African Peanut Stew

Name: African Peanut Stew
Prep time: 20 min
Cook time: 1 h 40 min
Total time: 2 h
Yield: 6 servings
Ingredients: 2.5 lb bone-in chicken legs, thighs, and/or wings; 3 tbsp vegetable oil; 1 large large yellow onion, sliced; 3 inch piece fresh ginger piece, peeled and minced; 7 clove garlic cloves, roughly chopped; 2.5 lb sweet potatoes, peeled and cut into 2-inch chunks; 1 15-ounce can crushed tomatoes; 1 quart chicken stock or broth; 1 cup natural peanut butter, smooth or crunchy; 1 cup roasted peanuts; 1 tbsp ground coriander; 1 tsp cayenne pepper; kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper; 0.33 cup fresh cilantro, roughly chopped

Smoky West African Chicken and Sweet Potato Stew

This hearty stew brings together tender chicken, creamy sweet potatoes, and rich peanut butter in a way that's both exotic and comforting. The long simmer transforms simple ingredients into something deeply warming, with just enough heat to keep things interesting.

AfricanDinnerHigh ProteinComfort FoodOne PotChicken

Prep20 min

Cook1 hr 40 min

Total2 hrs

Servings6

Difficultymedium

Ingredients

2½ lbbone-in chicken legs, thighs, and/or wings
3 tbspvegetable oil
1 largelarge yellow onion, sliced
3 inch piecefresh ginger piece, peeled and minced
7 clovegarlic cloves, roughly chopped
2½ lbsweet potatoes, peeled and cut into 2-inch chunks
1 15-ounce cancrushed tomatoes
1 quartchicken stock or broth
1 cupnatural peanut butter, smooth or crunchy
1 cuproasted peanuts
1 tbspground coriander
1 tspcayenne pepper
kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
⅓ cupfresh cilantro, roughly chopped

Instructions

Get your oil shimmering in a large, heavy-bottomed soup pot over medium-high heat. Pat the chicken pieces completely dry and season generously with salt — this helps create that golden crust. Brown the chicken in batches, giving each piece space to develop color without steaming. Don't rush this step; good browning means good flavor. Transfer the browned pieces to a plate.
Lower the heat to medium and add the sliced onions to the same pot, using that flavorful fond to your advantage. Cook them for 3-4 minutes until they start to soften, scraping up any browned bits stuck to the bottom. Stir in the ginger and garlic, cooking just until fragrant — about a minute more. Add the sweet potato chunks and give everything a good stir to coat.
⏱ 5 min
Pour in the chicken stock, crushed tomatoes, peanut butter, roasted peanuts, coriander, and cayenne. Stir well to dissolve the peanut butter completely — it might look a bit messy at first, but it'll come together. Nestle the browned chicken pieces back into the pot and bring the whole thing to a gentle simmer. Taste the broth and add salt as needed.
Cover the pot and let everything simmer very gently for 90 minutes. You want just the occasional bubble breaking the surface — aggressive boiling will make the chicken tough. The chicken should be falling-off-the-bone tender and the sweet potatoes completely soft when it's ready. Check occasionally and adjust the heat if needed.
⏱ 1 hr 30 min
Carefully lift the chicken pieces out onto a cutting board and let them cool enough to handle safely. Pull off and discard the skin if you prefer, or chop it up and add it back for extra richness. Shred all the meat from the bones using two forks, then return the shredded chicken to the stew. Discard the bones.
Now's the time to make it yours — taste and adjust the salt, cayenne, and black pepper until it hits the right balance of heat and seasoning. Stir in the fresh cilantro just before serving. Ladle into bowls and serve over rice if you want to stretch it further and soak up that incredible broth.