Sierra Leonean Chicken and Sweet Potato Stew is a traditional Sierra Leonean recipe for a classic stew of chicken, bell peppers and sweet potatoes in a lightly-spiced tomato base that's typically served as a sharing dish for Christmas. The full recipe is presented here and I hope you enjoy this classic Sierra Leonean version of: Sierra Leonean Chicken and Sweet Potato Stew.
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This is a Christmas dish for sharing from Freetown in Sierra Leone that's typically served with plain jollof rice
Ingredients:
400g (14 oz) sweet potato peeled and chopped
½ tsp ground coriander seeds
½ tsp ground ginger
Salt, to taste
2 tbsp + 1 tsp oil
8 chicken thighs
2 jumbo/maggi cubes (optional)
5 onions finely chopped
2 garlic cloves minced
2 bell peppers deseeded and finely chopped bell
Scotch bonnet chilli chopped to taste optional
2 bay leaves
250ml (1 cup) water
400g (14 oz) tin chopped tomato
Method:
Pre-heat your oven to 180C (160C fan/350F/gas mark 4).
Season the sweet potato pieces with ½ tsp ground coriander, ½ tsp ginger, salt, black pepper and 1 tsp oil and mix well.
Season the chicken thighs with 1 Jumbo/Maggi cube (or 1 tsp ground coriander, 1 tsp ground ginger and salt).
Arrange the sweet potato pieces on a baking tray, transfer to a pre-heated oven and bake for up to 30 mins until they are all tender. Make sure to stir them at least once during cooking so that they cook evenly on all sides.
Heat the remaining oil in a non stick pan and when hot fry the chicken pieces over medium heat until they are done (about 8-10 minutes). Remove them from the pan with kitchen tongs and set aside.
In the same pan add in the onions, garlic, bell peppers, scotch bonnet chillies and bay leaves and stir fry for a minute until fragrant. Now add the water, cover with a lid and simmer for 40 minutes, stirring occasionally. Keep an eye on the water level during this time and if it starts to get too dry add a few tablespoons more.
Now add in the chopped tomatoes and crumble in the remaining jumbo/maggi cube. Bring to a boil, reduce to a simmer and cook for 20 minutes more before adding the chicken and sweet potatoes. Return to a simmer and cook, uncovered, for 10 minutes so the flavours meld.
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