Best West African Chicken Recipes

WEST AFRICAN-STYLE PEANUT STEW WITH CHICKEN

Steps:

• Season chicken with 1/2 teaspoon salt and the black pepper. Heat 1 tablespoon oil in a large pot over medium-high heat. Add half the chicken; cook until no longer pink, 2 to 3 minutes, then transfer to a plate. Repeat with 1 tablespoon oil and remaining chicken.
• Add remaining 1 tablespoon oil to the pot and reduce heat to medium. Add onion; cook until softened, about 3 minutes. Add garlic, ginger, coriander, cumin, turmeric, cinnamon, and remaining 1/2 teaspoon salt; cook, stirring, 30 seconds.
• Stir in broth, tomatoes, sweet potato, collard greens, and red bell peppers; bring to a boil. Reduce heat to medium-low; simmer, partially covered, until vegetables are tender, about 20 minutes.
• Return chicken and accumulated juices to the pot. Return to a boil, then stir in peanut butter; simmer until incorporated and chicken is cooked through, 3 to 5 minutes. Garnish with chopped peanuts.

WEST AFRICAN PEANUT SOUP WITH CHICKEN

Steps:

• Chop peanuts, or crush them with the side of a knife, or pulse them in a food processor to chop roughly.
• Put oil in a deep skillet or medium saucepan over medium heat; a minute later, add onion, ginger and garlic and cook, stirring occasionally, until onion is soft, 3 to 5 minutes. Add chicken and continue cooking for another 3 or 4 minutes, until just coloring. Add 1/2 cup peanuts and the cayenne and sprinkle with salt and pepper.
• Stir in the stock and the sweet potatoes, bring to a boil, and turn heat down to medium-low so the soup bubbles gently. Stir in tomatoes and collards, then cook, stirring occasionally, until chicken is cooked through, about 10 minutes.
• Stir in 1/4 cup peanut butter. Taste, adjust seasoning (you may want to add more peanut butter at this point) and serve, garnished with remaining peanuts.

WEST AFRICAN PEANUT SOUP WITH CHICKEN

Steps:

• Chop peanuts, or crush them with the side of a knife, or pulse them in a food processor to chop roughly.
• Put oil in a deep skillet or medium saucepan over medium heat; a minute later, add onion, ginger and garlic and cook, stirring occasionally, until onion is soft, 3 to 5 minutes. Add chicken and continue cooking for another 3 or 4 minutes, until just coloring. Add 1/2 cup peanuts and the cayenne and sprinkle with salt and pepper.
• Stir in the stock and the sweet potatoes, bring to a boil, and turn heat down to medium-low so the soup bubbles gently. Stir in tomatoes and collards, then cook, stirring occasionally, until chicken is cooked through, about 10 minutes.
• Stir in 1/4 cup peanut butter. Taste, adjust seasoning (you may want to add more peanut butter at this point) and serve, garnished with remaining peanuts.

WEST AFRICAN CHICKEN STEW

Steps:

• Sprinkle chicken with salt and pepper. In a Dutch oven, cook chicken over medium heat in 2 teaspoons oil for 4-6 minutes or until no longer pink; remove and set aside., In the same pan, saute onion in remaining oil until tender. Add garlic and ginger; cook 1 minute longer., Stir in the peas, tomatoes, sweet potato, broth, peanut butter, 1-1/4 teaspoons thyme and cayenne. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat; cover and simmer for 15-20 minutes or until potato is tender. Add chicken; heat through., Serve with rice if desired. Sprinkle with remaining thyme.

