Ingredients
serves 6, cooking time approximately 2 hours
- 3 1/2 pounds chicken (bone-in, all parts)
- Salt and pepper
- 3 tbsp Oil
- Onion, minced
- 3-4 garlic cloves minced
- 2-4 Hot chile peppers
- 1 cup chopped tomatoes
- 4 cups chicken broth
- 1 cup smooth natural peanut butter
- 2 tbsp ginger powder
- ¼ cup dried shrimp powder*
Procedures
- Season the chicken pieces with salt and pepper. Heat the oil in a large, heavy-bottomed pot over medium-high flame. Brown the chicken pieces, a few at a time, on all sides in the hot oil. Remove to a plate and set aside.
- Reduce the heat to medium and add the onions, garlic, dried shrimp powder and chile peppers. Sauté until cooked down and the onion becomes translucent, 4 to 5 minutes. Add the tomatoes and cook for another 5 to 6 minutes to reduce the liquid in the tomatoes a little.
- Add the water or broth, browned chicken pieces, salt and pepper and ginger to the pot and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to medium-low and simmer for about 45 minutes.
- In a small bowl mix the peanut butter with about 1 cup of the simmering stew liquid and stir until the peanut butter is smooth. Stir the peanut butter into the simmering stew. Simmer for another 15 to 20 minutes
- Serve groundnut stew over couscous or rice.
*Dried shrimp powder (pictured at top, before being ground in a food processor, in the bottom left corner) is most easily found in your nearest Asian market. It’s actually rather common across many cuisines, and they certainly don’t go bad very quickly, so stock up and see what other recipes containing this unique ingredient you can find!
This recipe is a version of a traditional West African dish. It shows complex flavors– nutty, earthy, spicy, and a little bit fishy– in every bite. Groundnut stew is very hearty and filling, which also means it’s quite caloric; fortunately, most of the calories are coming healthy fats.
You should try to use high-quality, organic smooth peanut butter in this stew, and make sure to invite others over to share!