Groundnut Stew
intro
Creamy, nutty one-pot groundnut stew with tender chicken, soft sweet potato, and warm spices, a cozy, deeply flavorful comfort food perfect for cold days.
Ingredients
Steps
Sauté the aromatics
Heat 30ml (2 tablespoons) neutral vegetable oil in a heavy-bottomed Dutch oven over medium heat (175°C/350°F). Add 150g diced yellow onion, cook for 5 minutes until soft and translucent, then add 15g minced garlic and 10g grated ginger, stirring constantly for 30 seconds until fragrant, taking care not to burn the garlic.
Sear the chicken
Turn heat up to medium-high (190°C/375°F). Add the 450g chunked chicken thighs to the pot, spreading in a single even layer. Cook for 4 minutes total, flipping each piece once halfway through, until the exterior is lightly golden brown on all sides; the chicken does not need to be fully cooked through at this stage.
Add spices and tomatoes
Reduce heat back to medium (175°C/350°F). Add 2g ground cumin, 2g smoked paprika, 0.5g cayenne pepper, and 5g kosher salt to the pot, stirring to coat the chicken and onions for 1 minute until the spices release a warm, earthy aroma. Pour in the 400g canned diced tomatoes with all their juices, scraping up any browned fond bits from the bottom of the pot, and bring to a gentle simmer for 3 minutes.
Whisk in peanut butter
Scoop 180g smooth unsalted peanut butter into a small heatproof bowl, ladle 120ml (1/2 cup) of the hot tomato and chicken cooking liquid from the pot into the bowl, and whisk until completely smooth with no lumps. Pour the thinned peanut butter mixture back into the Dutch oven, stirring thoroughly to combine into a uniform, creamy light brown sauce.
Simmer with sweet potato
Add 750ml low-sodium chicken broth and 300g cubed sweet potato to the pot, stirring to fully submerge all ingredients. Bring the stew to a low rolling boil, then reduce heat to medium-low (135°C/275°F), cover the pot with a lid, and simmer for 18 minutes, stirring once halfway through, until the sweet potato is fork-tender and the chicken reaches a safe internal temperature of 75°C/165°F.
Finish with spinach
Remove the pot from heat, uncover, and stir in the 80g loosely packed baby spinach, stirring continuously for 1 minute until the spinach is fully wilted into the hot stew. Taste and adjust salt if needed before serving warm.
Tips
2.Keep the stew at a gentle, low simmer after adding peanut butter; a high, rolling boil can cause the peanut butter to separate and leave an unappealing greasy film on the stew surface.
3.Customize the stew to your taste: swap chicken for cooked chickpeas for a vegetarian version, use chopped collard greens instead of spinach, or top with dry-roasted chopped peanuts for extra crunch when serving.
Total game changer for my Sunday meal prep! This hearty groundnut stew holds up so well in the fridge all week, I just pair it with a little rice each day and it tastes even better on day 3. So easy to throw together too, I didn’t even have to run to the store for special ingredients!
OMG, I was skeptical about a peanut-based stew at first, but my wife begged me to try this recipe and wow. The flavor is so rich and warm, not overly peanutty at all. We served it with crusty bread for our last family dinner and there were zero leftovers. Will absolutely make again.
Wait, is this supposed to be super thick? I followed the recipe exactly but mine came out way runnier than the photos look? Tasted great but texture was off for me, ended up giving it 3 stars since flavor was on point.
Brought this to my office potluck yesterday and people were begging me for the recipe before we even finished lunch! I added a little extra cayenne for a kick and topped it with chopped roasted peanuts and cilantro, chef’s kiss. So easy to make in a big batch too.
Made this after a long cold hike last weekend and it was the perfect cozy post-adventure meal. It’s so filling without being heavy, and the 45 minute cook time was totally doable even when I was exhausted and sore. 10/10 will be in my regular cold weather rotation.
I swapped the chicken broth for vegetable broth to make this vegan, and used collard greens instead of kale because that’s what I had in the fridge. It came out INCREDIBLE. My omnivore roommate ate two whole bowls and didn’t even notice it was vegan!
My kids loved it!!! I have one super tween who turns his nose up at everything that isn’t chicken nuggets and mac and cheese, and he asked for seconds of this stew. I almost fell out of my chair. The sweet potato and peanut butter combo is just sweet enough to win over picky eaters, I swear.
Full transparency, I forgot to add the ginger until the last 10 minutes of cook time and I was convinced I’d ruined it. Nope! Still came out so flavorful and hearty, even my dad who hates “fancy food” said it was top tier. Easy enough for even the most distracted cook (read: me) to nail.
I’ve been making a version of groundnut stew for 40 years since my neighbor from Sierra Leone taught me, and this recipe is the closest I’ve found to that original warm, comforting flavor. It’s simple, doesn’t overdo it on spices, and lets the peanut and tomato shine. Wonderful recipe.
Quick question — is this naturally gluten free? I’m cooking for my friend who has celiac next weekend and this looks perfect for our girls’ night dinner, just want to make sure I don’t accidentally use anything that will make her sick!
SO good. I made a big batch on Sunday to eat after my gym sessions all week, and I top each bowl with a little dollop of plain Greek yogurt and a sprinkle of chili flakes. The protein from the peanut butter and beans keeps me full for hours, way better than my usual boring post-workout chicken and rice.
Made this for our weekly Sunday family dinner and served it over fufu like my mom used to make. It brought back so many good childhood memories, the whole table was quiet for 10 minutes because everyone was too busy eating. Absolute home run of a recipe, thank you for sharing!
Tasted great but I found it a little spicier than I expected! I used the full teaspoon of cayenne like the recipe said and my mouth was on fire, even with rice to cut it. Still a good recipe, just a heads up for other people who can’t handle heat like me.
I added a pound of ground turkey to this to stretch it further for my family of 5, and it worked perfectly! Total cost for the whole pot was like $12, which is wild for how filling and tasty it is. Way cheaper than takeout and way better for us too.
Pro tip for my fellow messy cooks: don’t try to scoop the peanut butter into the pot while your cat is weaving around your legs. I spilled half a jar on the floor, but the half that made it into the stew was still chef’s kiss. 10/10, would fight my cat to make this again.
Made this while we were snowed in last week in the mountains, and it was the coziest meal imaginable. We had all the ingredients in the pantry already so we didn’t even have to trek out in the snow, it simmered away while we watched movies, and the whole cabin smelled amazing for hours. Perfect snow day food.
First time making groundnut stew ever and I was so nervous I’d mess it up, but the easy step-by-step instructions made it totally foolproof. I added some chopped okra like I had at a West African restaurant I visited last year, and it turned out so authentic tasting. Can’t wait to experiment with more add-ins next time!
Made this for our college football watch party last weekend, set it up in a slow cooker to keep warm with bowls of rice, chopped peanuts, hot sauce, and lime wedges for toppings. People were going back for thirds all night, even the guys who usually only eat pizza and wings at watch parties. Total crowd pleaser!