The Notorious Nigerian Chicken Stew

Nigerian stew is rich with spicy succulent flavours and can be served with white rice, beans, plantains and yams – which makes this food incredibly versatile.  My first taste of Nigerian food was chicken stew on white rice and I loved it -- my face was red, my lips were swollen and my tongue was on fire (my body was going into a complete ‘fiery bliss’).  

Preparing the chicken:

Wash the chicken pieces very well (I use chicken thighs). Season the chicken with the following:

1 tablespoon of salt

1 tablespoon of thyme

1 teaspoon of onion salt

1 tablespoon of curry powder

2 magi cubes

Put the seasoned chicken in a pot with approximately 1 cup of water and 1 medium chopped onion. Place the chicken on medium-low heat for 25 minutes.

Start preparing the stew:

In a large pot heat up a healthy amount of oil (I use vegetable oil). Once the oil is warm put in the following:

1 medium thinly sliced onion

2 chopped scotch bonnet hot peppers

2 minced cloves of garlic

Fry until tender (about 4-5 minutes)

Blend the following:

1 medium onion

1 medium tomato

4 scotch bonnet hot peppers (yes, that’s a total of 6 hot peppers, if you can’t handle spicy food I recommend only 2. I love spicy food!)

(I keep my hot peppers in the freezer)

Blend well and add one can of grounded tomatoes

Add the blended mixture to your oil (be careful as this can get messy). Keep the heat on medium-low and cook. Add the following to the stew:

½ cup of broth from the chicken pot

1 tablespoon of curry powder

1 teaspoon of onion salt

2 teaspoons of thyme

2 bay leaves

2 magi cubes

Salt to tastes (always, always, always taste your food)

Put the pot of white rice on the stove, cook as per normal.

Once the chicken is done transfer it to a hot pan with oil. Fry the chicken in the pan for 8 to 10 minutes.

Gently place the chicken pieces into the stew and simmer for 15 minutes.

Serve the chicken stew over white rice.