Ripe, unripe, roasted, fried, boiled- anyway you slice it, plantain is bae. Seeing that we are lovers of plantain, we are always looking for new ways to make it and have a new plantain experience. It’s like keeping your relationship fresh by trying things new – you know? This recipe is a perfect savory snack to serve at your next get together or on your own – we’re not judging. It’s super simple and it’s basically bites of plantain stuffed with a mixture of fresh herbs, spices and juicy chicken meat. Yep, we’re drooling too.

You’ll need:

1-2 medium ripe plantains
150 grams chicken mince (or chicken thighs chopped up very finely)
1-2 tablespoons of suya spice or your favourite chicken seasoning (cayenne pepper, garlic powder, nutmeg, paprika, koriander)
1 tablespoon chopped up fresh parsley

Preparation Method:

1. Peel and slice the plantain in 0.5cm rings. With a small sharp knife or small circular cutter, cut out a circle from the centre of the plantain slices (being careful not to put too much pressure as the circle will break). Set the plantain aside whilst you make the filling.
2. In a clean bowl mix the chicken meat with the parsley and your spices of choice. I’ve added my favourite suya spices as well as extra cayenne pepper and garlic powder. Feel free to experiment here and adjust to your personal taste, I can imagine it would also taste lovely with bbq spices, 5 spice powder or ras el hanout!
3. Now it’s time to stuff the chicken mixture into the plantain rings, making sure the filling is flattened out on the top so that the plantain will brown equally when fried.
4. Once all your plantain rings have a chicken centre, put a shallow frying pan on a medium heat, add a drizzle of oil and fry the stuffed plantain until golden brown on both sides and the chicken is cooked through completely (feeling firm upon touch) about 5 minutes either side.
5. Serve the plantain chicken bites with some sweet chilli sauce and sprinkle some fresh parsley and scotch bonnet over the top to complete the look!