Tigadèguèna

About This Recipe

Tigadèguèna, meaning 'peanut butter sauce' in Bambara, is one of the most celebrated dishes of West Africa, and a close cousin of the peanut stews found across the wider region from Senegal to Nigeria, each version shaped by local staple grains and available proteins. Chicken is simmered in a deeply flavoured peanut and tomato base, yielding a rich, nutty stew that is ladled over tô (a stiff millet or sorghum porridge), rice, or fonio. Getting the texture right depends on the peanut butter itself: it's whisked into the simmering tomato base gradually, with the pot stirred often, since peanut butter can split or catch on the bottom of the pan if added too quickly or left unstirred over direct heat. A long, slow simmer is what lets the peanut fat render into the sauce and mellow its rawness, transforming what starts as a fairly sharp, thick paste into a smooth, deeply savoury base with real depth. Chilli, ginger and stock vegetables round out the seasoning, but it's the patience of the simmer — not any single spice — that gives tigadèguèna its characteristic richness.

Ingredients

Serves 4

• 800 gchicken pieces, bone-in
• 1 cupnatural peanut butter
• 400 gcanned crushed tomatoes
• 1 largeonion, diced
• 2 tspsalt and pepper mix
• 2 cupswater

Instructions

1. 1

   Brown chicken

   Season chicken and brown in a pot with a little oil over high heat, 3–4 minutes per side. Remove and set aside.

2. 2

   Sauté onion and tomatoes

   In the same pot, cook onion until soft, then add crushed tomatoes and cook 5 minutes.

3. 3

   Add peanut butter

   Whisk peanut butter with water until smooth; pour into pot. Stir to combine.

4. 4

   Simmer

   Return chicken to pot. Simmer covered over low heat 35–40 minutes until chicken is tender and sauce thickens. Adjust seasoning.

Variations

• •

  Use lamb or beef instead of chicken.

• •

  Add sweet potato chunks for extra substance.

• •

  Vegetarian: swap the protein for roasted king oyster mushrooms, smoked tofu or cooked chickpeas — adjust seasoning slightly upward to compensate.

• •

  Spicier: add a finely chopped fresh chile or a teaspoon of crushed Aleppo/Urfa pepper to the aromatics for warm, layered heat instead of a single sharp hit.

Storage

Refrigerate up to 4 days; freezes well for 2 months.

Frequently Asked Questions