African Chicken Stew

African Chicken Stew is absolutely one of my all time favorite dishes.  It is hearty, yet healthy, which leaves your stomach feeling full and happy afterwards.  I discovered the recipe a few years back on AllRecipes, and have gradually adapted it to my own tastes.  The most recent change I made to the recipe was switching white potatoes to sweet potatoes, which in my personal opinion, has officially made the recipe perfect.  Since the recipe no longer needs tinkering, I figured it was time to share African Chicken Stew with you guys!

African Chicken Stew

Recipe Inspired From Leah Shaw at Allrecipes

Serves 4-6

INGREDIENTS

1 Tbsp Coconut or Olive Oil

1 1/2 lbs Boneless Chicken Breasts, diced

1 Onion, chopped

1 Sweet Potato, peeled and diced

4 Garlic Cloves, minced

1 tsp Salt

2 tsp Ground Cumin

2 tsp Coriander Seed

1 tsp Red Pepper Flakes (more if you like it spicy)

1 1/2 Cups Chicken Broth or Stock

1 (14.5 oz) can of Diced Tomatoes

3/4 Cup Natural Peanut Butter

1 (15 oz) can Garbanzo Beans, drained and rinsed

Optional: Sriracha, Cilantro & Chopped Peanuts for Garnish

Optional: Steamed Rice

DIRECTIONS

1.  Heat up a very large skillet over medium-high heat and add the oil.  Toss in the diced chicken, and cook until white on all sides. Place chicken in a bowl, and set aside.

2. Lower heat to medium. Add onions and sweet potatoes to the pan. Add more oil if necessary. Saute for 5 minutes, or until onion has softened.  Toss in garlic and seasonings, and stirring frequently, cook for an additional 2 minutes.

3. Add the chicken back into the pan, along with the chicken broth and undrained diced tomatoes. Cover tightly and simmer for 15 minutes, stirring occasionally.

4. Stir in peanut butter until evenly mixed, and then add in the garbanzo beans. Cover and cook for an additional 10 minutes, or until the potatoes are tender and the chicken is cooked through.  Remove from heat.

5. Serve in bowls by itself or on top of rice. Garnish with cilantro and chopped peanuts if you like. Have Sriracha on hand if you like it spicy.

NUTRITIONAL INFORMATION

Serving Size: 1/6th of Entire Dish

Calories: 460

Fat: 24

Carbs: 28

Protein: 38

TIPS

The sweet potatoes are what takes the longest time to cook; and you can't serve it until the potatoes are tender.  If you want to speed up your cooking time, make sure you dice the sweet potatoes small and uniform in size.  If you need to speed it up the cooking time even more, wet the unpeeled sweet potatoes, poke a few holes in the tops, place on a folded wet paper towel on top of a plate, and microwave for 2-3 minutes.  This will soften them up, which will not only make it easier to cut, but also allow the potatoes to become tender quicker in the stew.