African Chicken Peanut Stew (Plasas)
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Simple ingredients come together to create this wonderfully flavorful African Chicken Peanut Stew. It’s a perfect example of West African comfort food at its very best!
It’s been over 20 years since my friend, Bobson, first made this dish for me in Germany. A refugee from war-torn Sierra Leone, Bobson was a young man in his late 20’s trying to make a new life for himself. He had never gone to school or learned how to read but he possessed a depth of wisdom that drew respect from those who knew him. Friendly and out-going with a winning smile and a great sense of humor, Bobson was also kind-hearted and generous with what little he had.
He invited me and a couple of friends over for a traditional dish from Sierra Leone. After the first bite I was hooked. He served it with something he called pounded yam (aka “fufu”), a thick, starchy neutral-tasting substance that’s ground and then reconstituted with water. You pull off a wad of it and make an indentation with your thumb to serve as an eating utensil to scoop up the food and mop up sauce.
The next time he invited us for dinner the unanimous request was that he make that same dish. This time I watched him make it. And that’s the dish I’m sharing with you today: Bobson’s version of Sierra Leonean plasas.
What is African Chicken Peanut Stew?
This dish is popular throughout West Africa including Ghana and Sierra Leone. It’s known as plasas or sometimes also called palava sauce or palaver sauce. It doesn’t refer to a specific recipe so much as a specific kind of dish: Plasas is a sauce comprised of some type of greens (either spinach, collard greens, kale, etc), some kind of meat, peanut butter for flavor and thickening, and often dried fish. It’s commonly served with some kind of starchy side dish.
Simple ingredients come together to produce a BIG flavor in this delicious saucy stew. Chicken, peanuts, tomatoes, greens and seasonings are showcased in this winning dish that will leave you licking your fingers. A wonderfully satisfying meal, this African Chicken Peanut Stew is a perfect example of West African comfort food at its best!
African Chicken Peanut Stew Recipe
Let’s get started!
Heat some oil in a heavy pot or Dutch oven until very hot. Generously brown the chicken pieces on all sides. Remove the chicken. In the same pot cook the onions until caramelized. Add all remaining ingredients.
Bring the sauce to a simmer and stir until the peanut butter is fully incorporated. Add the chicken pieces, nestling them in the sauce. Cover and simmer for at least an hour. Add salt and pepper to taste.
This stew is perfect for leftovers because it tastes even better the next day after the flavors have had time meld.
Serve with steamed rice or African fufu and your choice of vegetables and a leafy green salad.
Enjoy!
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African Chicken Peanut Stew (Plasas)
Ingredients
- 1 1/2-2 pounds bone-in and skin-on chicken pieces (alternatively beef is also commonly used)
- coconut oil for frying
- 1 large yellow onion , chopped
- 28 ounces canned diced tomatoes
- 6 ounce can tomato paste (not tomato sauce)
- 10 ounce package frozen spinach , fully thawed and drained
- 1/3 cup unsweetened peanut butter
- 3 Maggie or Knorr tomato bouillon cubes (a popular ingredient in West African cooking)
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
- 1 cup chicken broth
- Optional: For some heat add some red chilis or hot sauce
Instructions
- Heat some oil in a heavy pot or Dutch oven until very hot. Generously brown the chicken pieces on all sides (crucial for the flavor of the sauce). Remove the chicken.In the same pot, add some more oil and cook the onions until caramelized. Add the remaining ingredients and bring to a simmer, stirring until the peanut butter is fully incorporated. Return the chicken to the sauce, nestling it in the sauce. Cover and simmer over low for at least one hour. Add salt and pepper to taste.
- Serve with steamed rice or Fufu (see blog post for explanation).Note: This dish tastes even better the next day after the flavors have had more time to meld.
Nutrition
Hi, I’m Kimberly Killebrew and welcome to Daring Gourmet where you'll find delicious originals, revitalized classics, and simply downright good eats from around the world! Originally from Germany, later raised in England, world-traveled, and now living in the U.S., from my globally-influenced kitchen I invite you to tour the world through your taste buds!
If you’re going to use a flag to emphasise the recipe’s origin, please take the time to get it right! The flag used incorrectly for West African Sierra Leone is that of the Republic of South Africa
Suzi, I’m completely perplexed….I don’t have a flag anywhere in my blog post? What are you referring to??
