Spicy peanut chicken and pumpkin stew

This is a really tasty, hearty dish that satisfies meat-lovers and meat-free eaters alike.

Serves: 4

Time to make: 30 mins

Ingredients

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1 cup brown rice
spray oil
2 spring onions, sliced
2 cloves garlic, chopped
5cm piece ginger, finely chopped
300g chicken breast, thinly sliced
2 cups chopped pumpkin
2 courgettezucchiniXszucchini, summer squashX, chopped
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1 teaspoon ground coriandercilantroX
1 teaspoon smoked paprika
¼ teaspoon cayenne pepper
1 fresh chilli or 1 teaspoon chilli flakes
400g can no-added salt diced tomatoes
2 cups reduced-salt vegetable stock
¹/³ cup peanut butter
1 lemon or lime, juice and zest
4 cups baby spinach or kale
3 tablespoons chopped peanuts, to garnish
½ cup fresh coriandercilantroX, to garnish

Instructions

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1 Cook rice according to packet instructions.

2 Spray a large pan with oil and set over a medium-high heat. Add spring onions, garlic and ginger and cook, stirring, for 1 minute. Add chicken and cook, stirring, for 4 5 minutes, until browned. Remove from pan and set aside.

3 Spray pan with oil again and add pumpkin and courgette. Stir-fry for 5 minutes. Add spices, tomatoes and stock and bring to a simmer.

4 In a small bowl, mix peanut butter with a little hot water to thin down. Add to stew and cook, stirring, for 2-3 minutes. Add chicken back to pan, along with spinach, lemon zest and juice, and cook until leaves are wilted.

5 Serve stew with rice, garnished with peanuts and coriander.

Variations

Make it gluten free: Check ground spices and stock are gluten free.

Make it vegan: Use Sunfed Chicken Free Chicken or cubed tofu instead of the chicken breast.

Nutrition Info (per serve)

Calories 575 cal

Kilojoules 2410 kJ

Protein 32 g

Total fat 24 g

Saturated fat 4 g

Carbohydrates 55 g

Sugar 9 g

Dietary fibre 10 g

Sodium 470 mg

Calcium 110 mg

Iron 4 mg

Note: This nutrition analysis is a guide only. Nutrition composition will vary depending on the exact ingredients used. See our guides on your optimal daily nutrition intake, and supermarket shopping.

First published: Oct 2019

One comment on Spicy peanut chicken and pumpkin stew

5663 June 18, 2026 at 6:54 pm #

I loved the flavours and will definitely make it again with a few adjustments. I added the spices to the pumpkin for the last minute of cooking so I didn’t have a ‘raw’ flavour in the spices. It doesn’t need 2cups of stock. Next time I will add two stock cubes to one cup of water and then add more water later if necessary. I simmered the curry at the end for an extra 15 minutes to give the chicken time to embrace the flavours. I made this just for myself and was able to freeze three portions and an extra portion of soup from the leftover sauce. I should also say that I would add the peanut butter into the stock rather than dealing with it separately.

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