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African Groundnut & Chicken Stew

A colorful, African Groundnut & Chicken Stew that gets its flavor from spices and its own broth.  By searing and simmering skin-on chicken, you can make your own broth with the help of a mirepoix.  More flavor is added through the use of spices such as curry powder, garlic, fresh herbs, bay leaf, ginger, coconut milk and powdered peanut butter.  This is a one pot meal that is great for both beginner and advanced home cooks.  Beginner cooks will learn some foundations of soup making and will expand their skills while advanced cooks will enjoy a simple soup recipe that is sophisticated in its ingredients.

African Groundnut Stew with Chicken. A traditional African soup made with chicken and peanut butter powder.

This post is sponsored by Peanut Butter & Co

What is African groundnut stew?

Groundnut stew or soup is a traditional African soup that is remarkable in its use of peanuts.  This soup uses a variety of vegetables such as spinach, sweet potatoes, kale, onions, carrots, celery and chilies.  It also varies in its use of meat.  Chicken, beef, fish and mutton are common but a vegetarian groundnut stew can easily be made by using edamame or lima bean.

I have made a similar version of African groundnut soup called Senegalese Chicken Soup.  This version is spicier than todays recipe.

Peanuts weren’t the first groundnuts in West Africa but were favored over the native groundnuts when Spanish explorers discovered them in South America and traders brought them to Africa.

Not technically a nut, the peanut is actually a legume that grows underground in the root system of the plant.  For culinary purposes, peanuts are treated like nuts due to their high oil content and ‘nutty’ taste.

African Groundnut Stew with Chicken. A traditional African soup made with chicken and peanut butter powder.

Using a mirepoix in soup

In the U.S., mirepoix is traditionally thought of as a trio of vegetables, usually onions, carrots and celery or celery root.  I have seen some variations that add sweet peppers also.  Mirepoix is common in soup as it gives soup a base of flavor which other flavors can be added to.

By searing skin-on chicken in a hot pot, flavor is started by the formation of a fond, which are the brown bits left behind when you cook protein on a high heat in a little bit of oil.  The reaction that gives us this gift of flavor is actually called the Maillard Reaction.  This technique is common in French cooking and in this recipe I take advantage of it and the addition of mirepoix to make the soups broth inside of the recipe rather than buying broth in a can.

Why does this matter to you?  Because you can use this technique in your other soups and come up with your own soup recipe without using a cookbook.  This is a great, basic, easy technique to soup making that will allow you to develop your own creative culinary skills and create your own soup recipes.

African Groundnut Stew with Chicken. A traditional African soup made with chicken and peanut butter powder.

Searing the chicken in the soup pan with 1 Tbs oil develops the brown tasty bits called a fond.

African Groundnut Stew with Chicken. A traditional African soup made with chicken and peanut butter powder.
African Groundnut Stew with Chicken. A traditional African soup made with chicken and peanut butter powder.

Adding the mirepoix and scraping the fond allows the flavors to develop further.  Add water and now you have a chicken broth made inside of this recipe.

African Groundnut Stew with Chicken. A traditional African soup made with chicken and peanut butter powder.

Adding the rest of the ingredients and simmering allows flavors and depth to develop.

African Groundnut Stew with Chicken. A traditional African soup made with chicken and peanut butter powder.

CONFUSED ABOUT THE DIFFERENT CHILI POWDERS? I’ve got the details in my article What is Chili Powder?

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African Groundnut Stew with Chicken. A traditional African soup made with chicken and peanut butter powder.

African Groundnut & Chicken Stew Recipe

Yield: 8 bowls
Prep Time: 25 minutes
Cook Time: 45 minutes
Total Time: 1 hour 10 minutes

A colorful, African Groundnut & Chicken Stew that gets its flavor from spices and its own broth.  By searing and simmering skin-on chicken, you can make your own broth with the help of a mirepoix.  More flavor is added through the use of spices such as curry powder, garlic, fresh herbs, bay leaf, ginger, coconut milk and powdered peanut butter.