Hi,
Thanks for all the wonderful recipes.
Could you please tell me the size of the diced tomatoes?
Im looking forward to making this.
Thank you
You’re very welcome, Barbara, I’m happy you’re making this :) The size is purely a matter of personal preference. I prefer petite diced in general just because I prefer smaller chunks. Happy cooking!
Actually, I think they mean to ask what size CANS (ml or oz) to use for the diced tomatoes as you did not include that in the recipe. They are asking for a volume measurement.
I would also like to know since I don’t want to add too much by accident.
Oh got it! Thanks for clarifying, Cassandra. It’s two standard-sized cans, 14 ounces each. I just updated it to say 28 ounces of canned tomatoes. Thanks again and happy cooking!
Can you use ginger for this recipe or will the taste be affected. I know in other peanut chicken recipes with less tomato it calls for ginger all the time. Also can you replace peanut butter with almond butter.
Hi Shaun, ginger is commonly added to Thai peanut-based dishes but is the wrong flavor profile for this particular African dish. Yes, you can use almond butter but it will of course lend a much different flavor.
Ok I was just checking! I normally used it for other Africa peanut stew recipes but those were less tomato based ones. That’s why I had to make sure.
I will be trying this next week for sure though. I already have all my ingredients.
LOVED this! I spatchcocked a small organic chicken and crossed my fingers that it would cook in roughly the same time and it was perfect! Lovely story of the original cook of this dish too.
On another note, just made your recipe for “Berbere Spice”, can’t wait to use it.
That’s wonderful, Christine, I’m so happy you enjoyed it and really appreciate the feedback, thank you!
Made this for supper the other night.
Best thing I’ve ever eaten, no but pretty darn good.
Wouldn’t change anything everyone called it a keeper.
Thanks, Wes, I’m glad you enjoyed it!
Would using boneless chicken alter the outcome of the recipe?
Hi Karen, no, you can definitely use boneless, the stew just won’t be as rich in flavor (but still yummy :)
This recipe is fantastic! So easy to follow, and it turned out perfectly. My Nigerian husband and I (American) both loved it, so that’s a win-win!
Thank you, Anne, I’m so happy you both enjoyed it!
I thought the dish was amazing!! Only concern I have is with the amount of sodium the dish has. Has anyone tried this dish with less sodium? Is there any way to get that tomato flavor without the extra additives? Trying to eat cleaner.
I made it but mine came out like a soup and the chicken wasn’t really that dark n the sauce did really stick to it. What should I do help help.
Divine flavours and textures, a real ‘keeper’ recipe. First time I’ve used coconut oil and I really enjoyed the flavours it brought out of the chicken. I fleshed out the veggies a bit with diced zucchini, but you could really add anything at hand… carrots, pumpkin etc. I also made a bit more tomato & peanut sauce with the broth to cover the ingredients for an ultra slow-cook over three hours. Had enough leftovers for a second dinner and the whole dish matured to a beautiful depth of flavour! I love to cook with lots of herbs, garlic, onions and spices to make my sauces and meals etc; but I was pleasantly surprised by the depth of flavours in this recipe brought out by the lack of condiments and simplicity in preparation. Anyways a ‘Magnificent Meal’ thanks for sharing! Cheers…
I’m so happy to hear that, Michael, thanks so much for the feedback!
I’ve been looking for a strong tasting dish like this for a long time! I was super happy and so was my bf. It thoroughly satisfied me and gave me that kick that I need when I’m eating a meal, not to mention it was suuuuuuper easy to make. I substituted one can of coconut milk for one can of the tomatoes, and I added an additional half teaspoon of bullion powder, a big clove of garlic, and spicy chili. Thanks so much for sharing this recipe!
Fantastic, Amber, I’m so glad you guys enjoyed it and I appreciate the feedback, thank you!
My husband’s from Togo and we’r love this dish with our own variations but thanks because it’s somewhat challenging cooking without recipes and ever since finding yours we have been so happy!
I made this dish a few days ago. I found it too intense in tomatoes for my taste, so I added a can of low fat coconut milk and added already cubed and roasted butternut squash at the end as well. That mellowed it out and we liked it a lot better. I suppose in Gambia this dish enjoys many variations. It’s lovely delicious and very pretty on the plate.
Hi Catherine, I’m glad you enjoyed it and were able to adapt it to your taste, thanks for the feedback!