Red Gold Tomatoes Giveaway & African Peanut Chicken Stew

Happy New Year! What a week (or 2, or 3, or...)! I don't know how parent bloggers stay active over the holiday--ultimately it just proved beyond me. It's amazing how much more chaotic the holidays are with a child in school. Add to that one set of grandparents here for 5 days and then being at the other set's house for 4 days, and it was pretty much nonstop cooking, baking, gifting, and visiting. And no I did not remember to take any pictures of anything I made!

Which is a shame because I made an outstanding Italian roast pork with sweet and sour onions this past weekend. I am hoping to recreate that--only with sliced onions because I've had enough of peeling cipollini onions for a very long while. I promise to share as soon as I do.


But this post is actually about a dish I made several weeks ago. And I made it with Red Gold tomatoes, a tomato grown and canned here in the Midwest. They sent me a media kit this fall, complete with various "flavors" of canned tomatoes (tomatoes canned with other veggies or herbs or spices), a re-usable grocery bag, even a keychain! Their tomatoes are quite tasty and I love the fact that they are grown regionally. And if you leave me a comment telling me what your favorite dish or dessert you made this holiday season was by midnight, Friday, January 7, I will enter you into a random drawing to receive the same media kit I got. Please be sure to include a way to contact you (a blog link or email address).

I used the canned tomatoes (the "plain" ones) to make this African Peanut Chicken Stew, where I made a fantastic discovery. For some reason I have always been iffy about mushrooms in stuff with peanut butter. I don't know why, no good reason, just one of those culinary hang-ups.

Well I'm over it. This was fantastic. John and I practically wanted to lick our bowls and the girls loved it too.



African Peanut Chicken Stew
Recipe by The Spiced Life

approximately 4 lbs chicken pieces of choice (I used bone-in skin, with skin breasts and boneless, skinless thighs), patted dry and sprinkled with salt and pepper
2 cups peanut butter (I used creamy Jiff)
1-2 T vegetable oil
2 large onions, chopped
2 lbs crimini mushrooms
2 sweet bell peppers, chopped
6-8 cloves garlic, minced
1/2 t paprika
1/2 t cumin
1/2 t cinnamon (cassia)
2-3 T tomato paste from a double strength tube (use a bit more if from can)
2 15-oz cans of diced or whole tomatoes--if you use whole, gently squeeze each one to help break it up
4 cups chicken stock
salt and pepper to taste
apple cider vinegar to taste
white rice for accompanying the stew

Preheat the oven to 300 F.

Heat a large Dutch oven over medium high heat. Add the oil and brown the chicken in batches until it is lightly browned. Remove from the pot and set aside.

Put the onions in the pot with a pinch of salt. If more liquid is needed to deglaze the pot, add a splash of cider vinegar. Brown the onions, about 8 minutes. Add the garlic and cook an additional minute. Add the paprika, cumin and cinnamon and toss for 30 seconds. Then add the mushrooms with a pinch of salt and cook until their liquid is released and they are browning.

Add the tomato paste with the peanut butter and cook, stirring, until the peanut butter melts and mixes in with the vegetables. Pour the stock into the pot and stir to mix. Then add the chicken back in and bring to a boil. Cover and place it in the oven to cook for 45 minutes, or until the chicken is cooked through. Taste for salt and pepper before serving. If the stew tastes dull or too heavy, add some cider vinegar to wake it up. Serve over basmati or Texmati rice.