African Chicken Peanut Stew
Ingredients 2 lbs chicken breasts (or thighs), cut into 1 inch cubes 1 lemon for juice Tsp salt 1Tbl vegetable oil 1 tbl oil 3 bunches green onion, white part only, sliced 1 medium onion, diced 2 large bell peppers, diced 3 large cloves garlic, minced 1.5 in. piece ginger, minced 1 tbl chili powder 2 cups chopped garden tomato 1 tsp thyme (fresh or dried) 1/2-1 tsp red pepper flakes 1/4- 1/2 jar peanut butter (see notes) 1.25 cups water or broth 1.5 cups of jasmine rice Instructions In bowl, toss chicken bits with lemon juice and salt. Let sit for 10 minutes or so. Over medium heat, in large pot on medium heat, cook chicken until white on outside, no more. Remove chicken from pot and set aside. In same pot, with more oil now, cook on medium heat green onions, onion, and bell peppers until tender. Then add garlic, ginger and chili powder. Cook, stirring constantly for 1-2 minutes. Add tomatoes, thyme, red pepper flakes, peanut butter, partly cooked chicken, and water. Stir well until the peanut butter is evenly mixed. Bring to a simmer and reduce to low heat. Let simmer for 30-40 minutes. Be very careful to not use too high of a heat setting or the peanut butter will burn to the bottom of the pan. Meanwhile, cook the rice according to package directions. Serve stew over rice. Add salt to taste. Notes For peanut allergies, sunflower or almond spread works just as well. Just add a touch of raw sugar and salt to adjust the flavors. I use 1/2 jar of peanut butter and it makes the recipe a bit thicker. For more liquid texture, use no more than 1/4 jar (maybe less).