Groundnut Soup with Chicken and Crushed Peanuts
Inspired by techniques from NYT Cooking.
A rich West African peanut soup: bone-in chicken simmered in a tomato and peanut butter broth with ginger, garlic and a whole Scotch bonnet, topped with crushed peanuts.
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Method
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Equipment
- large heavy pot with lid
- mixing bowl
- whisk
- blender or stick blender
- ladle
Nutrition per serving (estimated values)
| Per serving | Amount |
|---|---|
| Energy | 499 kcal |
| Protein | 35.2 g |
| Carbohydrate | 15.7 g |
| of which sugars | 7.1 g |
| of which free sugars | 0 g |
| Fat | 34.3 g |
| of which saturates | 7.3 g |
| Fibre | 4.2 g |
| Salt | 2.11 g |
Protein per 100 kcal
7.1 g High Protein needs ≥ 10 g
Calculated from USDA FoodData Central ingredient values
Metric · 6 servings
Chicken
- 1.2 kg bone-in chicken drumsticks and thighs, skin removed
- 15 g fresh ginger, grated
- 4 garlic cloves, grated
- 3 g fine sea salt or table salt about ½ tsp
Soup
- 1 tbsp neutral oil
- 1 large onion, finely chopped
- 2 tbsp tomato paste
- 400 g can chopped tomatoes, blended smooth
- 1 Scotch bonnet chilli, left whole
- 180 g smooth unsweetened peanut butter
- 1.2 l hot water
- 4.5 g fine sea salt or table salt about ¾ tsp
To finish
- 40 g roasted unsalted peanuts, roughly crushed
- 1
Season the chicken. Rub the chicken with the ginger, garlic and 0.5 tsp salt and leave 20 min (or overnight in the fridge).
- 2
Sear. Heat the oil in the pot over medium-high heat and brown the chicken on both sides, about 6 min, in batches if needed. Lift out.
- 3
Make the base. Lower the heat, add the onion and cook 5 min until soft. Stir in the tomato paste for 2 min until it darkens, then add the blended tomatoes and cook 10 min until thick.
- 4
Loosen the peanut butter. Whisk the peanut butter in the bowl with 300 ml of the hot water until smooth, then stir it into the pot with the rest of the water.
- 5
Simmer. Return the chicken, add the Scotch bonnet, bring to a simmer and cook partly covered for 40 min, stirring often so it does not catch, until the chicken is tender (75 °C at the bone) and red oil pools on top.
- 6
Season. Remove the Scotch bonnet, add the remaining salt and taste. Thin with a little hot water if it is thicker than heavy cream.
- 7
Serve. Serve in bowls with crushed peanuts scattered over, with rice balls (omo tuo), fufu or plain rice.
Storage
Keep in the fridge for up to 3 days or freeze for up to 3 months. It thickens as it stands; loosen with hot water when reheating. Cool leftovers in a shallow container and refrigerate within 2 hours (within 1 hour on a day above 32°C).
