⏱ Prep: 30 min 🔥Fry: 30 min 👤Makes: 6–8 cups 🌿Diet: Vegetarian
Chin chin recipe is the Nigerian festive snack that every household makes in enormous batches for Christmas, Eid and every party in between. Buttery dough flavored with nutmeg, sugar and evaporated milk, rolled thin, cut into small pieces and fried until they are golden, crunchy and impossible to stop eating. Six pantry ingredients and one hour from start to jar.
Ingredients
- 3 cups (375g) all-purpose flour, plus extra for dusting. Do not use self-raising flour, it makes chin chin too airy and soft rather than crunchy.
- ¼ cup (50g) granulated sugar, adjust to taste. This produces a lightly sweet chin chin, the classic Nigerian version. Increase to ⅓ cup for sweeter.
- ½ teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg, the defining spice of Nigerian chin chin. Freshly grated from a whole nutmeg is significantly more fragrant than pre-ground. This is the spice that makes chin chin smell like chin chin.
- ½ teaspoon baking powder, a small amount only. Too much makes chin chin airy and soft. Omit entirely for the hardest, most brittle version.
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 3 tablespoons (45g) unsalted butter, softened at room temperature, not melted. Softened butter incorporates evenly into the flour. Melted butter makes the dough too sticky and difficult to manage.
- 1 large egg
- ½ cup (120ml) evaporated milk, the traditional Nigerian choice, richer and slightly sweeter than regular milk. Available at any grocery store. Substitute: whole milk in equal amounts. Evaporated milk produces a more golden, richer chin chin.
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- Vegetable oil for deep frying, enough for 3–4 inches depth
How to make it
- Mix the dry ingredients. Combine flour, sugar, nutmeg, baking powder and salt in a large bowl. Whisk to distribute evenly. Add the softened butter. Rub it into the flour mixture with your fingertips, working quickly, until the mixture resembles coarse, slightly damp sand. No visible butter pieces should remain.The rubbing technique is the same as making shortcrust pastry. Work with cool hands and work fast, warm hands melt the butter and make the dough greasy.
- Form the dough. In a small bowl whisk together the egg, evaporated milk and vanilla extract. Pour the wet mixture into the flour gradually, mixing with a wooden spoon or your hands as you pour. Mix until a firm dough forms, add the liquid slowly, you may not need all of it. The dough should feel firm but pliable when you press it with a finger the dent should slowly spring back. If the dough is sticky, add flour one tablespoon at a time. If it is too dry and crumbles, add milk one teaspoon at a time.The correct dough consistency is the most important variable in chin chin. Too soft produces greasy, oil-soaked chin chin. Too hard is difficult to roll and produces an unpleasantly tough result. Firm but pliable is exactly right.
- Rest the dough. Wrap the dough in plastic wrap or cover with a damp kitchen towel. Rest for 20–30 minutes at room temperature. This rest relaxes the gluten and makes rolling significantly easier. Chin chin dough that is rolled immediately after mixing springs back constantly and frustrates the process.
- Roll and cut. Divide the dough into 4 equal portions. On a lightly floured surface, roll each portion to 3–4mm thickness about the thickness of a coin. Cut into thin strips approximately 1cm wide, then cut across the strips into small pieces 2–3cm long. Or cut into small squares directly. Collect all cut pieces on a tray before frying.Roll and cut all the dough before you start frying, this means you can fry continuously rather than stopping to cut between batches. It also lets the cut pieces dry out slightly on the surface, which helps them fry crisper.
- Fry in batches. Heat vegetable oil in a heavy pot to 325°F–350°F (165°C–175°C). Test: drop one piece of chin chin into the oil, it should sizzle gently and rise to the surface within 2–3 seconds. Fry in small batches, a generous handful at a time. Stir occasionally to prevent sticking. Fry for 5–8 minutes until golden brown all over. Remove with a slotted spoon and drain on paper towels.The heat must be moderate, not high. High heat browns the outside before the inside dries out, producing chin chin that looks done but is soft inside. The correct frying temperature is lower than you think, 325°F produces a slow, even golden browning that dries the interior and crisps the exterior simultaneously.
