Coconut Chicken and Plantains en Papillote
Oven-Steamed in Banana Leaves
By Dara O’Brien
Creative Director, Lake Isle Press
I switched on my television last night and searched through what I estimate to have been more than one hundred viewing options on five or six streaming channels before I finally settled on something to watch.
It’s called choice overload. When faced with two many options, we find it too hard to choose any. This isn’t just true for TV streaming. It can happen any time we’re faced with an abundance of choice: restaurant menus; grocery stores; the shampoo aisle; even our own kitchens.
For example, let’s say chicken breasts are on sale, so I buy them and want to try a new way to prepare them. Cue the choice spiral.
I might consult one of the many cookbooks I own, including my collection from Lake Isle Press. Or perhaps I could leaf through the large binder full of chicken recipes I tore out of magazines and newspapers before I switched to digital files. Then again I may go to my computer and search my Recipes folder of on Dropbox or my New York Times Cooking Recipe Box. This could result in a shocking amount of time scrolling through files or leafing through books.
However there are moments when my cooking choices come easy. Those recipes that escape my dithering often incorporate an ingredient or technique that intrigues me. Like, for example, banana leaves.
Steaming en papillote, using either parchment paper or foil, is one of my go-to methods for cooking fish. This recipe for Coconut Chicken and Plantains en Papillote from Pierre Thiam’s book “Yolele: Recipes from the Heart of Senegal” published by Lake Isle Press got my attention, not only because it steams chicken that way, but does so in a natural wrapper. I liked the fact that banana leaf packets are compostable and hoped they might lend an extra hint of flavor to their contents, as well.
I couldn’t find any fresh banana leaves, so I got a pack of frozen ones. The only unsweetened coconut I could find was also frozen (perhaps one day I’ll try cracking a fresh one). I bought them along with the plantains and a jalapeño, and as I checked out I noticed I was buying ingredients I had never cooked with—and in the case of plantains, not yet even tasted—just ten years ago.
This is an easy recipe. I tried it twice because the first time out I made the chicken slices too small and cooked them for too long. For the second go-round I used a pound of four chicken cutlets each sliced into four pieces. I left the chicken in the marinade for fifteen minutes and cooked it for ten minutes rather than twenty.
The combination of chicken with plantains, and the coconut marinade is a good one. I might want to try leaving the chicken pieces in the marinade even longer, and seeing what happens if I wrap just four thin chicken pieces in just four packets and don’t slice them at all.
In order to use some of the frozen banana leaves I had to defrost the whole package. Since I had no need for the rest of them, I separated what remained with paper towels and froze them again. I don’t know what refreezing will do to the texture, but it’s worth a shot. If they hold up, I’ll try them again with some frozen salmon I’ve got tucked away.
I’m not sure the banana leaves added extra flavor, but they steamed the food beautifully, and went right into my compost pile when I was done with them. Nothing to dither about there.
Coconut Chicken and Plantains en Papillote
Click here for printable recipe.
INGREDIENTS
2 chicken breasts (about 1 pound), very thinly sliced
Juice and grated zest of 1 lime
1 cup coconut milk
1 jalapeño pepper, seeded and very thinly sliced
1 pinch ground nutmeg
Salt
2 tablespoons unsweetened grated coconut
2 ripe plantains
1 very large banana leaf, cut into eight 6- to 8-inch squares
SERVES 4
PREPARATION
Preheat the oven to 425°F. Place the sliced chicken in a large bowl and cover with lime juice. Let sit a few minutes then add the lime zest, coconut milk, jalapeño, nutmeg, salt, and grated coconut.
Peel and thinly slice the plantains. Rinse and pat dry the banana leaf squares. On the center of each square, set 2 or 3 plantain slices and 2 or 3 chicken slices, strained of the marinade. Close the leaf, folding the ends over. Secure with toothpicks or tie with kitchen twine. Continue the assembly until all the chicken is folded en papillote.
Place packets on a sheet pan and roast for about 20 minutes, testing once for doneness by opening one packet. Serve hot.
Recipe from “Yolele! Recipes From the Heart of Senegal” by Pierre Thiam, Lake Isle Press, 2008
Coconut Chicken and Plantains en Papillote| Dara O’Brien
Coconut Chicken and Plantains en Papillote Recipe
from “Yolele! Recipes From the Heart of Senegal”
by Pierre Thiam, Lake Isle Press, 2008
By Pierre Thiam
“Fresh, lively, and intelligent, Thiam’s “Yolele “ documents, through good strong recipes, fine writing, and much marvelous photography, a fascinating food tradition and the culture in which it is embedded.” —Nach Waxman, Kitchen Arts & Letters
In this pioneering book, Chef Pierre Thiam, a native of Senegal, brings the cuisine of West Africa—including authentic Senegalese appetizers and street food like Shrimp and Sweet Potato Fritters, seafood dishes like Fish Stew (Caldou) or Black-Eyed Pea Salad (Salatu Niebe)—to the world.
TRY THESE OTHER RECIPES FROM CHEF PIERRE THIAM
Beet and Fonio Salad With Spicy Pickled Carrots
Chicken Yassa
Chocolate and Coconut Pudding with Raspberries
Creamy Fonio Cereal with Blueberries, Pomegranate, and Brown Butter
Five-Spice Duck
Fonio and Roasted Cauliflower Pilaf
Fonio and Plantain Pancakes
Fonio, Grilled Lamb Chops & Asparagus with Mafé Sauce
Green Plantain Chips
Jollof Fonio
Lamb Shank Mafé Recipe
Millet Beignets
Ndambe
Seafood and Okra Stew
Spicy Kelewele Fried Chicken
Spring Vegetable Fonio Pilaf
Sweet Potato, Green Plantain, and Scallion Latkes
Sweet Potato-Mango Spice Cake
FIND OUT MORE
BUY THE BOOK