Recipe
🥙 LUNCH
Poulet DG
Fried chicken and sweet plantain simmered with peppers and vegetables in a rich tomato sauce, a Cameroonian celebration favorite.
Cameroonian · medium · serves 4
prep 25 min · cook 40 min
~879 cal · 67g protein · 94g carbs · 28g fat · 14g fiber · 43g sugars · 6g sat fat (estimated, per serving)
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Poulet DG, directeur général's chicken, is one of Cameroon's grandest festive dishes, its grand name suggesting food fit for a big boss. Rich, colourful, and generous, it is the dish that anchors celebrations and impresses guests.
Pieces of chicken are fried until golden, then simmered in a lively tomato sauce with garlic, ginger, and plenty of vegetables, carrots, green beans, and peppers. The signature element is fried ripe , folded through so its sweetness plays against the savoury, spicy sauce. Served with rice, it is a vibrant plate that says celebration in every bite.
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Make it yours
✓ Naturally gluten-, dairy-, egg-, nut- and pork-free. No swaps needed.
Toggle a diet and the ingredients rewrite themselves with regional substitutes.
🥕 Vegetarian
🌱 Vegan
🌾 Gluten-Free
🥛 Dairy-Free
🥜 Nut-Free
🥚 Egg-Free
🐖 Pork-Free
Dietary labels are a cooking guide, not allergen-safety advice. We track dairy, egg, gluten, tree nuts and peanuts (we count coconut as a tree nut, following FDA labeling), fish, and shellfish; we do not screen for sesame, soy, mustard, celery, or sulphites. If you have a food allergy, read the label on every product you use, and note that a kitchen can cross-contaminate in ways a recipe cannot control.
Ingredients
US
Metric
Serves 4
2 lb chicken pieces
3 ripe
2 cups tomatoes and tomato paste
2 cups carrots and green beans
2 bell peppers
1/2 cup garlic, ginger, and onion
1/4 cup oil
Instructions
1
Fry the chicken pieces until golden, then set aside; fry the sliced ripe plantain until caramelised.
2
Make a sauce by frying the onion, garlic, and ginger, then adding the tomato and cooking down.
3
Return the chicken with the vegetables and simmer until tender and the sauce thickens.
✎ Chef’s note
Fold the fried plantain in near the end so it keeps its shape and sweetness rather than dissolving into the sauce.
4
Fold in the fried plantain and serve with rice.
Cameroonian celebration tradition.
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🌏 While it simmers, know your destination
📍
Littoral (Douala). The evening trade in Douala is grilled fish. A whole mackerel or bar is split open, rubbed with a paste of garlic, ginger, parsley and hot pepper and laid over coals at a roadside stand, then served with baton de manioc or fried plantain and a sharp raw onion and lemon relish.
🗺️
Cameroon. The other pole of Cameroonian cooking is achu, from the northwest: pounded cocoyam eaten with a bright yellow soup of palm oil emulsified with limestone water and spiced with country onion and bush pepper, taken with the fingers from a shared bowl. The country's food changes as sharply as its landscape does from coast to Sahel.
🌍
Africa. Africa's fifty-four nations hold cuisines as different as Morocco's slow-cooked tagines and South Africa's open-fire braai, yet shared threads run through them: ancient grains like millet, sorghum, and teff; stews thickened with groundnut, okra, or palm; and fiery condiments from Tunisian harissa to Ethiopian berbere. Staple starches, fufu, injera, ugali, couscous, anchor communal meals often eaten by hand from a shared dish, where hospitality is a point of honor.
The story behind this dish is up top, worth a read while the pot works.
More from Cameroon
NdoléCameroon’s national dish: bitterleaf greens simmered with ground peanuts, beef, and shrimp into a deep, satisfying stew.
Puff-Puff and BeansSweet fried dough balls served with a savory stewed bean pot, a filling Cameroonian breakfast.
Poulet Braisé (Cameroonian Grilled Chicken)Chicken marinated in garlic, ginger, and scotch bonnet, gently simmered tender, then charred over coals and basted with its spiced marinade.
Browse all Cameroon recipes →
Good to know
Storing it: Fried food is best eaten fresh while crisp. Re-crisp leftovers in a hot oven or air fryer; the microwave makes them soft.
Make it a Cameroon meal
Cameroonian Banana CakeDessert
NdoléDinner
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Frequently asked questions
What is Poulet DG?
Fried chicken and sweet plantain simmered with peppers and vegetables in a rich tomato sauce, a Cameroonian celebration favorite.
Where does Poulet DG come from?
Poulet DG is a Cameroonian dish from Littoral (Douala), Cameroon.
Can Poulet DG be made vegan, gluten-free, or dairy-free?
This Poulet DG recipe includes substitution suggestions for vegetarian, vegan, gluten-free, dairy-free, nut-free, egg-free, and pork-free versions, including several at once such as gluten-free and dairy-free together. Treat them as a starting guide rather than a guarantee, and see the allergen note below.
Is Poulet DG safe for people with food allergies?
Our dietary labels and substitutions are a cooking guide, not medical or allergen-safety advice. We track dairy, egg, gluten, tree nuts and peanuts (we count coconut as a tree nut, following FDA labeling), fish, and shellfish, but we do not screen for sesame, soy, mustard, celery, or sulphites. If you have a food allergy, always read the label on every product you use, and remember a home or commercial kitchen can cross-contaminate ingredients in ways a recipe cannot control.
How long does Poulet DG take to make?
About 65 minutes total (25 minutes prep, 40 minutes cooking), serving 4.
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