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Nigerian Chicken Stew

Nigerian chicken stew with a deep orange-red tomato-pepper sauce, slow-cooked until oil floats on top, then simmered with golden chicken pieces. Blend peppers and tomatoes smooth, fry until darkened, and simmer just long enough to coat the chicken.
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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: 780
Ingredients Equipment Method Notes

Ingredients
  

Chicken and marinade
  • 3 lb chicken pieces bone-in
  • 0.5 large onion divided; use half grated for marinating
  • 1 tsp thyme
  • 1 tsp curry powder
  • 1 bouillon cubes or use chicken stock powder
  • 1 chicken stock powder Use 1 tsp if not using bouillon cubes
  • salt and pepper to taste
Pepper-tomato sauce
  • 2 can (14 oz) plum tomatoes
  • 3 count red bell peppers roughly chopped
  • 2 scotch bonnet or habanero peppers adjust to heat preference
  • 0.5 large onion use remaining half for blending
  • 4 clove garlic minced
  • 1 cup vegetable oil use 1/2 cup for frying sauce; remaining for frying/baking chicken
  • 1 cup steamed rice for serving
  • 1 g fresh parsley for serving

Equipment

  • 1 large pot

Method
 

Marinate the chicken
  1. Season the chicken pieces with half the onion (grated), thyme, curry powder, bouillon (or stock powder), salt, and pepper, then massage to coat. Marinate for 30 minutes.
Brown the chicken
  1. Fry or oven-bake the chicken until golden and mostly cooked through, then set aside. Keep the browned surface intact for better sauce cling.
Blend the pepper-tomato base
  1. Blend the plum tomatoes, red bell peppers, scotch bonnet (or habanero), and remaining onion until smooth. Stir and scrape the blender as needed so the mixture is uniform.
Cook the sauce until oil floats
  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 and looks deeply cooked.
Simmer with chicken
  1. Add the fried chicken to the pot, coat it thoroughly with the sauce, and simmer for 15-20 minutes. Stir occasionally so chicken stays coated and the sauce thickens.
Serve
  1. Taste and adjust seasoning with salt and pepper as needed, then serve the stew over steamed rice. Top with fresh parsley before eating.

Notes

Pro tip: keep the sauce moving with frequent stirring during the 30-40 minute fry so it reduces evenly and reaches the “oil floats” stage. Refrigerate leftovers in a sealed container up to 3 days; reheat gently on the stove. Freezing is yes—freeze up to 3 months and thaw overnight in the fridge. For a lighter option, reduce oil by oven-baking the marinated chicken instead of frying while keeping the sauce-reduction step the same.