Chicken, Sweet Potato and Peanut Stew - This comforting recipe is a slightly spicy, nutty stew that can be eaten on its own, or with rice.
The word stew generally evokes thoughts of cold winter evenings with the fire blazing. So you might think I'm a bit strange for posting this one in Spring.
However, this is more of a light, nutty curry than a hearty-filling stew.
Chicken, spices, peanut butter, sweet potato and a few other goodies, all combine to make a tasty dinner.
I like to add a couple of red chilli peppers to mine to spice things up a bit, but if you're serving this for kids, you can either:
- Reduce the chillies
- Replace the chillies with a tbsp of sweet chilli sauce
- Leave the heat out entirely
Whilst the peanut butter and coriander hint at a slightly Thai-flavour-inspired dish (Thai being one of my favourite cuisines - like this Mee Siam , Yellow Curry, Peanut Pork or this Laksa), it's the addition of tomatoes, stock and sweet potato that really brings it closer to a more traditional African stew.
Serve this dish with some toasted peanuts, garlicky kale and boiled rice. Sooo good!
More Amazing Stews
Still hungry for more? Why not try one of these stews inspired by different countries around the world:
Chicken, Sweet Potato and Peanut Stew
Ingredients
- 1 ½ tbsp vegetable oil
- 1 large onion - peeled and chopped
- 2 cloves garlic - peeled and minced
- 1 thumb-sized piece of ginger - peeled and minced
- ¼ tsp salt
- ½ tsp black pepper
- 1 tsp cayenne pepper - optional
- 1 tbsp ground coriander
- 2 red chilli peppers - finely chopped
- 1 bay leaf
- 4 chicken breasts - chopped into bite-size chunks
- 150 g smooth peanut butter
- 480 ml chicken or vegetable stock (use bouillon for gluten free)
- 400 g can chopped tomatoes
- 1 large sweet potato - peeled and chopped into bite-size chunks
- 1 cup roughly chopped peanuts
To Serve:
- Boiled rice
- Fresh coriander/cilantro
- Toasted peanuts*
- Garlicky kale**
INSTRUCTIONS
- Heat the oil in a large frying pan or dutch oven. Add the onion and cook for 5 minutes on a medium heat until they start to soften. Add the garlic, ginger, salt, pepper, cayenne pepper, ground coriander, chilli peppers and bay leaf. Stir and cook for a further 2-3 minutes.
- Turn the heat up to high and add the chicken. Stir so the chicken is coated in the spices, and cook for 4-5 minutes, stirring regularly, until the chicken is sealed.
- Add the peanut butter, stock, canned tomatoes and sweet potato. Bring to the boil, turn down to a gentle simmer, then place a lid on the pan. Simmer for 30 minutes, stirring every so often.
- After 30 minutes, take off the lid, remove the bay leaf and add in the chopped peanuts. Cook for a further 2 minutes. (you can cook for longer with the lid off if you want the sauce to be thicker).
- Turn off the heat and serve with rice, coriander and toasted peanuts (and some kale if you like).
✎ Notes
** To make the garlicky kale, simply add a large bag of washed kale to a pan with 1 clove of minced garlic, 3 tbsp butter and 3 tbsp water. Stir, then place a lid on the pan and heat on high for 2-3 minutes until the kale has wilted. Nutrition info is for one serving of this recipe, and does not include the serving suggestions of rice, toasted peanuts or garlicky kale.
Nutrition
Equipment:
In order to make this recipe you will need:
-
- A good Kitchen knife. I have recently bought this Dalstrong one and love it.
- Chopping Board
- Microplane for mincing the ginger
- Measuring Spoons
- Garlic Press
- Dutch Oven
- Wooden or Silicon Coated Spoons. We have just bought these and love them.
- Rice Steamer.
Some of the links in this post may be affiliate links – which means if you buy the product I get a small commission (at no extra cost to you). If you do buy, then thank you! That’s what helps us to keep Kitchen Sanctuary running. The nutritional information provided is approximate and can vary depending on several factors. For more information please see our Terms & Conditions.
Wanda says
Made this beautiful recipe this evening. It was absolutely delicious. Thank you so much for posting!!! This is a keeper for me!!
Cindykay says
I made this stew last night for dinner. I had been wanting to try it for a long time, and I'm so glad I finally did! I was hesitant as my spouse does not like sweet potatoes or ginger. I followed the recipe almost exactly, except I used roasted chicken I had leftover and a homemade chicken stock. I used ground ginger as it is what I had, and fresh jalapeno peppers as I had some leftover. It smelled fantastic and tasted even tasted better, but best of all, my husband loved it and couldn't believe he even liked the sweet potatoes! It's a winner and will become a regular in my soup lineup.
Shaun Silson says
I'm not a big fan of Peanut Butter or Sweet Potatoes but in this recipe they work really well to create a very tasty stew. Much as I like chili I think that I would use just the one next time to let the other flavours come through a little more. Another winner.
Tessa says
Hi - this recipe looks great! I saw a question about slow cooker adaption and second it. Can you share instructions for making this a slow cooker meal?
Nicky Corbishley says
Hi Tessa,
Yes you can cook this in the slow cooker. Once you've added all of the ingredients (except the peanuts) and brought it to the boil, transfer to the slow cooker and cook for 3-4 hours on high or 5-6 hours on low. Then stir in the peanuts at the end.
Mads says
This was great! I used habaneros to make it extra spicy. I was also wondering though, it seems like the US measurement option isn't working on any of the recipes!
Ali Smith says
I can't thank you enough Nicky, just finished this, soooo very tasty, I cooked this in my electric pressure cooker, the sweet potato disintegrated, but it made the sauce so sweet and thick, absolutely delicious 😋
Shannon says
I was looking for a recipe for chicken and peanut butter as I didn't have all the ingredients I needed to make my bang bang chicken. This was soooooo good. The link is going into our cozi meals as a definite keeper. Even my youngest (not young, they're 17) had seconds and they rarely take seconds of anything! LOL Thank you for sharing!
Chris Corbishley says
Thanks Shannon,
So glad you and your family enjoyed the recipe 🙂
Chris & Nicky
Cynthia says
My man and I adore this! After I fed it to my young step daughter, I tossed in some chilies in adobo...the spicy smokiness went really well with the peanut flavour. We served it on top of bulgar wheat for something different.
Thanks for an excellent recipe enjoyed by all.
Chris Corbishley says
Thanks Cynthia,
Glad you enjoyed the recipe 🙂
Thanks
Chris & Nicky