Equipment
Ingredients
Proteins
- 1000 g bone-in skinless chicken thighs, cleaned and patted dry
Aromatics & Vegetables
- 400 g roma tomatoes, roughly chopped
- 200 g red bell pepper, stemmed, seeded, and chopped
- 1 scotch bonnet pepper, stem removed
- 150 g red onion, roughly chopped
- 15 g ginger, minced
- 15 g garlic, minced
- 100 g spinach, roughly chopped
Base & Liquids
- 250 g unsweetened creamy peanut butter, room temperature
- 60 ml red palm oil
- 1000 ml chicken broth, low sodium
Seasonings
- 30 g ground crayfish
- 2 chicken bouillon cubes, crushed
- kosher salt
Nutrition (per serving)
Nutrition is estimated per serving. Nutrients without complete source data are omitted.
Full nutrition
- Calories
- 605 kcal
- Protein
- 52 g
- Carbohydrates
- 25 g
- Fat
- 36 g
- Fiber
- 6 g
- Sugar
- 9 g
- Sodium
- 1288 mg
- Saturated Fat
- 5 g
- Trans Fat
- 0 g
- Monounsaturated Fat
- 11 g
- Polyunsaturated Fat
- 6 g
- Cholesterol
- 9 mg
- Potassium
- 967 mg
- Calcium
- 82 mg
- Iron
- 4.4 mg
- Magnesium
- 140 mg
- Phosphorus
- 516 mg
- Zinc
- 6.5 mg
- Vitamin A
- 265 mcg
- Vitamin C
- 12 mg
- Vitamin E
- 4.3 mg
- Vitamin K
- 1 mcg
- Vitamin B6
- 0.3 mg
- Vitamin B12
- 0.1 mcg
- Thiamin
- 0.10 mg
- Riboflavin
- 0.16 mg
- Niacin
- 6.4 mg
- Folate
- 42 mcg
- Water
- 173 g
Sources: Aggregated Public Data, USDA FoodData Central
Method
Wash hands and all surfaces meticulously after handling raw chicken to prevent cross-contamination. Place the chicken pieces in a large pot with half of the chopped red onion, minced ginger, minced garlic, and crushed bouillon cubes. Pour in the chicken broth.
Bring the chicken and broth to a boil over high heat, then reduce to a simmer. Cover and cook for 20 minutes until the chicken reaches an internal temperature of 74C/165F and is tender. Remove the chicken from the pot and set aside, reserving the flavorful cooking liquid.
While the chicken is cooking, combine the tomatoes, red bell pepper, scotch bonnet pepper, and the remaining half of the red onion in a blender. Blend until a smooth puree forms.
In a heavy-bottomed pot, heat the red palm oil over medium heat until it melts and shimmers. Pour in the blended tomato mixture and cook for 15 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the mixture reduces, thickens, and the raw smell of the tomatoes cooks off.
In a medium bowl, whisk the unsweetened peanut butter with 500ml of the hot reserved chicken broth until completely smooth and entirely emulsified.
Pour the emulsified peanut butter mixture, the remaining chicken broth, the ground crayfish, and the cooked chicken pieces into the heavy-bottomed pot with the reduced tomato base. Stir well with a wooden spoon to combine.
Simmer the soup gently over medium-low heat for 20 minutes. Stir frequently, scraping the bottom of the pot, as the peanut butter tends to settle and burn easily. The soup is ready when it has thickened to coat the back of a spoon and spots of oil float to the surface.
Taste for seasoning and adjust with salt if necessary. Stir in the chopped spinach and simmer for 2 final minutes until just wilted. Remove from the heat and serve immediately.
Chef's Notes
- Using 100 percent natural, unsweetened peanut butter is absolutely critical. American-style sweetened peanut butters will result in an unpleasantly sugary soup that clashes with the savory elements.
- Ground crayfish is the backbone of West African umami. If you cannot source it at a local African or international market, dried shrimp powder from an Asian grocery store is the closest substitute.
- Red palm oil provides an earthy, robust flavor and signature vibrant hue. If you must substitute it, vegetable oil mixed with a little paprika will mimic the color, but the distinct traditional flavor will be missing.
- This soup tastes remarkably better the next day as the ginger, crayfish, and peanut flavors meld. Consider making it a day ahead of serving.
Storage
Refrigerator: 4 days — Store in an airtight container. The soup will thicken considerably when chilled; thin with a splash of water when reheating.
Freezer: 3 months — Freeze in individual portions. Thaw overnight in the refrigerator before gently reheating on the stovetop.
Reheating: Reheat gently on the stovetop over medium-low heat, stirring frequently to prevent burning, until simmering.
Troubleshooting
Soup is burning at the bottom of the pot
Cause: Peanut paste thickens quickly, sinks, and the stove heat was too high
Fix: Transfer the unburnt portion to a new pot immediately without scraping the burnt bottom. Discard the burnt layer.
Prevention: Lower the heat to medium-low immediately after adding the peanut butter mixture and stir continuously, reaching the bottom of the pot
Peanut butter base separates or curdles
Cause: Adding cold peanut butter directly to boiling soup, or boiling too vigorously
Fix: Vigorously whisk in a splash of boiling water to re-emulsify the fats
Prevention: Always temper the peanut butter with hot broth first to emulsify, and maintain only a gentle simmer
Soup is excessively thick like a paste
Cause: Too much evaporation during the simmering phase or highly concentrated peanut butter
Fix: Stir in warm water or extra chicken broth 100ml at a time until the desired soup consistency is reached
Prevention: Keep the pot partially covered during the final simmer
Cultural Context
Known as Omisagwe in Edo State and beloved across numerous regions of Nigeria, groundnut soup is an essential pillar of West African home cooking. It masterfully balances the rich, creamy, and nutty characteristics of roasted peanuts with the fierce, fruity heat of scotch bonnet peppers. Traditionally, it is presented as a communal meal, deeply enjoyed alongside swallows like pounded yam, eba, fufu, or simply ladled generously over steamed white rice.
