Nigerian chicken stew is a delightful West African stew made with chicken thighs and simmered in a savory sauce made with tomatoes and peppers. It is so versatile and can be eaten with many different dishes!
Just like my beef stew recipe, this chicken stew is bold and spicy and pairs very well with various dishes. In Nigeria, it is quite common to have a pot of beef or chicken stew in your fridge at any point in time.
It makes meal prep a breeze, and you can easily whip up a complete nutritious lunch or dinner in no time. If you need more variety, try this super delicious Nigerian turkey stew and Goat stew!
This African stew is quite spicy, but there are ways to reduce the heat. If you love spicy foods, this chicken stew will be right up your alley!
Ingredients Used
- Chicken thighs: You can use chicken thighs or chicken drumsticks, and the cooking process will be the same. Dark meat is preferred because it holds its shape well in the stew. If you use chicken breast, it might break apart in the stew.
- Vegetables: Roma tomatoes, red bell pepper, habanero pepper, onion. These vegetables form the base of the red spicy sauce.
- Spices: Bouillon powder, thyme, black pepper, curry powder, salt.
- Other ingredients: Olive oil and chicken stock/broth. I like olive oil for its mild flavor but any mild flavored oil will work.
How To Make This Recipe
- First, rub the chicken thighs with salt and pepper and leave them in a bowl. Cut the onions into two, chop one part into small pieces, and set it aside.
- Then, heat some olive oil in a pan and add the chicken one at a time. I like to use a wide skillet for this so I can do everything at the same time. Brown the chicken on each side for about 10 minutes. When the chicken is done, take it out and leave it in a bowl.
- Blend the tomatoes, red bell pepper, habanero pepper, and the unchopped half of the onion. If possible, do this without adding water or adding just a little so the flavors are more potent. Add the chopped onions to the olive oil and sauté until translucent.
- Pour in the blended tomato and pepper mix and cook for about 5 minutes.
- Add the chicken thighs, chicken stock (broth), bouillon, curry, black pepper, and thyme, and bring to a boil. Taste for salt and add more if necessary. Simmer for about 20 minutes or until the chicken is done.
Can I use an air fryer to brown the chicken?
Yes, you can! I do this quite often, and I actually prefer air-fried chicken thighs. The chicken ends up really crispy, and there is less monitoring compared to browning it in oil.
Preheat your air fryer to 390F and brown it for about 10 minutes on each side, flipping with a tong. The chicken should be spread out on a layer and should not be stacked. Depending on the size of your air fryer, you might have to do it in batches.
Storing and Reheating
This chicken stew keeps very well in the fridge for up to a week, and you can freeze it for up to 3 months. To defrost, refrigerate in the fridge overnight before warming on the stove.
What can I eat this recipe with?
African chicken stew is versatile and goes great with many dishes, like rice, spaghetti, or plantains. Being on a low carb diet, I love to eat mine with cauliflower rice or shirataki noodles.
Tips and variations
- I used chicken thighs for this stew, but you can use chicken drumsticks or mix and match both parts.
- When browning the chicken, do it in batches if needed, but don't overcrowd the pan.
- If you add water when blending the tomatoes and peppers and your mixture becomes watery, pour it into a pot and let the excess water evaporate before using it in the stew.
- The stew is quite spicy, even with just one habanero pepper. If it's too spicy for you, use half a habanero pepper or 1-2 teaspoons of cayenne pepper instead.
Check out these other delicious recipes!
📖 Recipe
Nigerian Chicken Stew
Ingredients
- 2 lbs chicken thighs
- 3 tomatoes
- 1 red bell pepper
- 1 habanero pepper use ½ if you don't want it too spicy
- ½ cup olive oil
- 1 cup chicken stock (broth)
- 1 onion
- 1 teaspoon bouillon powder
- ½ teaspoon thyme
- ½ teaspoon black pepper
- ½ teaspoon curry powder
- ½ teaspoon salt
- extra salt and black pepper for the chicken rub
Instructions
- Wash and pat dry the chicken.2 lbs chicken thighs
- Rub the chicken thighs with salt and black pepper, and leave them in a bowl.extra salt and black pepper
- Heat olive oil in a pan.½ cup olive oil
- Brown the chicken on each side (about 10 minutes each).
