African Inspired Chicken Soup With Yams Carrots and Peanut Butter

African Inspired Golden Chicken Soup

Ingredients:

5.5 lb chicken thighs
10 cups water, divided
2 tsp salt, divided

2 large Spanish onions, diced (about 4 cups)
8 cloves garlic, sliced
1/2 cup shallots
2 tsp olive oil
1/4 tsp turmeric

3 lb carrots, peeled and slices (about 8 cups)
6 cups peeled and cubed sweet potatoes (yams)
5 chicken bouillon cubes

1 cup sour cream
1/2 cup peanut butter
1/2 tsp cayenne pepper
1/2 tsp black pepper

additional salt to taste, if desired

Directions:

Put chicken in stock pot and enough water to cover (approximately 6 cups). Add 1 tsp salt.

Bring pot to a boil, reduce heat to low and allow to simmer until chicken is cooked through (about 45 minutes).

Meanwhile, saute onions in oil until just starting to soften. Add turmeric and 1/4 tsp salt, mix well to coat. Allow to cook until onions are starting to caramelize. Add shallots and garlic and cook for an additional 5 minutes, stirring often. Set aside.

Remove chicken from pot and set aside until cool enough to handle.

Add sauteed onion mixture to the water you boiled the chicken in. Add carrots, yams, and remaining water. Cook until vegetables are soft.

Meanwhile, remove skin, bones, and gristle from cooled chicken and throw away.

You will do better finding all those bits of fat, skin, and cartilage tearing the chicken apart with your fingers.

Dice cooked chicken and return to pot.

Using a stick blender puree soup until mostly smooth, but leaving enough texture for a pretty presentation.

Put sour cream and peanut butter in a heat safe bowl and add a few ladels of hot soup. Whisk until smooth and add mixture to pot, mixing well.

Add black pepper and cayenne.

Allow soup to continue to simmer for about an hour to allow all flavors to meld.

Add additional salt, if desired, according to your own preference.

Serving:

This is a hearty and filling soup and needs little in the way of a base or a side. However if you are so inclined ….