West African Peanut Soup with Chicken

Step 1

Cut each chicken thigh into bite-sized chunks about 1 inch across by placing it on the cutting board and slicing it into pieces roughly the size of a large marble, so they cook evenly.

Step 2

Cut the onion in half from root to tip, place the flat side down, and slice crosswise into thin half-rings about 1/8 inch thick; discard the papery skin and root end.

Step 3

Mince the garlic until the pieces are smaller than a grain of rice — about the size of pencil-tip dots — by placing each clove on the cutting board, pressing down gently with the flat of a knife, then chopping finely.

Step 4

Peel the sweet potato with a vegetable peeler, working from top to bottom, then cut it crosswise into 1/2-inch-thick rounds; stack the rounds and cut them into 1/2-inch cubes.

Step 5

Pour 2 tablespoons of olive oil into a large pot and set it over medium-high heat until the oil shimmers and slides quickly when you tilt the pan, about 90 seconds.

Step 6

Add the chicken pieces to the hot oil and cook, stirring every 30 seconds, until all surfaces turn light golden brown (not cooked through), about 5 minutes.

Step 7

Push the chicken to the side of the pot, add the minced garlic to the empty space, and stir for 20 seconds until the kitchen smells strongly fragrant and garlicky.

Step 8

Add the sliced onion to the pot and stir constantly for 2 minutes until it becomes soft and translucent, so the soup develops a sweet depth.

Step 9

Pour in the 4 cups of chicken broth and use a wooden spoon to scrape the bottom of the pot, lifting up any stuck-on brown bits, to mix them into the liquid.

Step 10

Add the sweet potato cubes, the canned tomatoes with their liquid, the ground ginger, and the cayenne pepper; stir everything together for 30 seconds.

Step 11

Bring the soup to a simmer over medium-high heat — you'll see steam rising and small bubbles breaking the surface — then reduce the heat to medium-low so it bubbles gently, about 3 minutes.

Step 12

Simmer for 15 minutes, stirring every 2 minutes, until the sweet potato pieces are fork-tender (they break apart easily when pressed) and the chicken is fully cooked through.

Step 13

Pour the peanut butter into a small bowl and whisk it with 1 cup of warm broth taken from the pot (use a ladle) until smooth with no lumps, so it blends evenly.

Step 14

Pour the peanut butter mixture back into the pot and stir constantly for 2 minutes until completely combined and the soup looks creamy and uniform.

Step 15

Taste the soup on a spoon (blow on it first to cool) and stir in salt and pepper to your preference — start with 1/2 teaspoon salt and 1/4 teaspoon black pepper.

Step 16

Ladle the soup into bowls and serve hot, placing each bowl directly in front of a person at the table.