Ghanaian Peanut Soup with Chicken

⏱ 65 min · Serves 4

Rich, warming and deeply savoury, this West African classic is built on a velvety peanut base spiked with tomatoes, ginger and scotch bonnet. It's the kind of bowl that wraps around you — soul food in the truest sense, perfect with a mound of fluffy white rice or fufu on the side.

Per serving: 620 kcal · 48.0g protein · 18.0g carbs · 40.0g fat

Ingredients

• 1.2 kg bone-in chicken pieces (thighs and drumsticks)
• 1 tsp salt
• 1 tsp black pepper
• 1 tsp smoked paprika
• 2 tbsp vegetable oil
• 1 large onion, roughly chopped
• 4 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 thumb-sized piece of fresh ginger, grated
• 1 scotch bonnet chilli, whole (pierced once)
• 400 g tin chopped tomatoes
• 3 tbsp tomato purée
• 250 g smooth natural peanut butter (no added sugar)
• 1 litre chicken stock
• 2 tsp ground coriander
• 1 tsp ground cumin
• Fresh coriander leaves to garnish
• Steamed white rice or fufu to serve

Method

1. Season the chicken pieces all over with salt, pepper and smoked paprika. Heat the oil in a large heavy-based pot over medium-high heat. Brown the chicken in batches for 3–4 minutes per side until golden. Remove and set aside.
2. Reduce heat to medium. In the same pot, fry the onion for 5 minutes until softened. Add the garlic and ginger and cook for a further 2 minutes, stirring constantly.
3. Add the chopped tomatoes and tomato purée. Stir well and cook for 5 minutes until the mixture darkens slightly and the oil begins to separate.
4. In a bowl, whisk the peanut butter with 300 ml of the chicken stock until smooth. Pour this mixture into the pot along with the remaining 700 ml of stock. Stir to combine.
5. Add the ground coriander and cumin, then nestle the browned chicken pieces and the whole scotch bonnet into the soup. Bring to a gentle boil.
6. Reduce heat to low, cover and simmer for 35 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the chicken is cooked through and the soup has thickened to a rich, velvety consistency.
7. Taste and adjust seasoning. Remove the scotch bonnet if you prefer less heat or mash it in for more fire. Ladle into bowls, garnish with fresh coriander and serve with rice or fufu.