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Nigerian Chicken Stew

Nigerian chicken stew with a deeply cooked, darkened tomato-pepper sauce and golden fried chicken pieces simmered until tender. Blend peppers and tomatoes smooth, fry the sauce until oil floats, then coat and simmer for a rich, spoon-thick finish.
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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: 680
Ingredients Equipment Method Notes

Ingredients
  

Chicken
  • 3 lb chicken pieces bone-in
  • 1 onion divided
  • 4 cloves garlic minced
  • 1 tsp thyme
  • 1 tsp curry powder
  • 2 bouillon cubes or use 1 tsp chicken stock powder
  • 1 tsp chicken stock powder optional substitute for bouillon (use if skipping bouillon cubes)
  • 0.5 tsp salt to taste
  • 0.25 tsp pepper to taste
Stew 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 cup vegetable oil used for frying and sauce
To serve
  • fresh parsley
  • steamed rice

Equipment

  • 1 large pot

Method
 

Marinate the chicken
  1. Season the chicken with half the grated onion, thyme, curry powder, bouillon (or chicken stock powder), salt, and pepper, then massage to coat. Marinate for 30 minutes for better flavor absorption.
Fry or bake the chicken
  1. Fry or oven-bake the marinated chicken until golden and mostly cooked through, then transfer to a plate. Keep it aside while you cook the sauce.
Blend the pepper-tomato base
  1. Blend plum tomatoes, red bell peppers, scotch bonnet or habanero peppers, and the remaining onion until smooth. Set the blended sauce aside for the next step.
Cook the sauce until dark and oil-floated
  1. Heat 1/2 cup vegetable oil in a large pot over medium-high heat. Carefully add the blended pepper sauce and cook for 30-40 minutes, stirring frequently, until oil floats on top and the sauce turns deeply cooked and darkened with thickened body.
Simmer and finish
  1. Add the fried chicken into the pot and coat each piece in the sauce. Simmer for 15-20 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the chicken is fully cooked through and the sauce clings to the meat.
  2. Taste and adjust seasoning with salt and pepper as needed, then serve the stew over steamed rice. Garnish with fresh parsley before eating and serve hot.

Notes

Pro tip: the sauce must cook until oil floats on top—this is what creates the stew’s signature deep flavor. Refrigerate leftovers in a sealed container for up to 3 days; reheat gently until hot. Freezing is yes (up to 2 months), though rice is best cooked fresh. For a lighter option, use air-frying or oven-baking the chicken instead of frying while keeping the sauce-cooking time the same.