Chicken Meatballs With Red Sauce (Benin)

Submitted by GiddyUpGo

"I used this recipe for week 29 of my food blog, "Travel by Stove." I am attempting to cook on meal from every nation on Earth, and Benin is my 29th stop. Please note that I never use any recipe for my blog that I'm not reasonably sure is from authentic or traditional sources, and this recipe has been posted without any alternations or additions to the ingredients. I've always liked chicken with peanuts, and this recipe is definitely the best of both worlds."

 

• Ready In: 45mins
• Ingredients: 8
• Serves: 6

ingredients

• 1 chicken, cut up, deboned and diced
• 3⁄4 cup no-sugar-added peanut butter
• 1 habanero pepper, minced
• 1 bunch green onion, washed and chopped
• 4 onions, peeled and chopped
• 6 tomatoes, blanched, peeled, de-seeded and chopped
• 1 cup red palm oil
• salt & freshly ground black pepper

directions

1. Take about half of the peanut butter and mix it with a little bit of hot water. It should still be a paste, but it should be just thin enough so you can stir it. Set aside.
2. Take the remaining peanut butter, the chicken, the habanero, the green onions and salt and put them in a food processor. Pulse until smooth.
3. Shape the mixture into meatballs.
4. Chop the blanched tomatoes and the onions and toss them with the peanut butter/water paste.
5. Melt the palm oil in a pan and fry the meatballs in the palm oil until they are nicely golden all over.
6. Add the onion, tomato and peanut butter mixture. Cover the pan and reduce the temperature to low. Simmer for 15 minutes or so, then remove the lid and check the internal temperature of the meatballs (they should be at 165 degrees or higher).