West African Peanut Chicken

This is my tweak on a recipe from the Congo Cookbook. According to their recipe, homemade peanut butter is often used. If you’d like to do it that way, you can grind your own at the grocery store, or whirl some roasted peanuts in your food processor if you happen to have them. But most of the time I make it with regular peanut butter and think it turns out fine.

West African Peanut Chicken

Ingredients

1/2 cup peanut oil (or any cooking oil)
4 chicken breasts, cut into bite-sized pieces (or equivalent dark meat)
3-4 onions, minced or pureed in food processor
2 cloves of garlic, minced
4 cups pureed tomatoes (or 3 c. tomato sauce and 1 c. water)
1/2 cup peanut butter
1 cup water
cayenne pepper or red pepper, black pepper, salt

Directions

Heat oil in a deep pot or very large heavy skillet. Add the chicken and fry on both sides until it is nicely browned. If your pan isn’t quite as wide as mine, you might do better frying half the chicken at a time, to keep the pieces separate and to let them get nicely brown. Remove the chicken and set aside.

Fry the onions and garlic in the same pot. When onion is soft and starting to brown, stir in tomatoes and water. Reduce heat and simmer for a few minutes. Return chicken to pot. Stir in peanut butter. it will look clumpy for a minute but will mix in nicely once it heats up. Add red pepper, salt, and pepper to taste. Simmer on low heat for 10-15 minutes.

Serve with rice.

This dish isn’t especially good looking, but it is great tasting. My husband and teenaged boys especially like it.