Go Back

Nigerian Chicken Stew

Nigerian chicken stew with a deeply cooked tomato-pepper sauce and golden chicken pieces, simmered until richly coated. Blended red pepper base is fried down until oil floats on top for that signature deep orange-red color.
Print Recipe Pin Recipe
Prep Time 20 minutes
Cook Time 1 hour
marinate 30 minutes
Total Time 1 hour 50 minutes
Servings: 6 servings
Course: Main Dish
Cuisine: Nigerian
Calories: 620
Ingredients Equipment Method Notes

Ingredients
  

Chicken
  • 3 lb chicken pieces bone-in
Tomato-pepper base
  • 2 can (14 oz each) plum tomatoes
  • 3 red bell peppers roughly chopped
  • 2 scotch bonnet or habanero peppers adjust to heat preference
  • 1 onion divided
  • 4 garlic minced
Seasonings & frying
  • 1 cup vegetable oil divided (1/2 cup for sauce + more for frying)
  • 1 tsp thyme
  • 1 tsp curry powder
  • 2 cube bouillon cubes or substitute 1 tsp chicken stock powder
  • 0.5 tsp salt to taste
  • 0.5 tsp pepper to taste
To serve
  • 0.25 cup fresh parsley for serving
  • 0.5 lb steamed rice for serving

Equipment

  • 1 Dutch oven

Method
 

Marinate the chicken
  1. Season chicken pieces with half the grated onion, thyme, curry powder, bouillon, salt, and pepper, then coat evenly. Marinate for 30 minutes for the flavors to soak in.
Brown the chicken
  1. Fry or oven-bake the marinated chicken until golden and mostly cooked through, then set aside. Aim for a visibly browned exterior to help the chicken hold up in the stew.
Blend the pepper-tomato base
  1. Blend plum tomatoes, red bell peppers, scotch bonnet or habanero peppers, and the remaining onion until smooth. Blend until the mixture looks uniform without large pepper chunks.
Fry down the sauce
  1. Heat 1/2 cup oil in a large pot over medium-high heat, then carefully fry the blended pepper sauce. Stir frequently for 30-40 minutes until oil floats on top and the sauce is deeply cooked and darkened.
Simmer and finish
  1. Add the fried chicken to the pot and coat it thoroughly in the sauce. Simmer for 15-20 minutes until the chicken is tender and the sauce clings to the pieces.
  2. Taste and adjust seasoning with salt and pepper as needed, then serve hot. Garnish with fresh parsley and serve over steamed rice.

Notes

Pro tip: keep stirring the sauce as it reduces so it darkens evenly and doesn’t burn at the bottom. Refrigerate leftovers in an airtight container for up to 3-4 days; reheat gently on the stove. Freezing is yes—cool completely, freeze for up to 2 months, and thaw in the fridge before reheating. For a lighter option, oven-bake the chicken (instead of frying) while keeping the sauce-fry step for the same deep flavor.