This West African Chicken Peanut Stew is spicy, rich, and mouth-watering! The combination of tomatoes, garlic, onion, and ginger with peanut butter makes for a fantastic aroma that fills your kitchen as it cooks. Plus, it only takes 30 minutes to make - perfect for any day of the week!
This dish is excellent served over rice or couscous and tastes delicious on its own without any accompaniments!
A chicken stew with peanut butter? I'm sure you are skeptical but don't worry, because we're not crazy.
I had the same reaction when I first heard about this stew recipe. Not really my thing, but then again, that's why they call it an "adventure," right?!
And trust me - if you're anything like me in the kitchen (a little bit adventurous), this culinary expedition down "African Road" pays off big time.
Using peanuts in cooking is popular across West Africa. We tested it before and loved it combined with beef in this tasty Nigerian suya recipe.
Chicken stew with peanut butter may sound weird at first, but let me assure you - it tastes amazing once it hits your mouth, so don't judge until you try it for yourself.
Many people call this spicy stew a peanut butter stew, peanut stew, or groundnut stew. In Ghana, this traditional dish is known as Akoko Nkate Nkwan, Maafe in Senegal, and it's also a national dish of Niger, called Djerma.
The texture varies depending on what you prefer, and if there's more liquid in it, then yeah - it will be a chicken peanut soup.
📃 Why it Works
- This dairy-free, gluten-free, and low-carb meal is so delicious and perfect for lunch or dinner.
- You can easily make it in a crockpot or instant pot instead of on a stovetop.
- It can be "dressed up" for a company or served as a family meal.
- This spicy chicken and peanut stew recipe will warm you up and fill your house with an incredible aroma that it'll make your mouth water.
- It's perfect for those cold days or when you're feeling under the weather.
- This hearty stew uses simple ingredients, cooks in one pot, and takes about 30 minutes to complete. Cleanup is a breeze with this recipe!
This West African-inspired stew is a real treat. Ultra creamy, with very easy-to-find ingredients, it is super addictive.
Focusing on one-pot meals is something that I love because they are so simple and quick to put together, which means more time spent with family or friends rather than in the kitchen cooking up dinner.
🛒 Ingredients and Notes
🍗 Meat
For this recipe, we used chicken drumsticks because the bones give the stew great flavor and nutrients. Just as we did in our Colombian Chicken Stew.
You can use any chicken parts, like legs, thighs, breasts, or wings, but you'll need to adjust the cooking time.
For example, chicken breast cut into cubes will cook faster than bone-in drumsticks.
🥜 Peanut Butter
Best to use all-natural peanut butter. We used chunky style, but creamy peanut butter, peanut paste or powder, works just as fine. If you don't have either, ground some peanuts as the locals do. It will first turn into a powder, then a paste as you continue to process them.
🛢Oil
Any of these oils are suitable for this recipe:
- Peanut oil
- Vegetable oil
- Canola oil
- Olive oil
- Grapeseed oil
🔪 Instructions
Step 1
- In a food processor, blend tomatoes, half of the sliced onions, garlic, and ginger. Set aside.
- Season the chicken pieces with salt and pepper. Heat the oil in a large Dutch oven or a non-stick pot, then add the chicken and remaining onions. Lightly brown drumsticks on all sides.
Step 2
- Add the tomato mixture, smoked paprika, cayenne pepper, curry powder, bay leaf, and crumbled bouillon cube. Bring to a boil and let it simmer, frequently stirring to prevent any burns.
- Pour in one cup of water, add sliced carrots, peanut butter, thyme sprigs, and parsley. Allow the stew to simmer, occasionally stirring, until the chicken is tender and the sauce reaches the desired thickness.
👉 Variations
- The recipes vary from region to region: some dishes include chickpeas, sweet potatoes, regular potatoes, spinach, kale, collard greens, cabbage, or okra.
- Although chicken is the most preferred meat, you can find this stew with beef, lamb, goat meat, or with just about any type of protein.
- The vegetarian version will include root vegetables, plantains, and legumes like beans and lentils, but all recipes use native groundnuts, ground peanuts, or natural peanut butter.
- Once cooked, you can remove bones from the chicken if you wish.
- If you don't like spicy food or are cooking for kids, skip the cayenne pepper.
- You can replace fresh ginger with the ground, fresh thyme with half the amount of dried, and water with chicken or vegetable broth.
- For more vibrant color, add 1-2 teaspoons of tomato paste.
🍽 How To Serve It
- Traditionally, this spicy stew goes with a side of steamed white rice (we prefer Jasmine or Basmati rice), millet couscous, bulgur wheat, or buckwheat.
- A warm artisan bread, naan, or flatbread is a great vessel to sop up all the yummy peanut sauce.
- The fresh and crisp salad will bring out the flavors in this stew, balancing its spiciness.
