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Frango com quiabo is pure Minas Gerais comfort: chicken braised until tender in a garlicky tomato sauce with seared okra. Mineiro cooks sear the okra first, so it stays green and pleasant rather than slippery. It is naturally low in carbs and full of homestyle flavor.
Per serving: 594 calories · 7.7 g net carbs · 40 g protein · 44 g fat (calculated from the ingredients)
What You’ll Need
Ingredients
- 2 1/2 pounds bone-in skin-on chicken thighs and drumsticks (about 1 3/4 pounds meat)
- 1 1/4 teaspoons fine salt divided
- 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
- 1 1/2 tablespoons fresh lime juice
- 3 tablespoons olive oil divided
- 10 ounces fresh okra trimmed and cut into 1-inch pieces
- 1 small onion chopped
- 4 cloves garlic minced
- 1 large ripe tomato chopped
- 1 teaspoon ground turmeric
- 1 1/2 cups chicken bone broth
- 1/4 cup chopped parsley and scallion
Instructions
- Season the chicken with 1 teaspoon of salt, the pepper and the lime juice. Let it sit for 15 minutes while you prepare the okra.
- Heat 1 tablespoon of oil in a large skillet over high heat. Add the okra in a single layer and cook without stirring for 2 minutes, then toss and cook 4 to 5 minutes more, until browned in spots and no longer sticky. Sprinkle with the remaining salt and set aside.
- Heat the remaining oil in a heavy pot over medium-high heat. Pat the chicken dry and brown it on all sides, about 8 minutes. Move to a plate.
- Add the onion to the pot and cook for 4 minutes. Stir in the garlic, tomato and turmeric and cook for 3 minutes until the tomato softens.
- Return the chicken, add the broth, cover and simmer for 25 to 30 minutes, until the chicken is tender.
- Stir in the seared okra and simmer uncovered for 5 minutes, until the sauce thickens. Finish with the herbs.
Notes
Nutrition
About This Dish
Frango com quiabo is one of the best-known dishes of Minas Gerais, a state famous across Brazil for its farmhouse cooking. Okra came to Brazil from Africa and became a staple in Minas and Bahia. Mineiro cooks traditionally made this dish with backyard chickens, called frango caipira, which have firmer, more flavorful meat. The classic partner is angu, a smooth cornmeal porridge that soaks up the sauce. The dish is often cooked in a heavy iron pot over a wood-fired stove, the fogão a lenha that is a symbol of Minas hospitality.
Pairs Well With
- Brazilian Vagem Refogada, Sautéed Green Beans with Garlic and Tomato
- Brazilian Jiló Refogado, Sautéed Bitter Garden Eggplant
This recipe is from The Ultimate Brazilian Keto Cookbook by Gisele Costello, Chapter 5: Chicken (Cathedral of Brasília). See all Brazilian recipes