Spicy Chicken and Peanut Stew

Now that there are only two of us in the house I have to remember to buy smaller cans of things like tomatoes...every time I make something I find that I am using only half a can...that's where a recipe like this comes in handy!

I used the second half of the can of tomatoes, as well as the open chicken stock, and while I was at it, why not finish off the peanut butter?

This stew was easy to make, and had quite a spicy kick to it, which mellowed out when it was served with rice. Cooking everything in Harissa infused olive oil helped to increase the heat...but as with any recipe, the amount of heat can be adjusted to suit your personal preference.

In a bit of olive oil, cook:

1 medium onion, diced
3/4 cup diced zucchini

Cook until the onion starts to soften and the zucchini starts to brown.

Add:

2 cloves garlic, minced
1 teaspoon minced fresh ginger
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper
1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper
1 tablespoon ground coriander
1 bayleaf

When the spices have cooked for a couple of minutes, add:

2 chicken breasts, diced

Cook until the chicken is seared on all sides.

Add:

2 cups chicken stock
1 X 14 ounce can of diced tomatoes with juice
1/2 cup peanut butter

Bring to a boil, stirring to scrape all the bits off the bottom of the pan.

When the liquid is boiling, add:

4 small red potatoes, cut into 4 or 6 pieces

Cook at a low boil until the potatoes are fully cooked.

Taste and adjust seasoning.




Serve the stew alone, or over rice as I did. Garnish with chopped roasted peanuts, and chopped fresh cilantro.

• This recipe is full of flavour, and also has quite a bit of heat, which we enjoy. Use less cayenne and black pepper to decrease the heat. If you like a lot of heat, consider adding some fresh chilies, minced or using a flavour infused olive oil such as the Harissa olive oil I used. 
• I used chunky peanut butter, which gave some texture to the sauce.
• Fresh tomatoes can be used instead of canned, you may need to increase the amount of chicken stock to make up for the lost liquid. Peel, seed and chop the tomatoes first. This is a good opportunity to make use of soft tomatoes.
• No chicken stock? Use water or vegetable stock.
• Instead of potatoes, use sweet potatoes, or a firm flesh squash such as butternut. Sweet red peppers can also be added.
• Chicken thighs can be used instead of chicken breast. Pork would also be a good choice.
• Omit the chicken, and add chick peas instead, or use both.