Chicken umngqusho

Name: Chicken umngqusho
Prep time: 20 min
Cook time: 75 min
Total time: 95 min
Yield: 5 portions

Samp and beans cooked slowly with chicken pieces, onion, carrot and tomato. One pot, generous portions and good the next day.

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Portions

Ingredient quantities update automatically. Cooking times may need a little adjustment when you change the batch size.

For 5 portions. Tick items as you go — nothing is changed for anyone else.

This recipe contains foods that can contribute to a varied and balanced diet during pregnancy.

Step 1. Boil the soaked samp and beans in the water for about 45 minutes, until beginning to soften. Top up the water if needed.
Step 2. Meanwhile heat the oil in a second pan and brown the chicken on all sides.
Step 3. Add the onion, carrot and garlic to the chicken and cook for 8 minutes, then stir in the tomatoes.
Step 4. Tip the chicken mixture into the samp pot and simmer together for 25–30 minutes.
Step 5. Check the chicken is cooked right through, with no pink meat and clear juices, then season with black pepper and serve.

No declarable allergens in the ingredients as currently selected.

Ingredient brands and substitutions can change allergen content. Always check the labels on the products you buy.

Use pasteurised milk, maas and dairy products in pregnancy, and avoid unpasteurised (raw) milk and soft mould-ripened cheeses.
Cook meat, chicken, fish and eggs right through — no pink meat, no runny yolks.
Wash all fruit, vegetables and leafy greens in clean water, and wash your hands, boards and knives between raw and cooked food.
Avoid liver and liver products such as liver pâté in pregnancy because of their high vitamin A content.
Cool, chill and reheat food once only. Where power supply is unreliable, cook smaller amounts more often rather than storing cooked food.
Speak to your doctor, midwife or a registered dietitian about supplements and about any food you are unsure of.
Chicken must be cooked right through before serving — no pink meat and the juices should run clear.
Iron from plant foods such as beans, lentils, samp and leafy greens is absorbed less easily than iron from meat or fish. Eating them together with vitamin C-containing foods — tomato, pepper, orange or a squeeze of lemon — is a practical way to help absorption.
Combining protein, fibre and minimally processed starch makes a meal more filling and releases energy more gradually. No single food or recipe improves fertility or guarantees conception. Individual dietary advice should come from a registered dietitian or your doctor.

No common declarable allergens are listed in this recipe's ingredients.

Ingredient brands and substitutions can change allergen content. Always check the labels on the products you buy.

South African food-based dietary guidelines — National Department of Health, South Africa, reviewed 7 September 2026
WHO recommendations on antenatal care for a positive pregnancy experience — World Health Organization, reviewed 7 September 2026
Five keys to safer food — World Health Organization, reviewed 7 September 2026