African Chicken Peanut Stew

When the beauty that is Autumn finally arrives, it brings with it fantastically bright colors of yellow, orange and red. It brings wonderfully chilly football weather, where sweaters, jackets and hats become a staple in my wardrobe until Spring of next year. Along with the arrival of the cool weather is the thought of warm soups, chili and stews. Meals that not only warm you up, but also stick to your ribs and keep you toasty.

Last year while researching budget-conscience one-pot dishes, I discovered a new recipe that I want to share with you that instantly became a family favorite. It's called African Chicken Peanut Stew and it's a delicious blend of familiar flavors and mildly-exotic spices. This stew's main ingredients are sweet potatoes, chicken and peanuts. It's a hearty dish that is worthy of being placed at your table along the same ranks as the ever-faithful chili or broccoli cheese soup.

AFRICAN CHICKEN PEANUT STEW

Ingredients Needed:

• 2-3 lbs boneless/skinless chicken thighs
• 3 Tbsp vegetable oil
• 1 medium white/yellow onion, sliced (I grate mine in order hide it in the stew, and so my wife doesn't have to pick it out)
• A 2-inch piece of ginger root, peeled and minced (try to avoid using ground ginger if at all possible; fresh ginger is much more flavorful and aromatic)
• 8 garlic cloves, minced (fresh is always better - and remember, the garlic press is your friend)
• 2-3 pounds sweet potatoes, peeled and cut into chunks
• 1 15-ounce can of crushed tomatoes
• 1 quart chicken stock
• 1 cup peanut butter
• 1 cup roasted peanuts
• 1 Tbsp ground coriander
• 1 teaspoon red pepper, or to taste (the more you use, the more warmth there is on the back of your tongue and throat)
• Salt and black pepper to taste

Cooking Directions:

1. Heat the vegetable oil in a large soup pot or dutch oven set over medium-high heat. Salt the chicken pieces well, and brown them in the oil. Don't crowd the pot, so do this in batches. Set the chicken pieces aside as they brown.
2. Sauté the onions in the oil for 4 minutes, and allow the onion juices to de-glaze the bottom of the pot. Add the ginger and garlic and sauté another 2 minutes. Add the sweet potatoes and stir well to combine.
3. Add the chicken, chicken broth, crushed tomatoes, peanut butter, peanuts, coriander and cayenne and stir well to combine. Bring to a simmer and taste for salt, adding more if needed (I felt that the dish needed about 1-2 tsp more of salt for just the right flavor). Cover the pot and simmer gently for 90 minutes. Chicken should be tender and easily shredded once the dish is ready.
4. Remove the chicken pieces and set them in a bowl to cool, then shred and re-add to the pot.
5. Adjust the seasonings for salt and cayenne. And while this dish is supposed to be peppery, only some pepper is really necessary.

Some serve this over rice, but I feel adding an additional starch at the end is unnecessary. Serve with a robust homemade white bread instead. My preferred choice for this time of year would be a beer bread made from an Oktoberfest brew.

Please be advised that this dish yields a good 10-12 healthy servings, so be prepared when you make it to have a large dinner party or you'll end up with plenty of leftovers to freeze. The dish re-heats well, but remember: the longer the dish simmers, the faster the sweet potatoes breakdown and end up thickening to stew even more so than before.


Stay hungry... and may the fork be with you.