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Nigerian Chicken Stew

Nigerian chicken stew with a rich tomato-pepper sauce, fried chicken pieces, and deep orange-red color achieved by long simmering until the oil floats. The stew is marinated for flavor, blended smooth for a silky base, then simmered until the chicken is tender.
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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
  • 3 lb chicken pieces, bone-in
  • 0.5 large onion, divided Use about half grated for marinating.
  • 1 tsp thyme
  • 1 tsp curry powder
  • 2 bouillon cubes bouillon cubes or 1 teaspoon chicken stock powder Use 2 cubes or 1 tsp stock powder.
  • Salt and pepper to taste To taste.
Tomato-pepper base
  • 2 can (14 oz) plum tomatoes
  • 3 count red bell peppers, roughly chopped
  • 2 count scotch bonnet or habanero peppers (adjust to heat preference) Adjust to taste.
  • 0.5 large onion, divided Use the remaining onion for blending.
  • 4 cloves garlic, minced Minced.
Frying and cooking
  • 1 cup vegetable oil Divide: about 1/2 cup for frying the blended sauce plus more for frying/baking the chicken.
  • Fresh parsley and steamed rice for serving Fresh parsley and steamed rice, to serve.

Equipment

  • 1 large pot

Method
 

Marinate the chicken
  1. Season the chicken with half the grated onion, thyme, curry powder, bouillon, salt, and pepper. Cover and marinate for 30 minutes.
Cook until golden
  1. Fry or oven-bake the marinated chicken until golden and mostly cooked through. Set aside for later.
Blend the sauce
  1. Blend the plum tomatoes, red bell peppers, scotch bonnet, remaining onion, and garlic until smooth. Use immediately or refrigerate briefly while you heat the pot.
Cook the pepper sauce
  1. Heat 1/2 cup vegetable oil in a large pot over medium-high heat. Carefully fry the blended pepper sauce for 30-40 minutes, stirring frequently, until oil floats on top and the sauce darkens.
Finish the stew
  1. Add the fried chicken to the pot and coat it in the sauce. Simmer for 15-20 minutes until the chicken is tender and the sauce clings to it.
  2. Taste and adjust seasoning with salt and pepper. Serve hot over steamed rice with fresh parsley.

Notes

For the signature deep flavor, keep stirring during the sauce frying so it cooks down evenly and reaches the “oil floats” stage. Store leftovers in the refrigerator up to 3 days; freeze up to 2 months in a sealed container. For a lower-oil option, you can oven-bake the chicken (instead of frying) before adding it to the sauce.