WEST AFRICAN SPICY PEANUT CHICKEN WINGS

Steps:

• Spread the wings in a single layer on wire rack set over a rimmed baking sheet and season liberally with salt and pepper. Refrigerate at least 1 hour, or preferably overnight.
• Heat 2 inches of oil in a large, heavy-bottomed pot over medium heat until a deep-fry thermometer registers 275 degrees F. Working in 2 batches, fry the wings, tossing occasionally, until pale brown and cooked through, about 20 minutes per batch. To test for doneness, lift a wing from the oil and pierce with a paring knife. If there is no resistance they are done. Transfer the wings with a slotted spoon to a clean rack set over a baking sheet and let cool for at least 30 minutes. (Make sure the oil returns to the proper temperature between batches.)
• Meanwhile, make the sauce: Heat 2 tablespoons vegetable oil in a medium pot over medium heat. Add the garlic, onion and chile and cook, stirring occasionally, until soft and lightly golden, about 12 minutes. Add the tomato paste and cook, stirring until lightly caramelized, about 2 minutes. Stir in the peanut butter and bay leaf, then pour in the broth. Bring the mixture to a simmer then cook, stirring often, until it is thickened and slightly reduced, about 8 minutes. Remove the sauce from the heat, discard the bay leaf and stir in the fish sauce. Finely grate the zest of 1 lime into the sauce, then add its juice. Season the sauce with salt and pepper, then pour it into a blender and puree until very smooth. Transfer the sauce to a small saucepan and keep warm.
• Increase the temperature of the frying oil to 425 degrees F. Working in 3 batches, fry the wings again until the skin is golden brown and very crisp, about 3 minutes per batch. Transfer the wings to a large bowl and season each batch with salt while hot. (Make sure the oil returns to the proper temperature between batches.)
• Pour two-thirds of the reserved peanut sauce over the wings and toss to coat evenly. Transfer the wings to a platter and sprinkle with the peanuts. Finely grate the zest of another lime over the wings then cut the remaining limes into wedges. Serve the wings immediately with lime wedges, sliced mango and extra peanut sauce on the side.

WEST AFRICAN CHICKEN-PEANUT SOUP

Steps:

• In a large pot, saute the chicken, onion and garlic in the sesame oil for about 10 minutes., until the onion is tender. Add the curry powder, salt, pepper and red pepper flakes and saute 1 minute more.
• Add the chicken broth, tomato paste, stewed tomatoes and peanut butter, stirring until well combined. Heat until very hot, but not boiling. Serve immediately.

WEST AFRICAN PEANUT STEW WITH CHICKEN

Steps:

• Season chicken with 1/4 tsp salt and the pepper. Saute in batches with 1 Tbs peanut oil each time.
• Remove chicken from pan and set aside.
• In pan add remaining 1 Tbs peanut oil and sauce onion about 3 min.
• Add garlic, ginger, spices and 1/4 tsp salt. Saute 30 seconds.
• Add chicken broth, tomatoes with juice, sweet potato, collard greens, red peppers.
• Bring to boil, decrease heat and simmer 20 minutes.
• Add chicken and stir in peanut butter.. Cook 5 min more till chicken is thoroughly cooked through.
• Sprinkle with chopped peanuts when serving .

WEST AFRICAN CHICKEN

Steps:

• Heat oil in a heavy pan and fry chicken and onion until golden.
• Add curry powder and cook for 1 minute, stirring continuously.
• Add remaining ingredients, bring to the boil, then cover and simmer for 20 minutes, stirring occasionally.

WEST AFRICAN PEANUT-CHICKEN STEW

Steps:

• Cut chicken into strips, about 2x1/4 inch. In 3- to 4-quart saucepan, stir chicken and chicken seasoning (from jambalaya mix) until chicken is evenly coated; stir in oil. (For best results, use saucepan with nonstick finish.)
• Cook chicken uncovered over medium-high heat about 8 minutes, turning chicken over after 5 minutes, until dark brown on both sides. Stir in hot water, sauce mix and uncooked rice (from jambalaya mix), tomatoes and sausage. Heat to boiling, stirring occasionally. Reduce heat; cover and simmer about 25 minutes, stirring once, until rice is tender.
• Stir in peanut butter. Cook about 2 minutes longer or until mixture is thickened. Cover; let stand about 5 minutes or until most of liquid is absorbed.

