First of all, next to homemade plantain chips, these are the best I've ever tried. I had to make an effort not to just snack them all away. Loved the beer on its own, as well. I couldn't get the idea of a Caribbean-inspired stew of sorts that featured plantains and peanuts, but the pretzel mix threw me for a loop there, so while that was the inspiration behind my dish, my finished dish wasn't very Caribbean.
I divided the beer between the pretzel mix and the stew, deciding to plop the pretzel dough on top of the stew in the form of a dumpling. The thing is, I wound up liking the stew better without the dumplings. While I love me some sort pretzels (like, a LOT), I thought this beer totally overpowered the pretzel mix and that both would be better served by not combining them. So, if you make this stew, I recommend just adding a whole bottle to the pot. If you want some pretzel dumplings, I'd use a less flavor-forward beer or just some carbonated water.
Overall, I was incredibly happy with what I created with my box of mystery ingredients and will definitely continue to make this stew (minus the dumplings) often.
Chicken, Plantain and Peanut Stew (with or without Pretzel Dumplings)
This delicious, hearty chicken stew is infused with unexpected ingredients like peanut butter, peanut butter porter, and plantain chips.
by
Prep Time: 15 minutes + time to marinate
Cook Time: 4 hours (unattended)
Keywords: slow-cooker entree soup/stew
Ingredients (serves 6)
- 1 1/2 pounds boneless skinless chicken thighs or breasts, cut into large chunks or strips
- 1 teaspoon toasted ground coriander
- 1 teaspoon smoked paprika
- pinch of ground cayenne pepper
- 2 tablespoons olive oil, divided
- 1 medium yellow onion, thinly sliced
- 1 cup roasted salted plantain chips
- 1/4 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
- 1 tablespoon tomato paste
- 1 (14.5 ounce) can fire-roasted diced tomatoes, undrained
- 1 cup chicken broth
- 6 to 12 ounces Peanut Butter Porter - see notes
- 1 tablespoon peanut butter
- kosher salt
- ground black pepper
- 1 (16 ounce) box Boardwalk Craft Beer Pretzel mix
- 6 ounces Peanut Butter Porter
- 2 tablespoons baking soda (preferably baked baking soda)
- handful of spanish or chopped peanuts
- handful of plantain chips
- handful fresh chopped cilantro
Instructions
Combine chicken, coriander, paprika, cayenne, a pinch of salt and pepper and 1 tablespoon of the olive oil in a gallon-sized zippered baggie and refrigerate for at least 4 hours, or up to 24.
Drizzle 1 tablespoon of olive oil in the bottom of your slow cooker crock. Scatter the onions, plantain chips, and red pepper flakes over the oil, then top with the marinated chicken and tomatoes. Stir the tomato paste, chicken broth, beer, and peanut butter together and pour over the chicken (or just dump it all in and stir it up on the side - that's what I do). Grind some black pepper over the top, put on the lid and cook on low for 4 hours.
Wen the stew is almost done cooking, preheat oven to 425° F. Stir the baking soda into 4 cups of hot tap water.
Stir together the pretzel mix and the beer and knead for 5 minutes until you have a tacky dough.
Taste your stew and adjust seasoning as necessary. Very carefully pour the hot stew into a 12-inch cast iron skillet (or similar oven proof dish). At this point you can serve in shallow bowls, scattering some of the peanuts, plantain chips, and cilantro over each portion.
Rip off small pieces of the dough, dip them in the baking soda mixture and allow as much water to drip off as possible, then scatter over the still-hot stew. Add as many as you like (you will have extra dough - see notes). Slide into preheated oven and bake for 13-15 minutes, or until the dumplings are cooked through.
I'm probably the biggest pretzel lover around, but I actually prefer this dish without the pretzel dumplings. I added/used them because the mix was part of a mystery basket that I received and needed to include in my recipe creation. If you DO add them, I'd substitute a paler beer for the stout, which I really think overpowered the pretzel flavor (go ahead and add the entire bottle of stout to the stew mixture (since it originally calls for 6 ounces). If you do use them, there will be extra pretzel dough left. Transfer it to a greased baking sheet and slide into the oven alongside the stew, or after you remove it, for 13-15 minutes as a pretzel bite bonus!
What's In the Box!?
- Beer-Braised Chicken with Coconut Curry Wild Rice by Bread Booze Bacon
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- Chicken, Plaintain and Peanut Stew with Pretzel Dumplings by All Roads Lead to the Kitchen
- Pecan-crusted chipotle chicken drumettes with cold couscous salad dressed with bacon vinaigrette by Forking Up
- Roasted Beet Hummus Moroccan Flatbread by NY Foodgasm
- Veggie-and-Spice-Crusted Pork Tenderloin with Tropical Buckwheat Salad by Big Flavors from a Tiny Kitchen
