African Peanut Chicken Stew
African Peanut Chicken Stew
Prep time
Total time
Peanut or “groundnut” chicken stew is popular all over West Africa. This slow cooker version combines economical chicken legs, chickpeas, potatoes and peanut butter to make a satisfying one-pot meal. Feel free to substitute sweet potatoes.
Author: Developed for CFC by Nancy Guppy. RD, MHSc
Serves: 8
Ingredients
- 4 cups (1 litre) potatoes, skin on, cut in cubes
- 1 cup (250 ml) onions, diced
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
- ¾ cup (175 ml) peanut butter
- 1 cup (250 ml) low-sodium chicken broth
- 1 tsp (5 ml) cumin, ground
- 1 tsp (5 ml) coriander, ground
- 1 tsp (5 mL) hot red
chili pepper flakes - ½ tsp (2.5 ml) salt
- 2 cups (500 ml) chickpeas, boiled and drained
- 2¼ lb (1 kg) bone-in, skinless chicken legs, thighs or drumsticks
- 1 red pepper, diced
- 4 cups (1litre) baby spinach
- ½ cup (125 ml) cilantro, fresh, chopped (optional)
Instructions
- Cut potatoes in
1 inch cubes (2.5 cm). Add to the bottom of the crock of the slow cooker. Top with diced onion and minced garlic. - Combine the peanut butter and the chicken broth in a medium bowl and microwave 3 to 4 minutes. Whisk to dissolve. It is not necessary for the peanut butter to be completely dissolved as it will melt and distribute during cooking. Whisk in ground cumin, ground coriander, hot red
chili pepper flakes and the salt. Pour mixture over potatoes, onions and garlic in the crock. - Spread cooked, drained chickpeas over top.
- Separate chicken legs at the joint between the
drum stick and the thigh using a sharp knife. Alternately, use bone-in thighs, drums or a mix of the two. Most chicken legs are sold with skin on so you will have to remove this first. Spread chicken pieces over top of chickpeas. Cover and cook on LOW heat 6 to 8 hours (HIGH 3 to 4 hours). It will cook faster if you use boneless chicken pieces. - Remove lid and stir. Sprinkle leaves of baby spinach and diced red pepper over top. Put
lid back on and leave spinach to wilt (about 20 minutes). Stir gently with a large spoon to mix in spinach and red pepper. Garnish with some minced cilantro and serve.
Notes
This recipe was tested with raw chickpeas cooked without salt. If you are using canned chickpeas rinse under cold water to remove some of the surface starch and salt.
Nutrition Information
Serving size: 345 g Calories: 450 Fat: 20 g Saturated fat: 4 g Trans fat: 20 g Carbohydrates: 35 g Sugar: 6 g Sodium: 410 mg Fiber: 6 g Protein: 36 g Cholesterol: 100 mg