Chicken Peanut Stew is a hearty combination of chicken, peanut butter, sweet potatoes and chopped peanuts with a great hint of heat from cayenne.
Prep Time30 minutesmins
Cook Time2 hourshrs
Total Time2 hourshrs30 minutesmins
Course: Soup
Keyword: Chicken, ginger, peanut, sweet potatoes
Servings: 8
Author: Hank Shaw on Simply Recipes
Ingredients
3poundschicken thighs
3Tbspvegetable oil
1large sweet oniondiced
A 3-inch piece of gingerpeeled and minced
6-8clovesminced garlic
2poundssweet potatoespeeled and cut into chunks
1 15-ouncecan of crushed or diced tomatoesundrained
1quartchicken stock
1cuppeanut butter
1cuproasted peanutsI used Fischer dry roasted peanuts
1Tbspground coriander
1teaspooncayenneor to taste (1 tsp. provides just a slight amount of heat)
salt and black pepper
1/4 to 1/2cupof chopped cilantroor parsley
Instructions
Note - Do not substitute boneless chicken breast for the thighs. Browning the thighs and simmering them in the stew with the skin and bones creates the stock for the stew. Once the thighs are cooked, the skin and bones are removed.
Heat the vegetable oil in a large soup pot set over medium-high heat. Pat the chicken thighs dry and season well with salt. Brown the chicken in batches to avoid over crowding. Set the chicken pieces aside as they brown.
Sauté the onions in the oil for 3-4 minutes, stirring often and scraping any browned bits off the bottom of the pot. Add the ginger and garlic and sauté another 1-2 minutes, then add the sweet potatoes and stir well to combine.
Add the chicken, chicken broth, tomatoes, peanut butter, peanuts, coriander and cayenne and stir well to combine. Bring to a simmer, cover the pot and simmer gently for 60 minutes (check after 40 minutes), or until the chicken meat easily falls off the bone and the sweet potatoes are tender.
Remove chicken and allow to sit until cool enough to handle. Discard skin and remove meat from bones. Chop or shred meat and put back in the pot.
Adjust the seasonings for salt and cayenne, then add a generous amount of black pepper (the stew should be peppery.) Stir in the cilantro or parsley, simmering for a few more minutes to warm chicken and blend flavors. Garnish with a sprinkle of herb before serving, if desired. The stew can be served as is or over steamed rice for an even heartier meal.