil to a large stock pot on medium heat. Add curry paste and cook for 2 minutes.
Step 3: Add onions. Cook for 5 minutes.
Step 4: Season cubed chicken with salt and pepper. Coat it with the paste.
Step 5: Add cinnamon, coconut milk, and chicken broth to pot. Bring to a boil.
Step 6: Reduce to a simmer and cook for 1 hour.
Step 7: Add the remaining vegetables and cook until tender.
Serve over rice.
