This African-style chicken stew is a deliciously different chicken stew, with chicken pieces (boneless chicken breasts or boneless chicken thighs) combined with canned tomatoes, sweet potato, peanut butter and warm spices.
If you’re in the mood for a chicken stew that really brings the flavour, this African-inspired chicken stew is it! Chicken pieces (breast or thighs) combine with canned tomatoes, sweet potatoes, peanut butter and warm spices for a hearty and delicious stew. It’s served with lots of cilantro and chopped peanuts.
Ingredients and substitutions
A few notes about the key ingredients …
Boneless chicken – You can use boneless chicken breast or boneless chicken thighs for this recipe. Use what you have on hand or enjoy.
Sweet potatoes – You can peel and dice a sweet potato, or for an easier dish, try a bag of frozen, cubed sweet potatoes!
Canned chopped or diced tomatoes – You’ll need a small can of chopped or diced tomatoes. I love Mutti Polpa, which fits the bill perfectly. In a pinch, a small can of crushed tomatoes will also work.
Peanut butter – You can use regular or natural peanut butter.
How to make African style chicken stew
This is a visual summary of the steps to make this recipe. Always refer to the complete instructions in the Recipe Card below when making the recipe.
- Start by partially cooking the chicken in a skillet until it is no longer pink.
- Remove the chicken to a plate.
- Cook the onion in the same skillet, then add the ginger garlic paste (or ginger and garlic).
- Add the diced sweet potatoes to the skillet.
- Add the chicken broth and the chopped or diced tomatoes to the skillet.
- Add the peanut butter and spices to the skillet.
- Cover the skillet and gently simmer covered for 25-30 minute, or until the sweet potato is tender.
- Add cilantro to the stew, along with salt and pepper, as needed.
- If necessary, thicken the stew with a mixture of cornstarch and cold water until thickened. Serve topped with more cilantro and chopped peanuts.
Recipe video
Recipe tips!
- This stew is typically quite spicy, but you can control the spiciness to your taste. As written, it is pleasantly spicy, but you can certainly add more spice and heat at the end of cooking to your taste.
- Don’t forget the salt! Taste at the end of cooking and add salt as needed. If the flavours aren’t singing, it needs more salt!
- Refrigerate leftover stew for up to 3 days or freeze for up to 3 months.
Serving Suggestions
This African chicken stew can be treated like a regular chicken stew and served with mashed potatoes. It’s also lovely served with rice. You could also skip the carbs and serve it simply with any green vegetable, such as green beans, broccoli or peas on the side.
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Get the Recipe: African Style Chicken Stew
Ingredients
- 1 1/2 – 2 lb (680 g) boneless chicken breasts, about 3 large chicken breasts (or substitute boneless chicken thighs)
- cooking oil, as needed
- 1/2 medium onion, diced
- 2 Tablespoons ginger garlic paste, or 1 Tbsp each of grated garlic and fresh ginger
- 3 cups sweet potato, peeled and diced (or frozen cubed)
- 14 oz (400 g) canned chopped or diced tomatoes
- 2 1/2 – 3 cups chicken broth
- 1/2 cup peanut butter, regular or natural
- 2 teaspoons ground coriander
- 1 teaspoon cumin
- 1/8-1/4 teaspoon cayenne, or more, to taste
- salt and freshly ground pepper
- 1/4 cup cilantro, chopped
For thickening, if needed:
- 2 Tablespoons cornstarch
- 2 Tablespoons cold water
For serving:
- Additional chopped cilantro
- chopped peanuts
Instructions
- Heat a bit of oil in a large deep lidded skillet or Dutch oven over medium heat. Add the chicken pieces and cook, stirring regularly, until all the liquid in the pan evaporates and the chicken is no longer pink. Remove the chicken from the pan to a plate.
- In the same skillet, add a bit more oil. Add onions and cook, stirring regularly, until softened and a bit browned. Add the ginger garlic paste and cook for 1 minute. Add the sweet potatoes and stir to combine.
- Add 2 1/2 cups of the chicken broth, canned tomatoes, peanut butter, coriander, cumin and cayenne to the skillet and stir to combine well. Bring to a simmer, then return the chicken to the pot.
- Tip! If your skillet doesn't have a lid, place a large baking sheet over the top of it. Use a large enough one to entirely cover the top of the skillet.
- Reduce the heat under the skillet to low, cover the skillet and simmer gently for 25-30 minutes or until the sweet potato is tender. (Taste test the sweet potato to be sure it is tender before uncovering.) Uncover the skillet. Add the cilantro and simmer for an additional 15 minutes uncovered. (If the mixture seems to thick at this point, add a bit more chicken broth, as needed.)
- Taste and add additional salt as needed, and generous bit of black pepper. You can also add additional spices if you'd like a spicier stew.
- If you'd like to thicken the stew a bit, stir together the cornstarch and cold water. Drizzle into the simmering stew a bit at a time, stirring, until the stew thickens to your desired level.
- Serve garnished with chopped peanuts and additional chopped cilantro. Lovely served with mashed potatoes or cooked rice and a green vegetable.
Notes
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Hi! I’m Jennifer, a home cook schooled by trial and error and almost 40 years of getting dinner on the table! I love to share my favourite recipes, both old and new, together with lots of tips and tricks to hopefully help make your home cooking enjoyable, stress free, rewarding and of course, delicious!
