Cooking · Zimbabwean recipes
Huku ne Dovi (Chicken in Peanut Sauce)
Bone-in chicken slow-simmered in a peanut-butter and tomato sauce — the Sunday-lunch classic.
Prep
15 min
Cook
60 min
Serves
4
Approx. kcal
~684
Huku ne dovi is what every Zimbabwean grandmother makes when family comes over. Chicken pieces — bone in, always — simmered with onion and tomato until the meat is falling off, then finished with peanut butter for a rich, glossy sauce. The ideal accompaniment is sadza, with which the sauce is essential.
Ingredients
- 1.2kg bone-in chicken pieces (legs, thighs, drumsticks)
- 2 onions, finely diced
- 3 tomatoes, diced (or 400g canned)
- 4 tbsp natural peanut butter
- 2 cloves garlic, crushed
- 1 tbsp ginger, grated
- 2 tbsp cooking oil
- 1 stock cube
- 500ml water
- Salt and pepper
Method
- Season the chicken with salt and pepper. Heat the oil in a heavy pot and brown the pieces in batches, skin-side down first, 6 minutes per side. Set aside.
- Reduce heat to medium. Add the onions and cook 8 minutes until soft and golden. Add the garlic and ginger, cook 1 minute.
- Add the tomatoes and cook 6 minutes until they break down. Crumble in the stock cube.
- Return the chicken to the pot. Pour in 400ml of the water, just enough to come halfway up the pieces. Bring to a simmer, cover, and cook 30 minutes.
- In a small bowl, mix the peanut butter with the remaining 100ml of warm water to form a smooth paste. Stir this into the pot.
- Continue cooking, uncovered, for 15-20 more minutes. The sauce should thicken to a coating consistency. The chicken should pull easily from the bone.
- Taste and adjust seasoning. Serve over sadza with muriwo on the side.
About this dish
The dish is the close cousin of West African groundnut stew (maafe) and Congolese moambe — peanut-protein stews appear right across the equatorial belt. Zimbabwean versions tend to be a touch thicker and less spicy than their Senegalese counterparts.
Sources & further reading
- Calorie estimate: per-ingredient kcal table (USDA-derived), divided by serves. Approximate — varies with portion size and exact ingredients used.
- Cultural context and method are editorial, based on widely-documented Zimbabwean home cooking. Last reviewed 2026-08-20.
Have a family variation that we missed? Email [email protected] — we credit contributors.
Read next across the site