West African Peanut Soup with Chicken
Creamy, aromatic peanut soup with tender chicken, sweet potato, and tomato. A warming, one-pot meal with warm spices and savory depth.
- Total time
- 40 min
- Servings
- 4
- Calories
- 478
- Protein
- 38g
Ingredients
- 1.5 lb boneless, skinless chicken thighs
- 1 medium yellow onion
- 3 cloves garlic cloves
- 1 medium sweet potato
- 1 can (14.5 oz) canned diced tomatoes
- ¾ cup natural peanut butter
- 4 cups chicken broth
- 1 teaspoon ground ginger
- ¼ teaspoon cayenne pepper
Instructions
- 1
Cut each chicken thigh into bite-sized chunks about 1 inch across by placing it on the cutting board and slicing it into pieces roughly the size of a large marble, so they cook evenly.
- 2
Cut the onion in half from root to tip, place the flat side down, and slice crosswise into thin half-rings about 1/8 inch thick; discard the papery skin and root end.
- 3
Mince the garlic until the pieces are smaller than a grain of rice — about the size of pencil-tip dots — by placing each clove on the cutting board, pressing down gently with the flat of a knife, then chopping finely.
- 4
Peel the sweet potato with a vegetable peeler, working from top to bottom, then cut it crosswise into 1/2-inch-thick rounds; stack the rounds and cut them into 1/2-inch cubes.
- 5
Pour 2 tablespoons of olive oil into a large pot and set it over medium-high heat until the oil shimmers and slides quickly when you tilt the pan, about 90 seconds.
- 6
Add the chicken pieces to the hot oil and cook, stirring every 30 seconds, until all surfaces turn light golden brown (not cooked through), about 5 minutes.
- 7
Push the chicken to the side of the pot, add the minced garlic to the empty space, and stir for 20 seconds until the kitchen smells strongly fragrant and garlicky.
- 8
Add the sliced onion to the pot and stir constantly for 2 minutes until it becomes soft and translucent, so the soup develops a sweet depth.
- 9
Pour in the 4 cups of chicken broth and use a wooden spoon to scrape the bottom of the pot, lifting up any stuck-on brown bits, to mix them into the liquid.
- 10
Add the sweet potato cubes, the canned tomatoes with their liquid, the ground ginger, and the cayenne pepper; stir everything together for 30 seconds.
- 11
Bring the soup to a simmer over medium-high heat — you'll see steam rising and small bubbles breaking the surface — then reduce the heat to medium-low so it bubbles gently, about 3 minutes.
- 12
Simmer for 15 minutes, stirring every 2 minutes, until the sweet potato pieces are fork-tender (they break apart easily when pressed) and the chicken is fully cooked through.
- 13
Pour the peanut butter into a small bowl and whisk it with 1 cup of warm broth taken from the pot (use a ladle) until smooth with no lumps, so it blends evenly.
- 14
Pour the peanut butter mixture back into the pot and stir constantly for 2 minutes until completely combined and the soup looks creamy and uniform.
- 15
Taste the soup on a spoon (blow on it first to cool) and stir in salt and pepper to your preference — start with 1/2 teaspoon salt and 1/4 teaspoon black pepper.
- 16
Ladle the soup into bowls and serve hot, placing each bowl directly in front of a person at the table.
Tools you’ll need
- large pot (5-quart or larger)
- cutting board
- chef's knife
- vegetable peeler
- wooden spoon
- small bowl
- whisk
- ladle
- soup spoon
- serving bowls
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