Dolo Braised Chicken

About This Recipe

Dolo is a lightly fermented millet beer brewed by women across Burkina Faso and Mali. Its gentle acidity and subtle sweetness make it an excellent braising liquid. In this dish chicken pieces are marinated then cooked low and slow in dolo until fall-off-the-bone tender and glossed with a reduced sauce.

Ingredients

Serves 4

• 1 kgchicken pieces, skin-on
• 500 mldolo (millet beer) or light sorghum beer
• 2 mediumonions, sliced into rings
• 3 clovesgarlic, minced
• 2 tbspgroundnut oil
• 1 tspeach: paprika, salt, black pepper

Instructions

1. 1

   Marinate

   Rub chicken with paprika, salt, pepper, and garlic. Pour half the dolo over and marinate at least 30 minutes.

2. 2

   Sear

   Heat oil in a wide pot over high heat. Sear chicken skin-side down until deep golden, about 6 minutes per side. Remove.

3. 3

   Soften onions

   Add onion rings to the same pot. Cook until caramelised, about 8 minutes.

4. 4

   Braise

   Return chicken. Pour in remaining dolo and marinade. Bring to a simmer, cover, and cook on low 40 minutes until chicken is very tender and sauce reduced by half.

5. 5

   Finish

   Uncover and simmer 5 minutes to concentrate the sauce. Serve over tô or steamed millet.

Variations

• •

  Add sliced okra in the last 10 minutes.

• •

  Use guinea fowl for authenticity.

• •

  Vegetarian: swap the protein for roasted king oyster mushrooms, smoked tofu or cooked chickpeas — adjust seasoning slightly upward to compensate.

• •

  Spicier: add a finely chopped fresh chile or a teaspoon of crushed Aleppo/Urfa pepper to the aromatics for warm, layered heat instead of a single sharp hit.

Storage

Keeps refrigerated 3 days; flavour improves overnight.

Frequently Asked Questions