Chicken, Sweet Potato and Peanut Stew –Â 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 (1/2 cup + 1 tbsp) smooth peanut butter
- 480 ml (2 cups) chicken or vegetable stock (use bouillon for gluten free)
- 400 g (14 oz) can chopped tomatoes
- 1 large sweet potato peeled and chopped into bite-size chunks
- 110 g (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.1 1/2 tbsp vegetable oil, 1 large onion
- Add the garlic, ginger, salt, pepper, cayenne pepper, ground coriander, chilli peppers and bay leaf. Stir and cook for a further 2-3 minutes.2 cloves garlic, 1 thumb-sized piece of ginger, 1/4 tsp salt, 1/2 tsp black pepper, 1 tsp cayenne pepper, 1 tbsp ground coriander, 2 red chilli peppers, 1 bay leaf
- 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.4 chicken breasts
- 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.150 g (1/2 cup + 1 tbsp) smooth peanut butter, 480 ml (2 cups) chicken or vegetable stock, 400 g (14 oz) can chopped tomatoes, 1 large sweet potato
- 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).110 g (1 cup) roughly chopped peanuts
- Turn off the heat and serve with rice, coriander and toasted peanuts (and some kale if you like).boiled rice, fresh coriander/cilantro, toasted peanuts*, garlicky kale**
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
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
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.
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Love the way this comes out, it’s been in my rotation of regular recipes for years now.
Made this beautiful recipe this evening. It was absolutely delicious. Thank you so much for posting!!! This is a keeper for me!!
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.
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.