Easy Nigerian Chicken Stew

⏱ Prep:15 min 🔥Cook: 55 min 👤Serves: 6 🌶Heat: Medium-hot

Nigerian chicken stew recipe, obe ata, the mother of all Nigerian stews is the one dish that ties the entire Nigerian kitchen together. Chicken simmered in a deeply fried base of blended tomatoes, red bell peppers, scotch bonnet and onions, seasoned with curry powder, thyme and bouillon, reduced until thick, glossy and deeply red with oil beginning to rise to the surface. It is served over white rice, over Nigerian jollof rice, with egusi soup, with yam, with plantains, with bread. It goes with everything, which is exactly why every Nigerian household makes it in large batches and keeps it in the fridge all week.

The Sunday stew. That is what it is called in Nigerian households. After church, the pot goes on. By afternoon the house smells like the best thing that has ever happened and everyone finds a reason to be in the kitchen.

The shopping list

For the chicken

• 3 lbs (1.4kg) bone-in chicken pieces, thighs and drumsticks preferred. Bone-in gives the stew a richer broth than boneless.
• 1 teaspoon curry powder
• 1 teaspoon dried thyme
• 1 chicken bouillon cube (Maggi or Knorr), crumbled
• 1 teaspoon salt
• ½ teaspoon black pepper
• ½ medium onion, sliced, for seasoning the chicken during boiling

For the pepper base

• 4 medium roma tomatoes, roughly chopped. Roma tomatoes have less water than regular tomatoes and produce a thicker base.
• 2 red bell peppers (tatashe), deseeded and roughly chopped, give the stew its characteristic vibrant red color and sweetness
• 1–2 scotch bonnet peppers, 1 for medium heat, 2 for hot. Do not omit, this is where the Nigerian character of the stew lives. Substitute: habanero pepper in equal amounts.
• ½ medium onion, roughly chopped
• 3 cloves garlic
• 1 inch fresh ginger root

For the stew

• ½ cup (120ml) vegetable oil, Nigerian chicken stew uses more oil than most Western stews. The oil is a structural ingredient that carries flavor and creates the characteristic glossy finish, do not reduce it significantly.
• ½ medium onion, finely diced
• 2 tablespoons tomato paste, deepens the color and intensifies the tomato flavor
• 1 cup (240ml) reserved chicken broth, from boiling the chicken
• 1 teaspoon curry powder
• 1 teaspoon dried thyme
• 1 chicken bouillon cube, crumbled
• 2 bay leaves
• Salt to taste

Now cook

1. Season and boil the chicken. Place the chicken pieces in a large pot. Add the curry powder, thyme, crumbled bouillon cube, salt, black pepper and sliced onion. Stir to coat the chicken well. Place on medium heat and cook without water for 8 minutes, the chicken will release its own juices. Then add just enough water to cover and boil for 15–20 minutes until cooked through but not falling apart. Remove the chicken and reserve 1 cup of the broth. Set both aside.This two-stage boiling method, steam in its own juices first, then boil, builds significantly more flavor into the chicken and the broth than adding water from the start.
2. Fry or grill the chicken. Heat 2 tablespoons of oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Fry the boiled chicken pieces until golden brown on both sides, about 5 minutes per side. Alternatively grill under a broiler at 425°F (220°C) for 10–12 minutes, turning once. The browned exterior adds a layer of flavor and texture the boiled chicken alone does not have. Set aside.This step is not optional in authentic Nigerian chicken stew. The chicken is always pre-fried or grilled before entering the stew, never raw chicken added directly to the pot.
3. Make the pepper base. Add the chopped tomatoes, red bell peppers, scotch bonnet, chopped onion, garlic and ginger to a blender. Blend completely smooth, no water needed if the tomatoes are ripe. Set aside.
4. Fry the pepper base, the critical step. Heat the vegetable oil in a large heavy pot over medium heat. Add the finely diced onion and cook 3–4 minutes until soft. Add the tomato paste and fry for 3 minutes, stirring constantly, until it darkens slightly. Pour in the blended pepper mixture, stand back, it will spit aggressively. Stir well.Now cook this mixture over medium heat for 25–30 minutes, stirring every 3–4 minutes to prevent burning at the bottom. This frying step is everything. You are cooking out the raw tomato sourness, concentrating the flavor and transforming the mixture into a rich, deeply red base. You will know it is ready when: the color has deepened from bright red to a darker, richer red-orange, the volume has reduced by half, and the oil has visibly separated and is rising to the surface.
5. Build the stew. Add the curry powder, thyme, crumbled bouillon cube and bay leaves to the fried pepper base. Stir well. Pour in the reserved chicken broth. Stir and bring to a simmer. Taste, adjust salt.
6. Add the chicken and finish. Add the fried or grilled chicken pieces to the pot. Stir gently to coat everything in the sauce. Cover and simmer over low heat for 15 minutes, allowing the chicken to absorb the stew flavors. Taste once more and adjust seasoning. The finished stew should be thick, deeply flavored and glossy with oil visible on the surface.If the stew looks too thin, simmer uncovered for 5 more minutes. Nigerian chicken stew should coat the back of a spoon and not run off quickly.

