Equipment
Ingredients
Chicken and Marinade Base
- 800 g bone-in skinless chicken thighs, trimmed of excess fat
- 150 g red onion, roughly chopped
- 30 g fresh ginger, peeled and roughly chopped
- 15 g garlic, peeled
- 10 g kosher salt
Soup Body
- 400 g roma tomatoes, halved
- 150 g red onion, halved
- 1 scotch bonnet pepper, whole, unpunctured for mild heat
- 30 g tomato paste
- 250 g unsweetened natural peanut butter, creamy style, well stirred
- 1000 ml chicken broth, divided use
- 10 g chicken bouillon cube, crushed
Nutrition (per serving)
Method
In a blender, combine the chopped red onion, ginger, garlic, and salt with a splash of water. Blend until it forms a smooth, coarse paste.
Place raw chicken thighs in the Dutch oven and thoroughly coat with the blended onion-ginger puree. Wash hands immediately after handling raw poultry to prevent cross-contamination. Place the pot over medium heat, cover, and let the chicken steam in its own juices at roughly 100°C/212°F for 10 minutes to deeply infuse the flavors.
Add the halved tomatoes, halved onion, whole scotch bonnet pepper, and 500ml of the chicken broth to the pot with the chicken. Simmer uncovered until the vegetables soften.
Using tongs or a slotted spoon, carefully remove the softened tomatoes, onion, and scotch bonnet pepper (if desired for heat) and transfer them to the blender. Add the tomato paste and puree until completely smooth. Pour this red mixture back into the simmering pot.
In a mixing bowl, combine the natural peanut butter with 250ml of hot broth from the pot. Whisk vigorously until a smooth, flowing paste forms without any lumps, then slowly pour and stir this emulsion into the main soup pot along with the crushed bouillon.
Pour in the remaining 250ml of broth. Reduce the heat to low and let the soup simmer uncovered, stirring occasionally, until the soup thickens, the chicken reaches a safe internal temperature of 74°C/165°F, and a deep reddish peanut oil rises to the surface.
Chef's Notes
- The presence of a red oil layer floating on the surface is not a flaw; in West African culinary traditions, this is the visual marker that the raw peanut flavor has cooked out and the soup is perfectly finished.
- Commercially sweetened peanut butter or spreads stabilized with hydrogenated oils will fundamentally ruin the texture and flavor profile of this traditional dish. Seek out 100 percent natural groundnut paste or peanut butter.
- Steaming the chicken in the pungent ginger-garlic-onion puree before introducing bulk liquids is an essential West African technique. It forces the meat to absorb aromatics deeply while rendering out its own savory juices.
- For an impeccably smooth, restaurant-quality texture, pass the blended tomato and onion mixture through a fine-mesh sieve before returning it to the pot to remove all seeds and skins.
Storage
Refrigerator: 4 days — Store in an airtight container. The flavor deepens over time.
Freezer: 3 months — Freeze without bones for easier reheating if desired.
Reheating: Reheat gently on the stovetop over medium-low heat, stirring frequently to prevent scorching the peanut base.