- Cool completely before storing. Spread the fried chin chin on a wire rack or paper towels in a single layer. Leave to cool completely, at least 30 minutes. They continue crisping as they cool. Chin chin stored while still warm traps steam and goes soft. Store in an airtight container or jar once completely cool.
Getting the texture right
Chin chin texture is adjustable and the three variables that control it are butter quantity, egg presence and baking powder.
Crunchy and brittleOmit baking powder. Reduce butter to 2 tablespoons. No egg. Add a little extra flour.
Medium crunchFollow the recipe exactly as written. The most popular version.
Soft and airyAdd an extra tablespoon of butter and an extra ½ teaspoon of baking powder. Add the egg.
Most Nigerians have a strong opinion about which texture is correct. The answer is whichever one your mother made.
Make it ahead
Claire’s note
Chin chin keeps in an airtight container or jar for 2–3 weeks at room temperature, and this is how Nigerian families always make it: in enormous batches weeks before the party, stored in tins and jars. The flavor actually improves after 2–3 days as the nutmeg permeates throughout. The dough can be made ahead and refrigerated up to 24 hours before rolling and frying, bring to room temperature for 20 minutes before rolling. Unbaked cut chin chin can also be frozen on a tray, then transferred to a bag and fried directly from frozen, add 2 minutes to the frying time.
Serve with
Chin chin is a standalone snack, eaten by the handful from a jar at any time of day. At Nigerian celebrations it appears on the small chops table alongside puff puff, akara and meat pies as the dry crunchy element of the spread. For everything else at the Nigerian table, the jollof, the stews and the soups, the complete Nigerian recipes collection have it all.
Add chin chin to your weekly meal planner as a weekend baking project, make a large batch and it snacks for two weeks. And for more recipes, follow us on Pinterest.
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Nigerian Chin Chin
- Total Time: 60 minutes
- Yield: 6–8 cups 1x
- Diet: Vegetarian
Description
A crunchy and buttery Nigerian festive snack, perfect for celebrations and gatherings.
Ingredients
- 3 cups (375g) all-purpose flour
- ¼ cup (50g) granulated sugar
- ½ teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg
- ½ teaspoon baking powder
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 3 tablespoons (45g) unsalted butter, softened
- 1 large egg
- ½ cup (120ml) evaporated milk
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- Vegetable oil for deep frying
Instructions
- Mix the dry ingredients: Combine flour, sugar, nutmeg, baking powder, and salt in a large bowl. Whisk to distribute evenly. Add the softened butter and rub it into the mixture until it resembles coarse sand.
- Form the dough: Whisk egg, evaporated milk, and vanilla in a small bowl. Gradually pour the wet mixture into the flour, mixing until a firm dough forms.
- Rest the dough: Wrap the dough in plastic wrap or cover with a damp towel and rest for 20–30 minutes at room temperature.
- Roll and cut: Divide the dough into 4 portions, roll each to 3–4mm thickness, and cut into small pieces.
- Fry in batches: Heat oil to 325°F–350°F (165°C–175°C) and fry chin chin pieces until golden brown, about 5–8 minutes.
- Cool completely before storing: Spread fried chin chin on a wire rack and allow to cool for at least 30 minutes before storing in an airtight container.
Notes
Chin chin can be stored in an airtight container for 2–3 weeks. Texture can be adjusted based on butter, egg, and baking powder. Unbaked cut chin chin can be frozen for later frying.
- Prep Time: 30 minutes
- Cook Time: 30 minutes
- Category: Snack
- Method: Frying
- Cuisine: Nigerian
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 serving
- Calories: 200
- Sugar: 5g
- Sodium: 200mg
- Fat: 10g
- Saturated Fat: 4g
- Unsaturated Fat: 6g
- Trans Fat: 0g
- Carbohydrates: 25g
- Fiber: 1g
- Protein: 4g
- Cholesterol: 30mg
