Groundnut chicken stew

4 HOURS | SERVES 4 | EASY

Groundnut stew is a typically West African dish. I like to serve this slow-cooked chicken, with its mellow peanut butter and fiery ensemble of spices, alongside extra sliced red chilli for oomph.

whole chicken thighs 8, skinned black peppercorns ground to make 1 tsp vegetable oil 4 tbsp ginger a thumb-sized piece, skin on, finely grated onion 1 large, finely chopped dried chilli flakes 1-2 tsp, to taste tomato purée 2 tbsp ground coriander 1 tsp ground turmeric 1 tsp cumin seeds 1 tsp, toasted and ground plum tomatoes 400g tin peanut butter 200g (look for one with no added sugar) red chilli 1, finely sliced roasted salted peanuts 50g, roughly chopped coriander a small bunch, roughly chopped steamed rice to serve

• Season the chicken with salt and the ground black pepper and heat the slow cooker to high or low, depending on desired cooking time.

• Heat the oil in a frying pan over a medium heat, then fry the ginger, onion and chilli flakes for 10 minutes, until soft but not coloured. Add the chicken, tomato purée and spices, and cook for 5 minutes, mixing well to coat.

• Add the tinned tomatoes and bring to the boil, then tip the contents of the pan into the slow cooker along with the peanut butter, 500ml of boiling water and a little seasoning. Mix well and cover. Cook for 3-4 hours on high or 6-8 hours on low, until the chicken is tender and the sauce has thickened.

• To serve, scatter over the chilli, peanuts and coriander, and serve with steamed rice.

PER SERVING 818 KCALS | FAT 62.6G SATURATES 13.3G | CARBS 16.4G | SUGARS 12G FIBRE 7.8G | PROTEIN 43.5G | SALT 0.9G