West African Chicken Recipes

WEST AFRICAN-STYLE PEANUT STEW WITH CHICKEN

Steps:

• Season chicken with 1/2 teaspoon salt and the black pepper. Heat 1 tablespoon oil in a large pot over medium-high heat. Add half the chicken; cook until no longer pink, 2 to 3 minutes, then transfer to a plate. Repeat with 1 tablespoon oil and remaining chicken.
• Add remaining 1 tablespoon oil to the pot and reduce heat to medium. Add onion; cook until softened, about 3 minutes. Add garlic, ginger, coriander, cumin, turmeric, cinnamon, and remaining 1/2 teaspoon salt; cook, stirring, 30 seconds.
• Stir in broth, tomatoes, sweet potato, collard greens, and red bell peppers; bring to a boil. Reduce heat to medium-low; simmer, partially covered, until vegetables are tender, about 20 minutes.
• Return chicken and accumulated juices to the pot. Return to a boil, then stir in peanut butter; simmer until incorporated and chicken is cooked through, 3 to 5 minutes. Garnish with chopped peanuts.

WEST AFRICAN PEANUT SOUP WITH CHICKEN

Steps:

• Chop peanuts, or crush them with the side of a knife, or pulse them in a food processor to chop roughly.
• Put oil in a deep skillet or medium saucepan over medium heat; a minute later, add onion, ginger and garlic and cook, stirring occasionally, until onion is soft, 3 to 5 minutes. Add chicken and continue cooking for another 3 or 4 minutes, until just coloring. Add 1/2 cup peanuts and the cayenne and sprinkle with salt and pepper.
• Stir in the stock and the sweet potatoes, bring to a boil, and turn heat down to medium-low so the soup bubbles gently. Stir in tomatoes and collards, then cook, stirring occasionally, until chicken is cooked through, about 10 minutes.
• Stir in 1/4 cup peanut butter. Taste, adjust seasoning (you may want to add more peanut butter at this point) and serve, garnished with remaining peanuts.

WEST AFRICAN CHICKEN STEW

Steps:

• Sprinkle chicken with salt and pepper. In a Dutch oven, cook chicken over medium heat in 2 teaspoons oil for 4-6 minutes or until no longer pink; remove and set aside., In the same pan, saute onion in remaining oil until tender. Add garlic and ginger; cook 1 minute longer., Stir in the peas, tomatoes, sweet potato, broth, peanut butter, 1-1/4 teaspoons thyme and cayenne. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat; cover and simmer for 15-20 minutes or until potato is tender. Add chicken; heat through., Serve with rice if desired. Sprinkle with remaining thyme.

WEST AFRICAN CHICKEN STEW

Steps:

• Heat the oil in a large, heavy skillet over medium-heat heat; cook the chicken in the skillet until completely brown, 5 to 7 minutes; remove and set aside. Add the onion, potatoes, garlic, pepper, salt, coriander, cumin, and red pepper to the skillet and cook until the onions soften, about 5 minutes. Stir in the water, chicken broth, and peanut butter. Return the chicken to the skillet and top with the spinach. Cover and simmer until the potatoes are cooked through, about 20 minutes.

WEST AFRICAN CHICKEN THIGHS

Steps:

• To make the paste: in a small bowl, mix together the paprika, garlic, onion, salt, pepper, and cayenne; whisk in the canola oil.
• Trim the chicken thighs of any excess skin and fat; rinse under cold water and pat dry with paper towels.
• Coat chicken thighs with the paste; cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate 4-8 hours.
• Sear the chicken thighs, skin side down over Direct Medium heat for 4 minutes, turning once halfway through searing time.
• Continue grilling over Indirect Medium heat for about 30-40 minutes or until the juices run clear and the meat is no longer pink; serve warm.

WEST AFRICAN CHICKEN

Steps:

• Heat oil in a heavy pan and fry chicken and onion until golden.
• Add curry powder and cook for 1 minute, stirring continuously.
• Add remaining ingredients, bring to the boil, then cover and simmer for 20 minutes, stirring occasionally.

WEST AFRICAN CHICKEN STEW (FROM WELL FED 2)

Steps:

• Cut each chicken thigh into 4-5 pieces and season generously with salt and pepper. Heat a large saucepan, casserole dish or a deep frying pan over medium-high heat and melt the coconut oil. Add chicken pieces and brown well on both sides, about 4-5 minutes on each side. Remove the chicken to a bowl, including all the juices.
• In the same saucepan, cook the onion and ginger for about 5-6 minutes on low/medium heat. Add garlic, coriander, paprika, chilli, bay leave and cloves and cook for about 30 seconds to release the aromas. Add tomatoes and water and stir to combine. Add the chicken pieces back in, together with the juices, stir and increase the heat to bring the pot to boil. Then reduce the heat to a simmer and cook for 25 minutes with the lid on.
• In the original recipe you will remove the chicken from the pot after 25 minutes but I missed that step so I added the cashew or sunflower butter and vanilla to the pot with the chicken in it and mixed to combine and dissolve. Otherwise you would have to add the chicken back in after you've added the butter and vanilla. My way worked just fine as well. Stir and cook all together for a few more minutes, uncovered. Taste for seasoning and add a generous pinch of salt if you wish...I did. Sprinkle with fresh parsley or chopped spring onion and extra sunflower or pumpkin seeds.
• We served this stew with a side of pan-fried silver beet/chard, green beans, zucchini and carrots.