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Nigerian Chicken Stew

Nigerian chicken stew made with bone-in chicken, a deeply cooked tomato-pepper sauce, and a glossy oil-floated finish. Blend peppers and tomatoes smooth, pan-fry the sauce until darkened, then simmer until the chicken is coated and tender.
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Prep Time 20 minutes
Cook Time 1 hour
marinating time 30 minutes
Total Time 1 hour 50 minutes
Servings: 6 servings
Course: Main Dish
Cuisine: Nigerian
Calories: 850
Ingredients Equipment Method Notes

Ingredients
  

chicken
  • 3 lb chicken pieces bone-in
tomato pepper sauce
  • 2 can (14 oz each) plum tomatoes
  • 3 red bell peppers roughly chopped
  • 2 scotch bonnet or habanero peppers adjust to heat preference
  • 1 onion divided
  • 4 clove garlic minced
seasoning and cooking
  • 1 cup vegetable oil
  • 1 tsp thyme
  • 1 tsp curry powder
  • 2 cube bouillon cubes or 1 teaspoon chicken stock powder
  • 0.25 tsp salt to taste
  • 0.25 tsp pepper to taste
serving
  • 0.5 cup fresh parsley chopped
  • cup steamed rice for serving

Equipment

  • 1 large pot
  • 1 blender

Method
 

Marinate the chicken
  1. Season the chicken pieces with half the onion (grated), thyme, curry powder, bouillon, salt, and pepper. Let it marinate for 30 minutes so the flavors begin to penetrate, turning the chicken until coated.
Fry and set aside
  1. Fry or oven-bake the chicken until golden and mostly cooked through, using a method that gets browned edges. Set the chicken aside while you cook the sauce.
Blend the pepper-tomato base
  1. Blend the plum tomatoes, red bell peppers, scotch bonnet, and the remaining onion until smooth. Blend until no visible pepper skins remain, scraping down the jar as needed.
Cook the stew sauce
  1. Heat 1/2 cup of the vegetable oil in a large pot over medium-high heat. Carefully fry the blended pepper sauce for 30-40 minutes, stirring frequently until the sauce darkens and oil floats on top.
Combine and simmer
  1. Add the fried chicken to the pot and stir until coated in the sauce. Simmer for 15-20 minutes so the chicken finishes cooking and absorbs the deep tomato-pepper flavor.
  2. Taste and adjust seasoning with salt and pepper as needed. Serve hot over steamed rice and garnish with fresh parsley.

Notes

For the signature dark, rich flavor, don’t rush the sauce stage—keep stirring during the 30-40 minute fry until oil clearly floats on top. Refrigerate leftovers in a sealed container for up to 3 days; freeze up to 2 months (reheat gently to avoid drying). For a lighter option, you can oven-bake or air-fry the chicken instead of frying while keeping the sauce method the same.