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Nigerian Chicken Stew

Nigerian chicken stew with a deeply cooked tomato-pepper base and golden fried chicken pieces coated in a rich, oil-speckled sauce. Blend peppers and tomatoes until smooth, fry the sauce until dark and flavorful, then simmer until thick and glossy.
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Prep Time 20 minutes
Cook Time 1 hour
marinating 30 minutes
Total Time 1 hour 50 minutes
Servings: 6 servings
Course: Main Dish
Cuisine: Nigerian
Calories: 650
Ingredients Equipment Method Notes

Ingredients
  

Chicken stew ingredients
  • 3 lb chicken pieces, bone-in
  • 2 can (14 oz) plum tomatoes
  • 3 red bell peppers, roughly chopped
  • 2 scotch bonnet or habanero peppers (adjust to heat preference)
  • 1 large onion, divided
  • 4 cloves garlic, minced
  • 1 cup vegetable oil
  • 1 tsp thyme
  • 1 tsp curry powder
  • 2 bouillon cubes or 1 teaspoon chicken stock powder
  • 1 Salt and pepper to taste
  • 1 Fresh parsley
  • 1 steamed rice for serving

Equipment

  • 1 Dutch oven

Method
 

Marinate and pre-cook the chicken
  1. Season chicken pieces with half the onion (grated), thyme, curry powder, bouillon, salt, and pepper, then rub to coat. Cover and marinate for 30 minutes, letting the flavors soak in.
  2. Fry or oven-bake the marinated chicken until golden and mostly cooked through. Set the chicken aside while you prepare the pepper-tomato sauce.
Blend and cook the pepper-tomato sauce
  1. Blend plum tomatoes, red bell peppers, scotch bonnet (or habanero), and the remaining onion until smooth. Scrape down the blender so the mixture is fully blended.
  2. Heat 1/2 cup vegetable oil in a large pot over medium-high heat until hot. Carefully fry the blended pepper sauce for 30-40 minutes, stirring frequently, until oil floats on top and the sauce is deeply cooked and darkened.
Coat and simmer
  1. Add the fried chicken to the pot and stir to coat each piece in the sauce. Simmer for 15-20 minutes until the chicken is tender and the sauce clings to the meat.
  2. Taste and adjust seasoning with salt and pepper as needed. Serve hot over steamed rice, garnishing with fresh parsley.

Notes

Pro tip: to get the signature stew color, keep the sauce at a steady medium-high simmer and stir often so the oil clearly separates on top before you add the chicken. Store leftovers in the fridge for up to 4 days; reheat gently on the stove. Freezing is yes—freeze in portions for up to 2 months and thaw overnight in the fridge. For a lighter option, use less oil by pan-frying the chicken on a rack and reducing the frying oil amount for the sauce.