WEST AFRICAN CHICKEN YASSA

Steps:

• Place the chicken in a bowl and squeeze in the juice of 1½ lemons.
• Add the garlic and chilli.
• Mix to coat the chicken well and leave to marinate in the refrigerator for at least 1 hour.
• Preheat a hot barbecue, grill, griddle or dry frying pan.
• Remove the chicken from the marinade and brush it with oil.
• Place the chicken, skin-side towards the heat, on the barbecue, under the grill, on the griddle or in the pan, and cook for about 4-5 minutes on each side, until well colored and cooked through, but be careful not to let it dry out.
• While the chicken cooks, cut the onions into medium-thin slices.
• Heat a few drops of oil in a deep frying pan and fry the onions with the thyme for about 5-8 minutes until nice and brown, allowing their sweetness to come out.
• Remove the onions from the pan and set aside on a warm plate.
• Pour the juice of 1 lemon and the chicken stock into the pan, bring to the boil and season with salt and pepper to taste.
• Allow it to reduce slightly, stirring and scraping the bottom of the pan to get up all the taste.
• Arrange the chicken on a plate, top with the onions and pour the lemon sauce over it.
• Garnish with the remaining lemon half and serve.

WEST AFRICAN-STYLE CHICKEN AND GROUNDNUT STEW

Steps:

• 1. Heat the oil in a 5-quart Dutch oven. In batches, add the chicken and cook over medium-high heat, turning often, until browned on all sides, about 6 minutes per batch. Transfer the chicken to a plate and set aside. The goal is to Brown the meat, not fully cook it.
• 2. Add the onions to the Dutch oven and cook, stirring, until lightly browned, about 5 minutes. Then add garlic, curry powder, thyme, bay leaves, salt and cayenne pepper. Stir for 1 minute, and then stir in the chicken broth and tomato sauce.
• 3. Return the chicken thighs to the Dutch oven and bring to a simmer. Reduce the heat to medium-low, cover tightly, and simmer until the chicken shows no sign of pink at the bone when prodded with the tip of a sharp knife, about 45 minutes.
• 4. In a small bowl, blend the peanut butter with about 1 cup of the cooking liquid. Stir this mixture back into the sauce, and cook until heated through, about 2 minutes. Serve immediately.
• 5. Serve with rice and fried sweet plantains!
• 6. This is from the book "Kwanzaa" by Eric V. Copage.

WEST AFRICAN PEANUT SOUP WITH CHICKEN

Steps:

• 1. Chop peanuts, or crush them with the side of a knife, or pulse them in a food processor to chop roughly. 2. Put oil in a deep skillet or medium saucepan over medium heat; a minute later, add onion, ginger and garlic and cook, stirring occasionally, until onion is soft, 3 to 5 minutes. Add chicken and continue cooking for another 3 or 4 minutes, until just coloring. Add 1/2 cup peanuts and the cayenne and sprinkle with salt and pepper. 3. Stir in the stock and the sweet potatoes, bring to a boil, and turn heat down to medium-low so the soup bubbles gently. Stir in tomatoes and collards, then cook, stirring occasionally, until chicken is cooked through, about 10 minutes. 4. Stir in 1/4 cup peanut butter. Taste, adjust seasoning (you may want to add more peanut butter at this point) and serve, garnished with remaining peanuts.

WEST AFRICAN CHICKEN STEW

Steps:

• Heat the oil in a large, heavy skillet over medium-heat heat; cook the chicken in the skillet until completely brown, 5 to 7 minutes; remove and set aside. Add the onion, potatoes, garlic, pepper, salt, coriander, cumin, and red pepper to the skillet and cook until the onions soften, about 5 minutes. Stir in the water, chicken broth, and peanut butter. Return the chicken to the skillet and top with the spinach. Cover and simmer until the potatoes are cooked through, about 20 minutes.