- Cut the onion into two and chop one part into small pieces.1 onion
- When the chicken is done, take it out and set it aside.
- Blend the tomatoes, red bell pepper, habanero pepper, and the other half of the onion.3 tomatoes, 1 red bell pepper, 1 habanero pepper
- Sauté the chopped onion in the oil till translucent.
- Pour the blended tomato and pepper mix and boil for 5 minutes.
- Add the chicken, chicken stock, bouillon, black pepper, curry, and thyme.1 cup chicken stock (broth), 1 teaspoon bouillon powder, ½ teaspoon thyme, ½ teaspoon curry powder, ½ teaspoon black pepper
- Taste for salt and add more if necessary.½ teaspoon salt
- Cook for 20 minutes or until chicken is done.
Notes
- I used chicken thighs for this stew, but you can use chicken drumsticks or mix and match both parts.
- When browning the chicken, do it in batches if you need to, but don't overcrowd the pan.
- You can brown your chicken in the air fryer. Preheat to 390F and brown for 10 minutes on each side.
- If you add water when blending the tomatoes and peppers, pour the mix into a pot and let the excess water evaporate.
- The stew is quite spicy, even with just one habanero pepper. If it's too spicy for you, use half a habanero pepper or use cayenne pepper instead.
- For an infusion of flavor, try making this turkey stew with fire-roasted tomatoes!
I followed your directions to the t, the only thing I did different was instead of boiling it I put it in the crock pot pot and I have it simmering on low . I hope this doesn't ruin it. But I’m starting a keto diet and want to meal prep. But from what I taste of the rue, it’s tastes pretty delicious.
Hope it turns out perfect for you, Amanda!
My son, my husband and I made this recipe tonight. It was so very flavorful quick and easy. Our only mistake was blending the entire onion instead of half lol! We ended up adding a can of tomato paste to even it out. Turned out perfect! Thanks so much for sharing.
You're so welcome, Vee. I'm glad the chicken stew turned out perfect for you!
I made this last night and omg it was so tasty. I made a little pasta and ate it over that. The sauce alone was so good. Even though we ate all the chicken there was some sauce left. Too good to waste. I froze it in soup cubes and I can defrost just what I need for a one dish pasta sauce.
So glad you loved it! Great idea to use the sauce with pasta and freeze the extra. Perfect for a quick meal later!
How much cayenne pepper do you use to substitute it for the habanero?
You can use 1-2 teaspoons depending on how much heat you can handle.
Hi Tayo,
I made your recipe last week and it came out so good. That I’m making again this week. Only thing is my store produce wasn’t that good of a picking so i ordered from another store but my shopper grabbed the wrong tomatos and grabbed the bigger ones. If i take out the seeds and juices can i still use in the stew. I wanted to make it right again but this kind of put a damper in my mood.
Yes you can, but make sure you add very little water when blending it. If it turns out too watery, pour it into a separate pot and simmer till it thickens, then use for the stew.
I made this recipe, it was good.
Flavors could have been more prominent. I didn’t add chicken broth but added chicken bouillon to the pepper tomato blend which I agree was a little watery. I cooked the mixture a little longer to evaporate some of the excess water.
Thanks for the feedback! Cooking longer to reduce the water sounds like a good call. Maybe next time, try adding some extra spices to boost the flavors.
I made this according to the instructions was delicious not watery at all. Really enjoyed it and will definitely be making again as its so simple and quick to make. Thanks.
So glad to hear you enjoyed it and found it easy to make! Thanks for the feedback and happy cooking! 😊
hiya - just made this stew - flavour was lovely but it turned out quite watery. I added flour and it thickened a little. please advise on where I may have gone wrong 🙂
You might have added a bit too much water. You also dont need to add flour to thicken it.
Boil the tomato mixture longer. I cook off all the water from it so it becomes more like a paste. Takes a while but it makes it way better!!