Recipe
🍽️ DINNER
Kedjenou de Poulet
Chicken slow-cooked sealed in a pot with peppers, tomato, and aromatics, with no added water, cooking in all its own juices.
Ivorian · easy · serves 4
prep 20 min · cook 70 min
~708 cal · 88g protein · 19g carbs · 27g fat · 5g fiber · 9g sugars · 7g sat fat (estimated, per serving)
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Kedjenou is a distinctive Ivorian dish cooked by a method as important as its ingredients, chicken (or guinea fowl) sealed in a pot with peppers, tomato, onion, and aromatics, then cooked slowly with no added water, so the bird entirely in its own released juices. The pot is periodically shaken rather than stirred to keep everything intact.
Traditionally the sealed vessel was buried in embers or set over low coals, the tight lid trapping every drop of moisture and flavor. The result is exceptionally tender chicken in a concentrated, aromatic sauce, the essence of the ingredients with nothing diluted.
A specialty of the Abidjan area and popular across Côte d'Ivoire, kedjenou is served with attiéké ( ) or rice. The flavor comes from patience and a well-sealed pot, nothing more.
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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
3 lb bone-in chicken pieces
4 tomatoes
2 onion
1 bell pepper
1 eggplant
4 cloves garlic
1 tbsp ginger
1
2 bay
1 tsp thyme
2 tbsp a splash of oil
Instructions
1
Layer the chicken (or mushrooms and tofu) with all the vegetables and aromatics in a heavy pot, adding no water.
✎ Chef’s note
Kedjenou cooks in no added liquid. Sealed tight, the chicken and vegetables release their own juices, which is the whole magic of the dish.
2
Cover the pot tightly, sealing the lid with foil to trap every bit of steam.
3
Cook on low heat, and every 15 minutes shake the closed pot rather than opening it, so nothing sticks.
4
Continue for about 60 minutes, until the chicken is tender in its own abundant juices.
5
Serve over attieke or rice with the sauce spooned over.
Abidjan tradition.
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🌏 While it simmers, know your destination
📍
Abidjan (Lagunes). The maquis is a format more than a restaurant: open air, plastic chairs, a grill and a short list. Garba, attieke with fried tuna, onion and chilli, is the standing street plate here, and the older partner for attieke was kedjenou, chicken cooked sealed in a pot with almost no added liquid.
🗺️
Côte d’Ivoire. The skills behind attieke were inscribed by UNESCO in 2024. It belongs to the lagoon peoples of the south, and the method is specific: cassava peeled and ground, mixed with a portion of already-fermented cassava to start it off, pressed, granulated and steamed. Production is women's work, while the growing and grinding is men's.
🌍
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 Côte d’Ivoire
Bouillie d'ArachideA creamy Ivorian peanut-and-millet breakfast porridge sweetened and scented with nutmeg.
Attiéké PoissonFermented cassava couscous served with grilled fish and a fresh onion-tomato relish, Côte d'Ivoire's national plate.
Gâteau Coco (Fried Coconut Cakes)Small diamonds of fresh coconut and flour fried until crisp at the edges and fragrant, an Abidjan street sweet.
Browse all Côte d’Ivoire recipes →
Good to know
You’ll need: Pot or saucepan, Steamer.
Storing it: Stews and braises keep 3 to 4 days refrigerated and often taste better the next day. Reheat gently, adding a splash of water if it has thickened.
Make it a Côte d’Ivoire meal
GnamankoudjiDrink
Gâteau Coco (Fried Coconut Cakes)Dessert
Attiéké PoissonLunch
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Frequently asked questions
What is Kedjenou de Poulet?
Chicken slow-cooked sealed in a pot with peppers, tomato, and aromatics, with no added water, cooking in all its own juices.
Where does Kedjenou de Poulet come from?
Kedjenou de Poulet is a Ivorian dish from Abidjan (Lagunes), Côte d’Ivoire.
Can Kedjenou de Poulet be made vegan, gluten-free, or dairy-free?
This Kedjenou de Poulet 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 Kedjenou de Poulet 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 Kedjenou de Poulet take to make?
About 90 minutes total (20 minutes prep, 70 minutes cooking), serving 4.
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