West African-Style Peanut Stew with Chicken

• 1.5 lb boneless, skinless chicken thighs (cut into 2-inch chunks)
• 2 tbsp avocado oil
• 1 large, diced yellow onion
• 4 cloves, minced garlic
• 1 tbsp, grated fresh ginger
• 2 tbsp tomato paste
• 14 oz canned crushed tomatoes
• 3 cups chicken broth (unsalted or low-sodium, or homemade)
• 2 medium (about 1 lb), peeled and cut in 1-inch cubes sweet potato
• 1/2 cup natural peanut butter (smooth, with just peanuts (and salt) on the label)
• 1 tsp dried thyme
• 1/2 tsp cayenne pepper (to taste)
• 4 cups, stemmed and chopped kale
• 1 lime
• 1 tsp, plus more to taste sea salt
• 3 cups cooked brown rice

Instructions

1. Pat the chicken dry and season with 1/2 tsp of the salt. Heat the avocado oil in a Dutch oven or large pot over medium-high heat and brown the chicken in two batches, about 3 minutes per side. Move it to a plate; it will finish cooking later.
2. Lower the heat to medium. Cook the onion in the same pot 5 minutes, scraping up the browned bits, until soft.
3. Stir in the garlic, ginger, tomato paste, thyme, and cayenne and cook 1–2 minutes until the paste darkens.
4. Add the crushed tomatoes, broth, and sweet potato and bring to a simmer.
5. Ladle about 1 cup of the hot liquid into a bowl, whisk in the peanut butter until smooth, and stir the mixture back into the pot. Return the chicken and its juices.
6. Simmer partly covered 25 minutes, stirring often because peanut butter likes to stick, until the sweet potato is tender, the sauce is thick, and the chicken reaches 165°F (74°C).
7. Stir in the kale and cook 5 minutes until tender. Squeeze in the lime juice and add the remaining salt to taste.
8. Serve in bowls over brown rice.

Tips

• Natural peanut butter varies in saltiness, so taste before adding the final salt.
• Peanut allergy swap: use sunflower seed butter in the same amount (almond or cashew butter if tree nuts are fine). For authentic heat, simmer a pierced whole habanero or scotch bonnet pepper in the pot and fish it out before serving.
• The stew thickens as it sits. Thin leftovers with a splash of broth. It keeps 5 days in the fridge and freezes for 3 months.
• For a vegetarian version, use vegetable broth and swap the chicken for two cans of chickpeas added with the kale.

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