Galinha à Portuguesa

Galinha à Portuguesa (Macanese Portuguese-Style Chicken)

A signature dish of Macanese cuisine — the fusion cooking of Macau — Galinha à Portuguesa braises chicken with potatoes in a fragrant, lightly spiced coconut-tomato sauce. Despite the name, it is a Chinese-Macanese home classic, not a Portuguese one.

Prep

15 min

Cook

55 min

Total

70 min

Serves

4

Difficulty

Medium

Recipe ingredients

• •800 g (1¾ lb) bone-in chicken thighs and drumsticks, skin on, for flavour
• •500 g (1 lb) waxy potatoes, such as Yukon Gold, peeled and cut into 4 cm wedges
• •200 ml (¾ cup) coconut milk, well-shaken canned, or fresh
• •200 g (7 oz) fresh ripe tomatoes, or 150 g canned whole tomatoes
• •2 tbsp tomato paste
• •1 large yellow onion, thinly sliced
• •4 cloves garlic, finely chopped
• •1 tbsp fresh ginger, finely chopped
• •1 tbsp soy sauce, light (Macanese-style)
• •1 tsp ground turmeric
• •1 tsp sweet paprika
• •2 whole bay leaves
• •1 stick cinnamon stick, a 5 cm piece, or ¼ tsp ground cinnamon
• •4 whole whole cloves
• •2 tbsp vegetable oil, or lard, for authenticity
• •1 tsp salt, plus more to taste
• •0.5 tsp (½ tsp) ground white pepper, black pepper is acceptable
• •2 tbsp fresh coriander, chopped, for garnish

Steps

1. 1 Pat the chicken pieces dry and season evenly with the salt, white pepper, turmeric, and paprika. Let sit at room temperature for 15 minutes so the spices adhere.
2. 2 Heat the oil in a wide, heavy pot or deep sauté pan over medium-high heat. Brown the chicken in batches, skin-side down first, for about 3 minutes per side until a deep golden crust forms. Transfer to a plate; do not crowd the pan.
3. 3 Lower the heat to medium. Add the sliced onion to the rendered fat and cook for 4–5 minutes, stirring, until soft and translucent. Stir in the garlic and ginger and cook 60 seconds until fragrant — do not brown.
4. 4 Add the tomato paste and cook 1 minute, pressing it into the onions, then add the fresh tomatoes (crushed by hand) or canned tomatoes with their juice. Stir and simmer 5 minutes until the mixture thickens and the oil begins to separate at the edges.
5. 5 Pour in the soy sauce, add the bay leaves, cinnamon stick, and whole cloves. Nestle the browned chicken and any juices back into the pot and turn to coat in the sauce.
6. 6 Add the coconut milk and 150 ml (⅔ cup) water. Bring to a gentle boil, then reduce the heat to low, cover, and simmer for 20 minutes. The sauce should barely bubble — vigorous boiling will curdle the coconut milk.
7. 7 Add the potato wedges to the pot, tucking them under the chicken. Cover and simmer a further 18–20 minutes, until a knife slides easily into the potatoes and the chicken is fully cooked.
8. 8 Doneness check: the chicken must reach an internal temperature of 75 °C (165 °F) at the thickest part of the thigh, measured away from bone. The potatoes should be fork-tender with no firm centre. If the sauce is too thin, uncover and simmer 5 minutes more; if too dry, add a splash of water.
9. 9 Discard the cinnamon stick, cloves, and bay leaves. Taste and adjust salt. Scatter the chopped coriander over the top.
10. 10 Serve hot straight from the pot with steamed jasmine rice, ladling plenty of the saffron-orange coconut-tomato sauce over each portion.