It is safe to say this instant pot African chicken and peanut stew won’t win any beauty contests but it does score high on flavor! At the end of the day, that’s what matters most in my book so this recipe is a winner. It’s comfort food goodness that comes together really quickly in the instant pot.
This stew is filled with hearty vegetables, tender chicken and a savory peanut sauce that’s flavored with berbere spice, which is a spice blend that originates from Africa. Berbere is filled with a variety of warm and savory spices, like ginger, cardamom, cumin a little cinnamon, garlic and onion and more spices. It also has a little kick from ground chilies and cayenne pepper. It’s so flavor dense that it almost tastes like a curry but with a different flavor profile.
The peanut in this recipe comes from peanut butter and it makes the sauce creamy and gives it a earthy peanut flavor. That flavor gets balanced out by a touch of lime juice to add dimesion in this dish.
I love working with complex flavors in recipe development because it means you need to balance out the symphony of flavors that are going on, so they play the best music on your taste buds. In my experience berbere is one of those spices that takes a little work to make it work the best in a dish.
This stew can be eaten on it’s own or over some rice like I have pictured. I actually used cauliflower rice in the one pictured. Any type of rice would work great though.
What you need to make this African chicken and peanut stew:
Serves 6
- 1 1/2 tablespoons fresh ginger – minced, or 1 teaspoon ground ginger
- 1 1/2 tablespoons garlic – minced or 1 teaspoon ground garlic powder
- 1 onion – diced, any variety of onion
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 2 cup sweet potatoes – peeled and cut into chunks; you can also use parsnips
- 1 1/2 cups carrots – peeled and cut into chunks
- 1 tablespoons berbere spice
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 cup smooth peanut butter
- 4 chicken thighs – skinless and boneless, left whole
- 2 cups vegetable or chicken stock
- 14.5 ounces diced tomatoes – canned or fresh
- 1 jalapeno pepper – diced (optional)
- 2 tablespoons lime juice
- 1 tablespoon sugar
- Rice – to serve with it
Instructions
- Add all ingredients into the instant pot.
- Cook on high pressure for 20 minutes with a quick pressure release.
- Remove chicken thighs and break apart into chunks and place back into instant pot.
- Stir soup.
- Taste your stew broth and adjust the salt if you need to.
- Serve over rice or on it’s own and enjoy!
Here are a few other instant pot recipes you may love:
Instant Pot Chipotle Pork
Instant Pot Butter Chicken
Instant Pot Sausage, Kale and White Bean Soup
Instant Pot Kalua Style Pork
Instant Pot Beef Pho
Instant Pot Black Bean and Chorizo Soup
Instant Pot Butternut Squash Soup
The Best Instant Pot Apple Butter
Instant Pot Ham and Lima Beans
Instant Pot African Chicken and Peanut Stew
Ingredients
- 1 1/2 tablespoons fresh ginger – minced or 1 teaspoon ground ginger
- 1 1/2 tablespoons garlic – minced or 1 teaspoon ground garlic powder
- 1 onion – diced any variety of onion
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 2 cups sweet potatoes peeled and cut into chunks; you can also use parsnips
- 1 1/2 cups carrots peeled and cut into chunks
- 1 tablespoons berbere spice
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 cup smooth peanut butter
- 4 chicken thighs skinless and boneless, left whole
- 2 cups vegetable or chicken stock
- 14.5 ounces diced tomatoes canned or fresh
- 1 jalapeno pepper seeds removed, diced; optional
- 2 tablespoons lime juice
- 1 tablespoon sugar
- Rice – to serve with it
Instructions
- Add all ingredients into the instant pot.
- Cook on high pressure for 20 minutes with a quick pressure release.
- Remove chicken thighs and break apart into chunks and place back into instant pot.
- Stir soup.
- Taste your stew broth and adjust the salt if you need to.
- Serve over rice or on it’s own and enjoy!