SIXTO CARREON

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Liberian Palm Butter — Chicken in Palm-Nut Sauce

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1–3 minutes

A Liberian palm-butter stew with chicken, chili and rich palm-nut sauce, served with rice.

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A bowl of red palm-butter stew with fish and peppers beside white rice and its serving spoon.

Palm butter is a familiar Liberian stew built around palm-nut pulp. Its richness is balanced with savory protein and chili, and it is commonly eaten with rice.

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Prep
20 minutes
Cook
1 hour
Serves
6

The recipe

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Ingredients

Method

  1. Season and brown chicken lightly in oil, then remove.

  2. Cook onion and garlic until soft.

  3. Stir palm-nut concentrate with water or stock until smooth, then add to the pot.

  4. Return chicken, add chili and optional smoked fish, and simmer 35–45 minutes until the chicken is tender.

  5. Reduce until the sauce is rich and spoon-coating, then adjust seasoning and serve with rice.

Chef’s notes

Use palm-nut concentrate intended for cooking. Stir the thick sauce regularly so it does not catch on the bottom.

Substitutions

Beef or fish can replace chicken. The palm-nut base is central to the dish and has no close substitute.

Serve with

Steamed rice

Storage

Refrigerate for up to 3 days and reheat gently until fully hot.

Allergens

Contains fish if smoked fish is used. Check packaged palm-nut concentrate and stock for allergens.

Always Cook with Heart. Always!

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About the Contributor

Written by

Sixto Carreon

Sixto Carreon is a Filipino chef, cookbook author and hospitality writer based in Singapore. Originally from Taytay, Palawan, he has spent more than 14 years in luxury hospitality, with experience in hotel kitchens and banquets. His cookbooks, including The Southeast Asian Flavors, Unpopular Flavors and Filipino Comforts, explain both how a dish is made and why it works. His Pocket Chef guides organise kitchen knowledge for working cooks, and Hospitality at Heart shares practical lessons on service and leadership. He is also the author of the novel The Seventh Course.

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