A rustic Minas Gerais stew of chicken pieces braised with sliced okra in a simple, savory sauce of tomatoes, onion, and garlic, served over angu — the soulful home cooking of Brazil's heartland.
Ingredients
1 whole chicken (about 1.5kg), cut into pieces
500g fresh okra, stems trimmed, sliced into rounds
2 large tomatoes, diced
1 large onion, diced
4 cloves garlic, minced
3 tbsp vegetable oil
Juice of 1 lime
1 tsp turmeric
Salt and black pepper
1 bunch flat-leaf parsley, chopped
Angu: 2 cups cornmeal
4 cups water
1 tbsp butter
Salt
Instructions
1Season chicken pieces with lime juice, turmeric, garlic, salt, and pepper. Marinate for 20 minutes.
2Heat oil in a large pot. Brown chicken pieces on all sides in batches. Remove and set aside.
3In the same pot, sauté onion until softened. Add tomatoes and cook for 5 minutes.
4Return chicken to the pot, add enough water to partially cover. Bring to a boil, then simmer covered for 25 minutes.
5Meanwhile, sauté okra slices in a separate skillet with a little oil and a squeeze of lime juice for 10 minutes to reduce the sliminess.
6Add the sautéed okra to the chicken and cook together for 10 more minutes.
7For angu: bring salted water to a boil, gradually whisk in cornmeal, stirring constantly for 10 minutes until thick. Stir in butter. Serve chicken and okra over angu, garnished with parsley.
Did You Know?
In Minas Gerais, the secret to perfect frango com quiabo is sautéing the okra separately with lime juice first, which eliminates the sliminess that some people find off-putting.