Sierra Leone | Stew

Groundnut Stew

Name: Groundnut Stew
Prep time: 20 min
Cook time: 60 min
Total time: 80 min
Yield: 6 servings
Cuisine: Sierra Leone, West Africa
Ingredients: 1 kg chicken pieces, bone-in; 1 cup smooth peanut butter or groundnut paste; 3 tbsp vegetable oil; 2 large onions, chopped; 3 cloves garlic, minced; 1 inch ginger, grated; 4 medium tomatoes, blended; 2 tbsp tomato paste; 2 whole scotch bonnet peppers, left whole or minced; 2 cups sweet potato, carrot, cabbage, or okra, chunked; 4 cups chicken stock; salt and black pepper, to taste

Sierra Leonean groundnut stew with chicken, peanut butter, tomato, onion, garlic, ginger, chile, and rich stock.

Country

Sierra Leone

Region

West Africa

Time

80 min

Serves

Level

medium

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01 / Get ready

Everything you need

Tap each ingredient as you gather it. Illustrations are visual guides; follow the ingredient names and quantities.

Servings 6

Scale the dish before you shop, then use the checklist while you cook.

Jump to method My cookbook

Ingredients

For 6 servings

Stew

A few kitchen essentials

Suggested from the recipe method. Use equivalent equipment you have.

Lidded pot

Blender

Wooden spoon

02 / Let’s cook

One step at a time

Keep the rhythm calm, watch the texture, and adjust seasoning at the end.

Back to Sierra Leone

5 steps 20 min prep 60 min cook (check method) 80 min total medium

Cook the chicken

Season chicken and boil until tender, about 25 minutes. Reserve stock.

Cook chicken 25:00

Fry the base

Heat oil, fry onions until golden. Add blended tomatoes and cook 10 minutes until reduced.

Fry base 10:00

Add peanut butter

Dissolve peanut butter in 2 cups chicken stock. Pour into the tomato base and stir well.

Simmer the stew

Add chicken pieces and scotch bonnets. Simmer 20 minutes until thick and creamy.

Simmer 20:00

Serve

Serve over white rice or with fufu.

Every household has small variations. Start here, then adjust seasoning, heat, and serving sides to your kitchen.

Cooking notes, photos & serving ideas

Recipe context

More about this dish

Serving ideas, regional context, and cooking cues for when you want more detail.

When to cook it

Best for Everyday meals. Plan on a medium cook. Allow about 80 minutes total.

What to serve alongside it

White rice, plantain, fufu, cassava, or gari

Regional lane

Sierra Leone national table. A structured Sierra Leone dish in the AfroKitchen archive.

Chef watch-outs

Adding too much liquid after the rice goes in.
Stirring too often once the grains should be steaming.
Stopping the base before the pepper, onion, or spice edge has mellowed.

How you know it is ready

The grains should be tender but still distinct, with steam carrying the seasoning upward.
The sauce should coat the spoon and taste rounded, not watery or raw.
The aroma should smell rounded rather than raw or sharp.

Recipe photos

See the dish before you cook

Take a closer look at the dish and its serving ideas.

Groundnut Stew recipe from Sierra Leone — Groundnut Stew finished dish

Chef board

Build the table around Groundnut Stew

White rice, plantain, fufu, cassava, or gari

Best route from here

Sierra Leone national table

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