One thing before you go

Nigerian chicken stew is always better the next day. The overnight rest allows the chicken to fully absorb the stew flavors in a way that 15 minutes of simmering cannot achieve. The pepper base deepens, the oil integrates further, and the bouillon and spices settle into every surface of the chicken. Make it on Saturday evening for Sunday lunch which is, come to think of it, exactly what Nigerian families have been doing for generations. Reheat gently over low heat with a splash of water if it has thickened too much overnight.

What to eat alongside

Nigerian chicken stew is served over white rice for the classic everyday combination, rice and stew is the Nigerian equivalent of the American meat and potatoes meal. It is also excellent over Nigerian jollof rice, with boiled yam, with fried plantains, or with any of the soups in the Nigerian recipes collection.

Add Nigerian chicken stew to your weekly meal planner, make a large batch on Sunday and it feeds the family all week with rice, yam or plantains alongside. And for more recipes, follow us on Pinterest.

Nigerian Chicken Stew

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• Author: Claire Bennett
• Total Time: 70
• Yield: 6 servings 1x
• Diet: Non-Vegetarian

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Description

Obe ata, the mother of all Nigerian stews, features chicken simmered in a rich, flavorful base of blended tomatoes, peppers, and spices.

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Ingredients

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• 3 lbs (1.4kg) bone-in chicken pieces (thighs and drumsticks preferred)
• 1 teaspoon curry powder
• 1 teaspoon dried thyme
• 1 chicken bouillon cube (crumbled)
• 1 teaspoon salt
• ½ teaspoon black pepper
• ½ medium onion (sliced)
• 4 medium roma tomatoes (roughly chopped)
• 2 red bell peppers (deseeded and roughly chopped)
• 1–2 scotch bonnet peppers (deseeded)
• ½ medium onion (roughly chopped)
• 3 cloves garlic
• 1 inch fresh ginger root
• ½ cup (120ml) vegetable oil
• ½ medium onion (finely diced)
• 2 tablespoons tomato paste
• 1 cup (240ml) reserved chicken broth
• 2 bay leaves
• Salt to taste

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Instructions

1. Season and boil the chicken. Place chicken in a large pot with curry powder, thyme, bouillon, salt, black pepper, and sliced onion. Stir well and cook on medium heat without water for 8 minutes. Add just enough water to cover and boil for 15-20 minutes until cooked through. Reserve 1 cup of broth.
2. Fry or grill the chicken. Heat 2 tablespoons of oil in a skillet and fry chicken until golden brown, about 5 minutes per side, or grill under broiler for 10-12 minutes. Set aside.
3. Make the pepper base by blending tomatoes, red bell peppers, scotch bonnet, chopped onion, garlic, and ginger until smooth.
4. Fry the pepper base in the remaining oil, cooking the finely diced onion for 3-4 minutes until soft. Add tomato paste and fry for another 3 minutes. Then add blended pepper mixture and cook for 25-30 minutes until thickened.
5. Build the stew by adding curry powder, thyme, crumbled bouillon cube, and bay leaves to the pepper base. Pour in reserved chicken broth and bring to a simmer.
6. Add the chicken to the pot and simmer over low heat for 15 minutes. Adjust the seasoning if necessary and serve.

Notes

Nigerian chicken stew tastes even better the next day. Make it in advance for Sunday lunch.

• Prep Time: 15
• Cook Time: 55
• Category: Main Course
• Method: Stovetop
• Cuisine: Nigerian

Nutrition

• Serving Size: 1 serving
• Calories: 450
• Sugar: 5g
• Sodium: 700mg
• Fat: 25g
• Saturated Fat: 5g
• Unsaturated Fat: 15g
• Trans Fat: 0g
• Carbohydrates: 20g
• Fiber: 3g
• Protein: 30g
• Cholesterol: 75mg