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Nigerian stew

Classic Nigerian chicken stew
4 from 4 votes
Print Pin Rate
Course: Main Course
Cuisine: African
Keyword: chicken stew, nigerian stew
Prep Time: 30 minutes
Cook Time: 45 minutes

Ingredients 

For the meat:

  • 1200 g chicken
  • ½ medium onion chopped
  • 2 garlic cloves
  • 7 g Ginger
  • 1 teaspoon salt 9g
  • 1 teaspoon curry powder 3g
  • 1 teaspoon thyme 3g
  • 2 chicken seasoning cubes
  • 1 cup water

For the stew base:

  • 5 large bell peppers
  • 9 tomatoes
  • A Handful of scotch bonnet peppers
  • ½ onion

To make the stew:

  • 1 cup oil for frying the meat
  • Boiled down stew base
  • ½ teaspoon curry powder
  • 2 teaspoon thyme
  • ½ chicken seasoning cube
  • 1 cup chicken stock
  • ½ cup water
  • ¼ teaspoons salt

Instructions

  • Clean the chicken thoroughly and place it in a deep pot. Season with chopped onion, garlic, ginger, salt, thyme, curry, and chicken seasoning cubes.
  • Mix the seasoning, cover the pot, and allow the chicken to steam and cook in its juices on low heat.
  • After 10 minutes, add water, cover, and continue cooking for an additional 10 minutes or until the chicken is about 80% done.
  • Turn off the heat after 10 minutes, then separate the meat from the stock.
  • Clean and blend the tomatoes, bell pepper, scotch bonnet pepper, and onions until smooth. Tip: add the tomatoes first to make it easier to blend without adding any or too much water.
  • Add the blended mixture to a pot and reduce over medium heat. Avoid stirring the mixture while boiling to prevent splashing.
  • Boil the mixture for about 30 minutes or until most of the water evaporates.
  • While the tomato/pepper mix reduces, heat oil in a wide pan and fry the chicken. Alternatively, you can grill or air-fry the chicken.
  • After frying the chicken, reduce the oil in the pan, return it to heat, and add the boiled down pepper mix.
  • Season with curry powder, thyme, and chicken seasoning cube. Fry for about 10 minutes on medium heat, if the stew splashes, cover the pan almost all the way through. See note 1.
  • Once the oil starts to float to the top, add the chicken stock, mix, and then add the fried/grilled chicken. Adjust seasoning if necessary. If the stew is too thick, add more chicken stock or water.
  • Allow the stew to simmer for about 10 minutes on low to medium heat.
  • Serve the stew with white rice. See note 2.

Notes

  1. Cover your pan but not all the way through so the stew can fry properly. You can also uselessly a splash cover if you have one. Fry on medium heat and star at intervals so it doesn’t burn.
  2. Nigerian stew is typically served with white rice. Traditionally, parboiled long-grain rice is used. Brands like Par Excellence, Golden Canilla, and Iberia Ben Original are recommended. Sella basmati or any preferred rice variety can also be used.
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