This recipe can be eaten with many side dishes including fufu, rice balls, banku, kokonte, yams, gari amongst others.
Ingredients
2 medium onions
2 cups (480ml) homemade or store-bought low-sodium chicken broth, plus more as needed, divided
5 medium cloves garlic, divided
1 ounce (28g) fresh ginger (about a 1-inch knob), divided
2 teaspoons tomato paste
4 bone-in, skin-on chicken legs (about 2 pounds; 900g)
1 hot chilli pepper, such as bird's eye, habanero, or Scotch bonnet (see note)
2 bay leaves
1 cup creamy peanut butter (9 ounces; 255g)
1 (28-ounce; 794g) can plum tomatoes
1 whole smoke-dried fish, such as tilapia or snapper (see note)
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
Method
- In a blender, purée 2 onion halves, 1/2 cup (120ml) chicken stock, 3 garlic cloves, 1/2 ounce ginger, and tomato paste. In an oven, combine chicken legs with purée, remaining onion halves, remaining 1/2 ounce ginger, and remaining 2 cloves garlic, along with hot pepper and bay leaves. Toss to coat.
- Set oven over medium heat and bring to a simmer, then cover, reduce heat to low, and cook until halved onion is soft and translucent about 20 minutes. Add an extra 1/2 cup (120ml) chicken stock if the mixture begins to stick to the bottom of the pot.
- Transfer chunks of onion, ginger, garlic cloves, and hot pepper to the blender. Add peanut butter, canned tomatoes and their juices, and the remaining 1 1/2 cups (360ml) chicken stock and purée until smooth. Pass the blended mix through a fine-mesh strainer into the Dutch oven, stirring to incorporate.
- Increase heat to medium and bring to a simmer, then lower heat to medium-low and cook, stirring occasionally, until chicken is tender, oils have surfaced, and mixture has thickened and reduced by about one-third, about 40 minutes. Add smoked fish, reduce heat to low, cover pot, and cook an additional 5 minutes. (If omitting the smoked fish, you can skip this 5-minute covered-cooking step.)
- Remove and discard smoked fish and bay leaves, season with salt and pepper to taste.
- Serve hot over white rice or fufu.