Taisi Moa (Samoan Chicken Baked in Banana Leaves)

Submitted by Artandkitchen

"Tender chicken dish. Serve with rice and if you like top with roasted coconut flakes. Found online and posted for ZWT7."

 

• Ready In: 1hr 30mins
• Ingredients: 8
• Serves: 4

ingredients

• 4.92 ml soy sauce
• 4.92 ml barbecue sauce (if possible an asiatic one)
• 9.85 ml minced fresh ginger
• 177.44 ml coconut milk
• 4 chicken drumsticks (we used chicken breast, skinless and de boned)
• 2 yellow plantains (peeled and cut into 2 cm thick slices)
• 1 sweet potato (peel and sliced)
• 1 banana leaf, Large, fresh (cut into 4 squares)

directions

1. In a bowl, whisk together the soy sauce, barbeque sauce (I used a Chinese one), ginger and coconut milk. Check the taste of the marinade adding more soy sauce, barbecue sauce or ginger to your taste.
2. Place the chicken, plantain and sweet potato in a large bowl and pour over the marinade. Marinate for 30 minutes.
3. Gently warm the banana leaf over a fire until the leaf is pliable (do not burn it), just 3 minutes. (Istead of banana leaf and baking sheet, you can use a baking mold with lid, it's not the same but it's better then nothing).
4. Cut the leaf into four large squares from 30 x 30 cm.
5. Place the chicken onto the banana leaf square and evenly divide the vegetables on top.
6. Pour any remaining marinade and fold the leaves around the chicken.
7. Tie the package and place them in a baking sheet (lined with baking paper).
8. Bake in a previously pre-heated oven at 180°C until the chicken is tender and completely done (around 1 hour).
9. Check the package occasionally to make sure they do not burn.

Reviews

[LucyS-D]

I loved the flavor of the chicken, but not the texture or flavor of the sweet potatoes and plantains. I used a spicy Korean BBQ sauce which was fantastic in this. I would definitely make this again with just the chicken (skin removed because it does not brown up prettily, or boneless breast meat). As far as the packets go, I used individual baking dishes and lined them with a banana leaf. Then I put in the chicken and vegetables and covered with another banana leaf. I covered the whole dish tightly with aluminum foil.

 

[Random Rachel]

The chicken was amazing! I have never tried plantains before, and they were really dry and bland so we all picked them out. I had 2 banana leaves, and it wasn't enough to wrap four packets, so I used my 13x9 glass baking dish, and put one leaf on the bottom, then added the chicken and veggies, and then covered it with the other leaf, and then tinfoil. It only took 25 minutes to bake spread out like that. :-) For ZWT7

 

[Studentchef]

I thought this would be a difficult/time consuming recipe to make, but it was a lot easier to make than I thought it would be! The only problem was tieing the banana leaves around the chicken, but I think it was because I was all thumbs on that part, so I just did the best I could and it still turned out wonderful. The chicken came out moist and flavourful, leaving me wanting more!

 

[Rita1652]

I did add 1 onion peeled and sliced in half then sliced. And 1 tablespoon chopped lime basil. Season the chicken before tossing into the marinade with salt and pepper. Baked at 350 degrees. Used only chicken legs. The banana leaf aroma really makes this it also kept the chicken very very moist! Thanks. Made for ZWT 2011

 

[TracyB]

It's just a very bland recipe, and nothing like the Samoan food I've tried before. The plantains needed some extra flavoring, and possibly this recipe would've been better with bananas (which aren't as starchy). The only thing that saved this recipe is that the coconut milk made the chicken tender.