La petite biscotte Now in Munich…

Poulet (chicken) "à l’africaine" - with Peanut Butter

Ahh I’m about to reveal the recipe for one of the most delicious things on this planet. Poulet “à l’africaine” or African style chicken is a dish that my mother in law used to make for us whenever my husband’s aunt (who is married to a Togolese) and cousins came to visit. I always enjoyed those moments, not only because it’s great fun being with them and listening to their stories but also because I got to know this dish.

I am actually not entirely sure if this recipe is truly African. It’s made with peanut butter which gives it an amazing, “exotic” flavour. If you are thinking right now “what in the world is exotic about peanut butter???”, then let me tell you that it’s veeeeery exotic for someone who grew up in Germany :p Germans don’t really eat peanut butter and until a few years ago you could only get it in specialized shops. I didn’t know what I was missing! Today was actually the first time I bought a jar of peanut butter and I spent 10 minutes smelling, tasting a little spoon, smelling again, tasting… it was that fascinating! It’s a new type of flavor that I wasn’t used to but that I liked instantly.

If you don’t like couscous you can serve the dish with rice or pasta but I really think that couscous complements this exceptionally well. The sauce itself is made from ingredients that most of us always have at home. Easy and rather cheap to make but tastes amazing!

Ingredients

• 2 chicken breasts
• 1 onion
• 1 clove of garlic (optional)
• 400 ml tomato purée
• 250 ml water
• 1/2 tsp chili paste (if you like it really hot, use 1 tsp)
• 3 big tsp peanut butter
• oil (sunflower or peanut)
• salt and pepper to taste
• 1 1/2 cups of couscous

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Preparation

1. Chop the onions and the garlic finely.
2. Heat up 1 Tbsp of oil in a casserole.
3. Cut the chicken breasts in dice.
4. Add the onions and the garlic to the casserole and cook them for 1-2 minutes on medium heat until they are transparent.
5. Add the chicken and cook it for 3 minutes approximately or until it has a golden brown color. Add the chili paste and cook for 1 more minute.
6. Add the tomato purée and the water. Bring to a boil and let the sauce simmer for about 20 minutes.
7. Meanwhile prepare the couscous according to instructions.
8. Add the peanut butter and let it melt into the sauce. Add seasoning to taste.

Serves 4, enjoy