January 15th, 2026: Galliina en Salsa de Cacahuete (Chicken in Peanut Sauce) (Equatorial Guinea)

“The country randomizer selected Equatorial Guinea in Africa.”

Gallina en Salsa de Cacahuete is rich, nutty, and savory dish from Equatorial Guinea. It’s pretty simple, but takes a while to do all the steps. First you make a chicken stock using the chicken pieces plus onion, garlic, bay leaves and spices (peri peri). After covering and simmering it for about 20 minutes in chicken stock, you set the chicken aside, then set about making the peanut sauce. Here you use tomatoes, onion, garlic, salt, cumin and chili’s (peri peri) and roasted peanuts that are ground up. Then using the chicken stock that was set aside, you bring the sauce up to a pourable consistency, drop the reserved chicken in and let it simmer together for about another 20 minutes. Serve it over coconut rice. I made the rice by rinsing basmati rice and soaking it for a half hour before bringing it to a boil in coconut milk, a little salt and a couple of bay leaves. Once it came to a boil, I turned it down and stirred it on a medium heat till the water in the coconut milk had largely evaporated, then I covered it off the heat and let it sit for about 20 minutes before fluffing it with a fork.

Chef Chasan Recipe Notes

Galliina en Salsa de Cacahuete

• Prep Time: 30-minutes
• Total Time: 2-hour 20-minutes
• Serves: 4

Galliina en Salsa de Cacahuete Ingredients:

• 3–4 lbs. chicken, cut into serving pieces
• 1 onion, quartered
• 2 cloves garlic
• 1 bay leaf
• Salt to taste
• Water (enough to cover)

Galliina en Salsa de Cacahuete Peanut Sauce Ingredients:

• 1 to 1½ c. raw peanuts, shelled (or unsweetened peanut butter)
• 2 T. oil or lard
• 1 onion, chopped
• 2 cloves garlic
• 2 tomatoes, chopped (or 1 c. canned tomatoes)
• 1 tsp. ground cumin
• ½ tsp. achiote (optional, for color)
• Salt to taste
• Reserved chicken broth (about 2–3 c.)

Galliina en Salsa de Cacahuete Directions:

Step 1: Cook the chicken

1. Place the chicken pieces in a large pot.
2. Add onion, garlic, bay leaf, salt, and enough water to cover.
3. Simmer gently until tender: Chicken: 35–45 minutes.
4. Remove the meat and reserve the broth.

Step 2: Prepare the peanuts

1. Traditional method
   • Toast raw peanuts in a dry skillet over medium heat until fragrant and lightly browned.
   • Let cool slightly, then grind or blend into a thick paste.
2. Shortcut
   • Use natural, unsweetened peanut butter (no sugar).

Step 3: Make the sauce base

1. Heat oil or lard in a pan.
2. Sauté onion until soft.
3. Add garlic and cook briefly.
4. Add tomatoes and cook until broken down and saucy.
5. Stir in cumin and achiote (if using).

Step 4: Build the peanut sauce

1. Add the ground peanuts (or peanut butter) to the pan.
2. Slowly stir in warm chicken broth, a little at a time, until you get a smooth, thick sauce.
3. Simmer gently 10–15 minutes, stirring often so it doesn’t stick.
4. Season with salt to taste.

Step 5: Combine

1. Add the cooked chicken pieces to the peanut sauce.
2. Simmer together 10–20 minutes so the meat absorbs the flavor.
3. Adjust thickness with more broth if needed—the sauce should be rich but pourable.