Chicken with peanut butter sauce 

Chicken with peanut butter sauce is comfort food at its best. Not to be mistaken with Poulet a la mwamba, which is chicken with palm oil butter, the taste is completely different and is well known in both Congo D.R. and The Republic of Congo. Some people add peanut butter to the palm oil, but that base is palm oil butter. Now that this is out of the way, let’s get back to our chicken with peanut butter sauce.

I prefer to eat light food, so even though the chicken has peanut butter which is a thickener, I only use a couple of tablespoons. However, you are more than welcome to put as much peanut butter as you want. 

It is a relatively easy recipe to do if you have been following my other stews recipe. This one is no exception. I start by making the broth with the chicken, grilling the meat then making the sauce. Before we dive into the recipe, let’s talk a little bit about the chicken.

What chicken do I prefer to use?

For all of my chicken stew, I prefer to use hard chicken. You can find this chicken either at your local grocer or a specialty store. I usually get mine from an African or Asian store. The reason why I prefer to use this chicken is because of the flavor. This chicken has BY FAR much more flavor. So, like in anything in life, quality over quantity. I am not sure if it is a cage free, hormone free chicken, but it has much less meat than standard chicken. Moreover, its meat is harder to chew on. HOWEVER, the taste is not even close. All of this to say that the recipe can go from good to great depending on the chicken.

Can I make this recipe in advance?

Whether it is for a small or big gathering, the chicken with peanut butter sauce is perfect for any occasion and can be made the day before. It will still have its freshness and the flavors will actually intensify 24 hours later.

You can either freeze it or store it in the fridge. I like it because I can make a big pot and store it in small containers.  You can also store it in the fridge for up to three days.

The stews can be reheated on the stovetop or in the microwave.

You might also like:

Mbinzo with avocado and spinach sauce

Goat stew with African Basil

Dried anchovies with charred peppers sauce

How to make chicken with peanut butter sauce?

Make the bouillon:

In a large pot, put the water, chicken, garlic, ¼ of the onion, bay leaf, 2 green onions, and salt.

Boil for at least 45 min.

Drain the bouillon with a strainer and keep the liquid.

In a saucepan on medium high heat, fry the chicken. Do not deep fry. The oil should only touch a quarter of the chicken. Stir often to make sure that the chicken pieces are fried all around. Set those pieces aside.

In that same oil, sauté the onions, green onions and peppers.

When softened, add the tomatoes and crush them with your wooden spoon.

Add the spice mix and stir.

Let it simmer for 3 min.

While it is simmering, add the peanut butter to your bouillon and stir well. The goal is to soften the peanut butter as much as you can.

Add the bouillon to your sauce and stir well.

Turn down the heat to low.

Add your chicken and coat each piece with the sauce.

Let the sauce thicken while stirring from time to time to prevent the peanut butter from sticking to the bottom.

Serve warm.

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