This was linked to from a Wirecutter article on cast iron skillets and Dutch ovens, It's based on a stew from Ghana, the author said he's made it dozens of times. He called it "incredible" and said it's just made for chicken thighs, which really tripped my trigger, since braised chicken thighs are my big thing right now. It's a different style of dish than anything I usually cook, I've never made dishes with peanut butter or peanuts or sweet potatoes, but I like them. I'm pretty intrigued by it.
He also said this dish is supposed to be pretty spicy, so he usually throws in a lot of hot sauce at the end. You can also adjust the cayenne pepper and ground pepper.
One final note, like most stews this calls for simmering on the stove top. I'm really into braising in the oven instead, at around 300F.
Ingredients
2-3 pounds chicken legs, thighs and/or wings
3 tablespoons vegetable oil
1 large yellow or white onion, sliced
3-inch piece of ginger, peeled and minced
6-8 garlic cloves, chopped roughly
2-3 pounds sweet potatoes, peeled and cut into chunks
1 15-ounce can of crushed tomatoes
1 quart chicken stock
1 cup peanut butter
1 cup roasted peanuts
1 tablespoon ground coriander
1 teaspoon cayenne, or to taste
Salt and black pepper
1/4 to 1/2 cup of chopped cilantro
Instructions
1. Brown the chicken: Heat the vegetable oil in a large soup pot set over medium-high heat. Salt the chicken pieces well, pat them dry and brown them in the oil. Don't crowd the pot, so do this in batches. Set the chicken pieces aside as they brown.
2. Sauté the vegetables: Sauté the onions in the oil for 3-4 minutes, stirring often and scraping any browned bits off the bottom of the pot. Add the ginger and garlic and sauté another 1-2 minutes, then add the sweet potatoes and stir well to combine.
3. Cook the stew: Add the chicken broth, crushed tomatoes, peanut butter, peanuts, coriander and cayenne and stir well to combine. Add the chicken. Bring to a simmer and taste for salt, adding more if needed. Cover the pot and simmer gently for 90 minutes (check after an hour), or until the chicken meat easily falls off the bone and the sweet potatoes are tender.
4. Remove bones and chop the cooked chicken: Remove the chicken pieces and set them in a bowl to cool, until cool enough to touch. Remove and discard the skin if you want, or chop it and put it back into the pot. Shred the meat off the bones and put the meat back in the pot.
5. Adjust seasonings: Adjust the seasonings for salt and cayenne, then add as much black pepper as you think you can stand—the stew should be peppery. Stir in the cilantro and serve by itself, or with simple steamed rice.