This simple yet flavorful spicy chicken and sweet potato stew has a lot of chicken, vegetables, and some unexpected spices, and it has Moroccan and Mexican characteristics. Pass lime wedges for each meal if preferred so they can be squeezed over them.
| Prep Time: | 25 mins |
| Cook Time: | 25 mins |
| Total Time: | 50 mins |
| Servings: | 6 |
Ingredients
- 1 teaspoon olive oil
- 1 onion, chopped
- 4 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 pound sweet potato, peeled and cubed
- 1 orange bell pepper, seeded and cubed
- 1 pound cooked chicken breast, cubed
- 1 (28 ounce) can diced tomatoes
- 2 cups water
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 2 tablespoons chili powder
- 1 teaspoon ground cumin
- 1 teaspoon dried oregano
- 1 teaspoon cocoa powder
- ¼ teaspoon ground cinnamon
- ¼ teaspoon red pepper flakes
- 1 ½ tablespoons all-purpose flour
- 2 tablespoons water
- 1 cup frozen corn
- 1 (16 ounce) can kidney beans, rinsed and drained
- ½ cup chopped fresh cilantro
Instructions
- Heat olive oil in a large pot over medium heat. Stir in onion and garlic; cook and stir until the onion has softened and turned translucent, about 5 minutes. Stir in sweet potato, bell pepper, chicken, tomatoes, and 2 cups of water. Season with salt, chili powder, cumin, oregano, cocoa powder, cinnamon, and red pepper flakes. Increase heat to medium-high and bring to a boil. Dissolve flour in 2 tablespoons water, and stir in to boiling stew. Reduce heat to medium-low, cover, and simmer until the potatoes are tender but not mushy, 10 to 20 minutes. Stir the stew occasionally to keep it from sticking.
- Once the potatoes are done, stir in corn and kidney beans. Cook a few minutes until hot, then stir in cilantro before serving.
Nutrition Facts
| Calories | 361 kcal |
| Carbohydrate | 44 g |
| Cholesterol | 57 mg |
| Dietary Fiber | 11 g |
| Protein | 29 g |
| Saturated Fat | 2 g |
| Sodium | 876 mg |
| Sugars | 9 g |
| Fat | 8 g |
| Unsaturated Fat | 0 g |
Reviews
Delicious! Very versatile as far as ingredients go. I’ve made this a number of times now, using either vegetable or chicken broth, rather than the 2 cups of water, depending on what I have on hand. I have used various colours of peppers, such as red, orange, yellow mix. A bit of green if I’ve got some to use up, and Cornstarch rather than flour to thicken sauce. Black turtle beans if that’s what I have instead of or addition with kidney beans. I do add some additional chicken, i.e 1.5 lbs ( rather than 1 lb) cubed chicken breast, and cook the raw chicken in the pot after onion and garlic are about halfway done. Have shared some as a ‘meal train’/ gift of a quick reheat meal! Everyone loves it. Bachelor, elderly, friends hint that they’d like it again when I make it. I typically make a double batch. This Freezes well, as long as you portion some out to freeze BEFORE the Sweet Potatoes are fully cooked. (about halfway- 3/4 way at most- so they aren’t mushy on defrost/ reheat. Defrost it and it reheats well, so make a double batch! (in a dutch oven- stovetop- or adapt to the crock pot recipe another person noted in comments, if that works better for you. Use Freezer bags for portioning for freezer/future easy meal and freezer storage; give a meal to a friend or neighbour who could use one! Serve (or give some away) with crusty bread or rolls, or warmed, toasted Tortillas/ Tortilla chips at the table, and dinner is served! YUM.
I was not feeling energetic enough to add the chicken, hence only cut up one large sweet potato, used water as the recipe indicated, and did not have fresh cilantro on hand, so used dried cilantro spice. Also used whole wheat flour. Put it over some risotto and added a dollop of plain greek yogurt to temper the heat and…..YUMMMMMY! Thanks for the recipe!
I thought this was fabulous. I added more chicken (and used thighs) and a little bit less sweet potato.
Totally delicious!
A great, tasty, and filling recipe. We substituted water for no salt chicken broth, and added a 1/2 cup of cooked, black quinoa. We put the chicken in whole and removed it at the end of cooking. It was then cubed up (much easier) and then added back into the stew.
Was easy and delicious! Everyone loved it and will make again and again!!
Loved it! I made it just as the recipe but in the Instant Pot because I had to cook the chicken. It came out perfectly. This would be a perfect vegetarian dish too but just eliminating the chicken. This is a keeper.
Excellent! The soup is hearty and delicious and the flavor from all the spices wonderful! The aroma of all the flavors while on the stove delicious. The cocoa is a great addition. I chose to add chicken stock rather than water but with all the seasonings I am sure it would be delicious either way.
Very good!!
Made a few substitutions because of dietary issues , but really enjoyed. A hearty dinner served with salad and bread
Sooooo good! Added a carrot (perfect addition) and cooked a whole chicken, using that broth and chicken. If I was short on time, I’d use rotisserie chicken and canned chicken broth. The squeeze of lime is a must!
Made it exactly by the recipe and it was delish!
Excellent stew and so healthy! I also added a can of drained chickpeas, because why not?
This was family approved!!! I doubled the liquid – not water, I used chicken broth, and I used black beans instead of kidney beans because my husband doesn’t like kidney beans. And since I doubled the liquid, I left the lid off at the end. And I probably tripled the red pepper flakes!
Loved it! Yummy mix of flavors and the orange pepper was a great idea. Inspired by the Moroccan motif, I used my home made Harissa as the chile powder. Definitely putting this recipe into my rotation!
Excellent dish! I too used chicken stock instead of water, but didn’t alter anything else. Delicious and hearty stew with unique and complex flavors. Can’t wait to make again!
Made it exact to the recipe listed and everyone I serve it to loves it and asks for the recipe.
Loved it. Cut chili powder in 1/2 also cumin in 1/2. Used beef broth instead of water. Added fresh mushrooms.
Excellent flavor! I used tomatoes from my garden instead of from a can. To compensate, I added a teaspoon of sugar and an additional teaspoon of salt. To suit my young kids’ taste buds, I reduced the chili powder to 1 tsp; the stew still had a tiny bit of heat to it. Husband asked for it to be made again and my pickiest eater devoured it. (Truth: two kids poured their milk in it, then decided they weren’t hungry.) I served sweet cornbread muffins with the stew and will continue to do so.
I substituted black beans for the corn and served it over rice since I am not much of a stew person….really turned out well and open to many variations.
I made mostly as-is, but used rotisserie chicken and zucchini instead of the corn. Really interesting mix of flavors, very different. I’ll definitely make again. Per some of the other reviews, I waited until the next day to eat.