❓ Frequently Asked Questions
The best substitute for peanut butter is the wowbutter, but you could also use sunflower butter (increase the amount by half).
Fresh or dried chilies, habaneros, jalapeno, scotch bonnet pepper, it's all good! If you love the heat, then, by all means, spice up your dish with any hot pepper.
Absolutely! Brown the chicken and onions first, then toss it all in a slow cooker and cook on low for 4-6 hours (depending on chicken pieces).
Yes, this dish is freezer-friendly. It will keep frozen for up to three months.
- 15 Easy Soup and Stew Recipes From Around the Globe
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- Instant Pot Beef Stew with Mushrooms and Red Wine
- Beef and Vegetable Stew
- Mediterranean Okra Stew
- Bosnian Cabbage Stew
More Recipes with Peanut Butter:
- Thai Stuffed Sweet Potatos
- No-Bake Irish Peanut Butter Potato Candy
- Peanut Butter and Jelly Fillo Doughnuts
- Banana Bread with Chocolate Peanut Butter Swirl
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One-Pot Spicy Chicken and Peanut Stew Recipe
EQUIPMENT
- A large Dutch oven or non-stick pot.
Ingredients
- 3 pounds chicken drumsticks
- 1 large onion, sliced
- ¼ cup oil
- 4 Roma tomatoes , or 2 cups tomato sauce
- 3 garlic cloves, minced
- ½ teaspoon fresh ginger, chopped
- ½ tablespoon smoked paprika
- ½ teaspoon cayenne pepper
- ¼ teaspoon curry powder
- 1 bay leaf
- 1 chicken bouillon cube, (1 tablespoon), crumbled
- 1 large carrot, sliced
- ½ cup peanut butter, creamy or chunky
- 1-2 sprigs of fresh thyme
- 3 tablespoons chopped parsley leaves
- Salt & black pepper to taste
Instructions
- In a food processor, blend tomatoes, ½ of the sliced onions, garlic, and ginger. Set aside.
- Season the chicken pieces with salt and pepper. Heat the oil in a large Dutch oven or a non-stick pot, then add the chicken and remaining onions. Lightly brown drumsticks on all sides for 5-10 minutes.
- Add the tomato mixture, smoked paprika, cayenne pepper, curry powder, bay leaf, and crumbled bouillon cube. Bring to a boil and let it simmer, frequently stirring to prevent any burns for about 5 minutes.
- Pour in one cup of water, add sliced carrots, peanut butter, thyme sprigs, and parsley. Allow the stew to simmer, occasionally stirring, until the chicken is tender and the sauce reaches the desired thickness for about 10-15 minutes.
- Adjust the salt and pepper, then remove and discard the bay leaf and thyme sprigs. Garnish with parsley or cilantro (coriander leaves) and chopped or whole peanuts if you desire.
Notes
- Once cooked, you can remove bones from the chicken if you wish.
- If you don't like spicy food or are cooking for kids, skip the cayenne pepper.
- You can replace fresh ginger with the ground, fresh thyme with half the amount of dried, and water with chicken or vegetable broth.
- For more vibrant color, add 1-2 teaspoons of tomato paste.
- Nutrition information is approximate and meant as a guideline only.
- Check the post above for more tips on substitutions, variations, and FAQs.
Chris says
Hi! This dish sounds amazing! IYou mentioned being able to make it in a pressure cooker (Instant Pot or maybe even a Ninja Foodi?) and also being able to substitute peanut powder. Can you provide instructions for that? How much peanut butter powder should replace the peanut butter and what would be the steps and cooking time for using a pressure cooker and perhaps bone-in chicken breasts rather than drumsticks (the fam aren’t fans of drumsticks) Sorry to throw all this at you! I’m love to make new dishes but am not adept at figuring these changes out on my own. I always need a recipe to follow. Thanks in advance for any support you can offer!
Jas says
Hi Chris, those are very good questions!
1. Typically, 2 tbsp PB powder + 1 tbsp water = 1 tbsp creamy peanut butter. I say typically, because it depends on the brand and how creamy you like it to be. For this recipe, you would need 12 tablespoons PB powder and 6-8 tbsp water. It doesn't have to be exact 1/2 cup of PB, this recipe is forgiving.
2. For cooking fresh bone-in chicken breast in an IP (2 or 3 - don't crowd the pot):
a.) Follow the recipe steps 1-3 above using the "sauté" setting on your IP (without the lid).
b.) Continue with adding ingredients in step 4, close the lid and turn the valve to a Sealing position. Press the "Pressure Cook" or "Manual" button and set the time to 10 minutes on high pressure (according to manufacturer's instructions).
c.) Let the pressure release naturally for 10 minutes, then quick release the remaining steam.
d.) In case the sauce is too runny, you might need to use the "sauté" setting again until the sauce reaches the desired thickness.
Enjoy!