African Chicken and Peanut Stew
African Chicken and Peanut Stew – This African Stew is a slightly spicy, nutty stew that can be eaten on its own, or with rice.
The word stew generally evokes thoughts of cold winter evenings with the fire blazing. So you might think I’m a bit strange for posting this one in Spring.
However, this is more of a light, nutty curry than a hearty-filling stew.
Chicken, spices, peanut butter, sweet potato and a few other goodies, all combine to make a tasty dinner.
Ingredients
1 1/2 tbsp vegetable oil
1 large onion – peeled and chopped
2 cloves garlic – peeled and minced
1 thumb-sized piece of ginger – peeled and minced
1/4 tsp salt
1/2 tsp black pepper
1 tsp cayenne pepper – optional
1 tbsp ground coriander
2 red chilli peppers – finely chopped
1 bay leaf
4 chicken breasts – chopped into bite-size chunks
150 g smooth peanut butter
480 ml chicken or vegetable stock (use bouillon for gluten free)
400 g can chopped tomatoes
1 large sweet potato – peeled and chopped into bite-size chunks
1 cup roughly chopped peanuts
To Serve:
– Boiled rice
– Fresh coriander/cilantro
– Toasted peanuts*
– Garlicky kale**
Instructions
- Heat the oil in a large frying pan or dutch oven. Add the onion and cook for 5 minutes on a medium heat until they start to soften. Add the garlic, ginger, salt, pepper, cayenne pepper, ground coriander, chilli peppers and bay leaf. Stir and cook for a further 2-3 minutes.
- Turn the heat up to high and add the chicken. Stir so the chicken is coated in the spices, and cook for 4-5 minutes, stirring regularly, until the chicken is sealed.
- Add the peanut butter, stock, canned tomatoes and sweet potato. Bring to the boil, turn down to a gentle simmer, then place a lid on the pan. Simmer for 30 minutes, stirring every so often.
- After 30 minutes, take off the lid, remove the bay leaf and add in the chopped peanuts. Cook for a further 2 minutes. (you can cook for longer with the lid off if you want the sauce to be thicker).
- Turn off the heat and serve with rice, coriander and toasted peanuts (and some kale if you like).
To make the toasted peanuts, simple dry-fry them in a hot pan for a minute or two (keep and eye on them, as the burn quickly). When they’re browned, place on a plate to cool.** To make the garlicky kale, simply add a large bag of washed kale to a pan with 1 clove of minced garlic, 3 tbsp butter and 3 tbsp water. Stir, then place a lid on the pan and heat on high for 2-3 minutes until the kale has wilted.