Lion King Dinner Night

Hello readers!  Today I want to share with you our latest Themed Disney Dinner…Lion King!  The kids have been saying it’s been far too long since we last watched this classic animated film from 1994.  While I absolutely LOVE watching the Lion King, it’s always a struggle to hide my ugly crying from the ever-judging eyes of my offspring during *that one* scene.  BUT I will suck it up for the sake of my children and this new menu that I’m really excited to try out!  Read on to see how we took inspiration from The Lion King to create our very own Lion King Dinner Night!

Lion King Dinner Menu

At first, I was a little stumped on what foods to incorporate into our Lion King menu.  I knew grilling up some zebra shanks was NOT going to be a possibility…so I had to think outside the box a little.  Well, Lion King takes place in Africa.  And Africa is known for its AMAZING flavors and cuisine.  So, I decided to do some research to learn more and find some new and exciting recipes to try out!

I absolutely love spicy food.  Curry is my favorite thing on the planet!  BUT I knew this had to be family-friendly, so I set out to find some recipes that would be more approachable for the kiddos.

Download a printable version of our Lion King Dinner Menu here:

Can’t Wait to Be King Main Entrée

For our main entrée, I found this recipe for Durban Chicken Curry from Melissa Mayo.  This dish is a South African style curry and can be as spicy as you want it!  Melissa explains in the recipe how to adjust for your personal tastes.  I decided to make it a mild curry using mild curry powder in an effort to spare my kiddos’ taste buds.  This recipe turned out great and the kids really enjoyed it served over rice. 

Be Prepared Side Dishes

For our first side, I found this recipe for Jollof Rice from Immaculate Bites.  Jollof Rice is a classic African dish that hails from West Africa.  This rice dish is prepared in one pot and is cooked in a flavorful tomato-based broth.  I omitted the scotch bonnet pepper (again, to keep things kid-friendly), and for the veggies I just used a frozen bag of mixed vegetables.  I do think the recipe was rather bland without the pepper, but the kids enjoyed it with the chicken and that is what is important!   

Four our second side dish, I wanted to find some sort of fruit or veggie side.  I stumbled across this recipe for Chlada Fakya by Punky Julster at Genius Kitchen.  Chlada Fakya is essentially an African fruit salad prepared with tropical fruits, vanilla, sugar, and cinnamon.  It was a different take on fruit salad than we are used to, and the kids really enjoyed it!  We even blended some of the leftovers up the next day to enjoy as smoothies!    

Hakuna Matata Desserts

For dessert, I knew there was only one option…Dirt and Worm Cups!  What kid doesn’t adore the scene of Timon and Pumba teaching young Simba the joys of slurping up some juicy delicious grubs.  Well, your kiddos can join in on the fun and slurp up their very own grubs in their Dirt and Worm Cups!  These are so easy to prepare, I suggest getting the kiddos involved in the preparation!  I have never made this classic treat before, so I took to the internet to find a recipe.  This recipe for Oreo Dirt Cups from Shari Blogs was easy to follow and turned out great!  The kids had fun helping assemble the treat and loved feeling like they were part of the movie.

Well, that concludes another Disney Themed Dinner Night!  Have you eaten or prepared traditional African cuisine before?  What did you think?!  What are some foods you would prepare for a Lion King themed dinner?  Let me know in the comments!

Looking for more Disney Themed Dinner menus? Check out our Lady and the Tramp themed dinner HERE and our Little Mermaid themed dinner HERE!

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