Ingredients

  • cooking oil such as canola, sunflower, peanut, vegetable oil
  • 3 lbs chicken thighs with skin on and bone in
  • 1 white or yellow onion diced
  • 2 carrots diced
  • 2 celery diced
  • 4 cloves of garlic, peeled and chopped
  • 1/4 tsp black pepper
  • 1 bay leaf
  • 6 parsley sprigs, diced
  • leaves of 2-4 sprigs of thyme
  • 1/2 tsp salt, more to taste
  • 2 Tbs minced ginger or about 1.5 inches of fresh ginger, diced
  • 2 Tbs curry powder
  • 6 cups of water
  • 2 Tbs turmeric
  • 3 Tbs tomato paste
  • 1 can of light coconut milk
  • 1/2 cup of peanut butter powder
  • 28 oz can of diced tomatoes

Instructions

  1. Heat a large dutch oven on medium high heat and add oil.
  2. When oil starts to smoke add chicken, skin side down.
  3. Brown chicken well on both sides, then set aside in a large bowl or plate.
  4. When all chicken is browned and set aside, decrease heat to medium and add mirepoix (onion, celery, carrot), stir with a wooden spoon and scrape the bottom of the pan.  Cook for 3 minutes, stirring frequently.
  5. Add garlic, pepper, bay leaf, parsley, thyme, salt, ginger and curry powder, stir well and cook for 1 minute.
  6. Add 6 cups of water, turmeric, tomato paste, coconut milk and peanut butter powder.
  7. Add the chicken back in to the pot.
  8. Stir well, bring soup up to a simmer, then add tomatoes.  Continue simmering on low-medium heat for 30 minutes.
  9. Remove chicken from pot and take off skin, de-bone the chicken pieces.  Place the chicken back into the pot.  If the pieces are too large, chop into bite sized pieces as desired.
  10. Garnish as desired.
Nutrition Information:
Yield: 8 Serving Size: 1.5 cups
Amount Per Serving: Calories: 488Total Fat: 31gSaturated Fat: 9gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 21gCholesterol: 218mgSodium: 603mgCarbohydrates: 12gFiber: 5gSugar: 5gProtein: 46g

Did you make this recipe?

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Soup Recipes

Hannah

Monday 8th of April 2019

I love trying new ingredients and the peanut putter powder was fun to use! The different flavors in this soup are great and delicious.

Tina

Wednesday 24th of April 2019

I love new ingredients too, maybe a little too much. My pantry is over flowing with international goodness. Glad you liked this African soup. I think African cuisine will be the new frontier especially with amazing food blogs like 'A Kitchen in Uganda'. I am inspired by her ability to transform simple, fresh ingredients into delicious soul food. Exploring is the answer in everything.

Bianca

Wednesday 21st of February 2018

This sounds amazing, I have never heard of Groundnut stew and I have eaten a lot of soups. Going to have to try this one. Thanks!

Sasha @ Eat Love Eat

Sunday 30th of July 2017

This stew sounds delicious Tina!

Tina

Thursday 3rd of August 2017

Thanks Sasha! I love African cuisine:)

Lynn | The Road to Honey

Sunday 30th of July 2017

I have a little obsession with soups that contain coconut milk. There is just something about them that is the ultimate of comfort for me. I'm also loving all of the other flavors that you infused into this bright and vibrant soup. Definitely a must when the temperatures start to take a dip.

Tina

Thursday 3rd of August 2017

Thanks Lynn! I'm right there with you with the coconut milk. I love soups all year round but especially when it gets chilly outside!

Christelle

Sunday 23rd of July 2017

Looks so yummy! I am going to try this, but I am wondering if you end up with a very oily result from making the broth this way and not cooling it to get some of the fat out?

Tina

Friday 28th of July 2017

I didn't on this recipe but I have on occasion with Coq au Vin. If this happens to you, skimming off the fat the next day is how I usually deal with this issue. I hope this doesn't happen to you but it sounds like you know exactly what you are doing. When you make this, let me know how it turns out. I really love to hear others experiences when cooking:)

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