WEST AFRICAN LEMON MARINATED CHICKEN

Steps:

• In a large baking dish, combine the onion, garlic, chile, salt, ginger, and black pepper. Stir in the lemon juice, 1 c water, and 1 tbsp oil. Coat the chicken pieces in marinade and refrigerate at least 4 hours. Turn pieces every half hour or so.
• Remove chicken from marinade, and reserve the marinade. Pat the pieces dry. In a skillet, heat the remaining 4 tbsp oil over medium-high heat. Brown the chicken, a few pieces a t a time, turning frequently to brown evenly. Pour off all but 2 tbsp oil from the skillet and remove it from heat.
• Using the back of a spoon, press the marinade through a fine sieve set over a bowl. Reheat the oil in the skillet over medium heat. Add the solids fron the sieve and stir constantly until the onion is transparent.
• Return chicken to skillet and add 1/2 c strained marinade and the remaining 1/4 c water. Bring mixture to a boil. Partly cover pand and reduce heat. Simmer 25 minutes, or until chicken is tender.

WEST AFRICAN CHICKEN STEW

Steps:

• Sprinkle the chicken enthusiastically with salt and pepper. Heat a large soup pot over medium-high heat, about 3 minutes. Add coconut oil and allow it to melt. Add the chicken in a single layer and brown well on both sides, about 10 minutes. (Don't crowd the pan; cook in batches if you need to.) Remove the chicken to a bowl to catch the juices. In the same pot, cook the onions and ginger until soft, about 5-7 minutes. Add the garlic, coriander, cayenne, and bay leaf, and cook until fragrant, about 30 seconds. Add the tomatoes and water, stirring to combine. Nestle the chicken into the sauce, along with any juices it released. Increase the heat to bring the pot to a boil, then reduce to a simmer and cook, covered, for 25 minutes. Remove the chicken from the pot; it will be very tender. Break the chicken into large pieces with the side of a wooden spoon. Add the sunflower seed butter and vanilla to the pot and mix to combine. Return the chicken to the pot and cover. Heat through, about 5 minutes, then serve, sprinkled with parsley and sunflower seeds.

WEST AFRICAN LEMONY CHICKEN-OKRA SOUP

Steps:

• Cut up broiler-fryer chicken.
• If using can of okra, drain it well.
• Rub lemon juice over chicken pieces.
• Put in a large kettle with chicken broth or water.
• Bring to a boil.
• Lower heat and cook slowly, covered, 12 minutes.
• Add remaining ingredients and continue to cook slowly about 30 minutes, until chicken and rice are tender.
• Remove chicken pieces and debone.
• Cut meat into small pieces and return to kettle.

WEST AFRICAN CHICKEN THIGHS

Steps:

• To make the paste: in a small bowl, mix together the paprika, garlic, onion, salt, pepper, and cayenne; whisk in the canola oil.
• Trim the chicken thighs of any excess skin and fat; rinse under cold water and pat dry with paper towels.
• Coat chicken thighs with the paste; cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate 4-8 hours.
• Sear the chicken thighs, skin side down over Direct Medium heat for 4 minutes, turning once halfway through searing time.
• Continue grilling over Indirect Medium heat for about 30-40 minutes or until the juices run clear and the meat is no longer pink; serve warm.

WEST AFRICAN CHICKEN THIGHS

Steps:

• TO MAKE THE PASTE: In a small bowl combine the paprika, garlic, onion, salt, pepper, and cayenne. Whisk in the canola oil. Trim the chicken thighs of any excess skin and fat. Rinse under cold water and pat dry with paper towels. Coat with the paste. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate for 4 to 8 hours. Sear the chicken thighs, skin side down, over Direct Medium heat for 4 minutes, turning once halfway through searing time. Continue grilling over Indirect Medium heat until the juices run clear and the meat is no longer pink at the bone, 30 to 40 minutes more. Serve warm.From Weber's Big Book of Grilling. Copyright © 2001 Weber-Stephen Products Co. All rights reserved. First published by Chronicle Books LLC, San Francisco, California.

WEST AFRICAN PEANUT CHICKEN

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
• Remove chicken skins; wash and pat dry.
• Brown chicken in oil, a few pieces at a time, and remove from heat.
• Brown onion and garlic; remove from heat.
• Place chicken, onion, and garlic in casserole dish.
• In a medium bowl, blend chicken broth, peanut butter, and tomato paste. Add seasonings and chopped peanuts; pour over chicken.
• Bake covered, 45 minutes to 1 hour or until chicken is tender.
• Serve over hot cooked rice. Serves 4.