Recipe
🍽️ DINNER
Pollo con Salsa de Cacahuete
Chicken simmered in a rich peanut sauce with tomato, onion and garlic, a Central African groundnut stew from Equatorial Guinea.
Equatoguinean · easy · serves 4
prep 15 min · cook 60 min
~949 cal · 101g protein · 20g carbs · 50g fat · 5g fiber · 9g sugars · 12g sat fat (estimated, per serving)
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Pollo con salsa de cacahuete, chicken in peanut sauce, is a cornerstone of Equatoguinean home cooking, the only Spanish-speaking country in Africa. Peanuts, cocoyams and grow readily in the wet, equatorial forest, and groundnuts pounded into a paste make the base for this thick, savoury stew.
The method is unhurried: chicken is first simmered with onion, tomato, garlic and parsley, then peanut paste is stirred through and cooked low until the sauce turns rich and the oil rises. A little chili gives it a gentle heat, and Spanish influence shows in the herbs rather than the spicing.
It is ladled over rice, or served with boiled yam, or , the starches that anchor the table across Central Africa.
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Make it yours
✓ Naturally gluten-, dairy-, egg- and pork-free. No swaps needed.
Toggle a diet and the ingredients rewrite themselves with regional substitutes.
🥕 Vegetarian
🌱 Vegan
🌾 Gluten-Free
🥛 Dairy-Free
🥜 Nut-Free
🥚 Egg-Free
🐖 Pork-Free
Dietary labels are a cooking guide, not allergen-safety advice. We track dairy, egg, gluten, tree nuts and peanuts (we count coconut as a tree nut, following FDA labeling), fish, and shellfish; we do not screen for sesame, soy, mustard, celery, or sulphites. If you have a food allergy, read the label on every product you use, and note that a kitchen can cross-contaminate in ways a recipe cannot control.
Ingredients
US
Metric
Serves 4
1 (about 3 lb) chicken, cut in pieces
1 cup natural peanut butter (or peanut paste)
1 onion, chopped
3 tomatoes, chopped
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 handful parsley, chopped
1 chili, minced
to taste salt and pepper
Instructions
1
Put the chicken (or chickpeas and mushrooms) in a pot with the onion, tomatoes, garlic, parsley, chili and a little water, and bring to a boil.
2
Cover and cook 15 minutes to build a base.
3
Whisk the peanut butter smooth with about 3 cups of water and stir it into the pot.
✎ Chef’s note
Thin the peanut paste with liquid before it goes in, or it clumps and scorches against the bottom.
4
Simmer gently, uncovered, for about 45 minutes, stirring often, until the sauce is thick and glossy and the chicken is very tender.
5
Season and serve over rice, or with boiled yam, cassava or plantain.
Equatoguinean home cooking.
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🌏 While it simmers, know your destination
📍
Malabo. Malabo is on Bioko, a volcanic island off the Cameroonian coast rather than on the country's mainland, which is why fish and seafood dominate here. Bambucha is the cassava-leaf sauce, and the Spanish colonial layer shows in ordinary things like a tortilla appearing beside plantain and yam.
🗺️
Equatorial Guinea. Equatorial Guinea, Africa's only Spanish-speaking nation, cooks with cassava, plantain, and fresh fish, plus peppery pepesup and grilled bushmeat. Palm oil, groundnut, and Spanish touches define the plate.
🌍
Africa. Much of what reads as timeless African cooking is younger than the Atlantic crossings. Maize, cassava, groundnut, chilli and tomato all arrived from the Americas after 1500 and pushed older crops aside; millet, sorghum, teff, yam and fonio are the ones that were already here, and the map still shows the join.
The story behind this dish is up top, worth a read while the pot works.
More from Equatorial Guinea
PepesupA fiery, clear fish pepper soup of Equatorial Guinea, sharp with chili, ginger, and lime.
Plátano Frito con HuevoSweet ripe plantains fried till caramelized and topped with a fried egg, Spanish and African breakfast worlds on one plate.
Pescado con YucaFish braised in a tomato and onion sofrito, served with boiled cassava, a Spanish-inflected coastal lunch of Malabo.
Browse all Equatorial Guinea recipes →
Good to know
You’ll need: Pot or saucepan, Whisk.
Storing it: Stews and braises keep 3 to 4 days refrigerated and often taste better the next day. Reheat gently, adding a splash of water if it has thickened.
Make it a Equatorial Guinea meal
MalambaDrink
Akwadu (Baked Bananas with Coconut)Dessert
Pescado con YucaLunch
Similar dishes from around the world
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Muamba de GalinhaAngola
Seco de Pollo (Chicken Stew)Ecuador
Caldo de MancarraGuinea-Bissau
Dovi (Chicken Peanut Stew)Zimbabwe
Cuisine
Diet
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Dairy-Free Recipes from Around the World
Egg-Free Recipes from Around the World
Pork-Free Recipes from Around the World
Gluten-Free Equatoguinean Recipes
Gluten-Free Dinners from Around the World
Dairy-Free Dinners from Around the World
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Frequently asked questions
What is Pollo con Salsa de Cacahuete?
Chicken simmered in a rich peanut sauce with tomato, onion and garlic, a Central African groundnut stew from Equatorial Guinea.
Where does Pollo con Salsa de Cacahuete come from?
Pollo con Salsa de Cacahuete is a Equatoguinean dish from Malabo, Equatorial Guinea.
Can Pollo con Salsa de Cacahuete be made vegan, gluten-free, or dairy-free?
This Pollo con Salsa de Cacahuete recipe includes substitution suggestions for vegetarian, vegan, gluten-free, dairy-free, nut-free, egg-free, and pork-free versions, including several at once such as gluten-free and dairy-free together. Treat them as a starting guide rather than a guarantee, and see the allergen note below.
Is Pollo con Salsa de Cacahuete safe for people with food allergies?
Our dietary labels and substitutions are a cooking guide, not medical or allergen-safety advice. We track dairy, egg, gluten, tree nuts and peanuts (we count coconut as a tree nut, following FDA labeling), fish, and shellfish, but we do not screen for sesame, soy, mustard, celery, or sulphites. If you have a food allergy, always read the label on every product you use, and remember a home or commercial kitchen can cross-contaminate ingredients in ways a recipe cannot control.
How long does Pollo con Salsa de Cacahuete take to make?
About 75 minutes total (15 minutes prep, 60 minutes cooking), serving 4.
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