The Nigerian Chicken stew is a thick, hearty stew made with bell pepper, tomatoes onions, aromatics, and seasonings.

Nigerian Chicken Stew – A Tweak to my mom’s recipe
We all have memories of our mothers cooking and the dishes she made for us as kids. A couple of these dishes stay with us from childhood to adulthood. One such dish is this simple, yet delicious Chicken stew. It is a hearty home-style stew recipe. It’s Deep, rich, and flavorful.
I believe my mom makes the most delicious Chicken stew. Growing up, every Sunday after church we would always go to the market to get fresh chickens and my mom will make this amazing Chicken stew. We always ate this with pounded yam and sometimes rice.
Different families have slight variations to this recipe, but here’s my version passed down to me by my mom. I actually took my moms’ recipe as my base recipe and tweaked it by grilling my peppers, tomatoes, and onions and adding a bit of paprika. The end result is always a winner!

This chicken stew recipe is quite simple, but the balance of flavors is truly incredible.
I wasn’t just bragging when I call this the best Nigerian chicken stew because roasted peppers bring out a deep flavor in your food. I have a jollof rice recipe where I used grilled peppers, and people love it’s getting so much attention. Honestly, I think the attention is well-deserved.
Watch How It’s made:
Each time I’m asked the question – what is always in my fridge, I don’t think twice before I tell them STEW.
I always have stew in their different forms-fish stew, chicken stew, oxtail stew, beef stew, and all types of stew in my fridge. This is what we pair with rice, pasta, couscous, and many more meals.
The African Chicken Stew is one of the easiest dishes to make from scratch and is great for any time. I have used the chicken drumsticks in this recipe, however, any part of the chicken will also work for this. I also use a whole chicken cut into parts and the chicken thighs depending on what I have at hand.
What is Nigerian stew?
Nigerian stew is a thick, hearty and delicious stew made with Fresh Tomatoes, Tomato paste, Red bell peppers, Onions, and Garlic. It’s spiced and seasoned with Ginger, Curry powder, thyme, Smoked Paprika, Salt, and Pepper.
How I make my Chicken stew:
In this recipe, I did something a little different from the traditional. I roasted the peppers in the oven, and this single action brings out more flavor in the stew and also intensifies its appealing bright red color.
I also seasoned and browned the Chicken pieces before cooking it in the stew.

Some like it spicy!
You can make the stew spicier by using more hot pepper and make it less spicy by reducing the hot pepper.
Apart from habanero or scotch bonnet, you can also use Red Chilli pepper, jalapeno pepper, or any other hot chili of your choice.
What to serve with Chicken Stew
I love serving this soup with white rice, couscous, pasta. You can use this no-knead sandwich bread for mopping up that last bit of stew in your bowl!
Storing and freezing Chicken Stew
I always like making a big batch of this stew, and it keeps well in the fridge for up to a whole week and in the freezer for up to 3 months.
When you are ready to use it, you can microwave or leave it to thaw and warm on the stovetop.
MORE OF OUR FAVORITE STEWS AND SAUCES!
- Turkey stew
- Salmon stew
- Catfish stew
- Stewed beef and Potatoes
- West African Pepper Sauce
- Fish Taco Sauce – Fresh And Delicious!
- Creamy Chicken Coconut Sauce

Nigerian Chicken Stew
Ingredients
Roast
- 3 Red Bell Peppers Tatashe
- 4 Tomatoes Medium size
- 2 Habanero pepper Scotch bonnet – Ata rodo
- 1 medium onion
- 5 Cloves Garlic
- 1 Inch Ginger Root
Chicken
- 8 Chicken drumsticks
- 1 tsp Thyme
- 1 tsp Paprika
- 1 tsp curry powder
- Salt and pepper to taste
- ½ Cup Vegetable oil
- 2 tbsp. onion diced
Stew
- 1 medium onion diced
- 1½- 2 Cups Chicken Stock
- 1 Tsp Curry Powder
- 1 Tsp Rosemary
- 1 tsp Paprika
- 2 bay leaves
- 2 Tsp chicken bouillon powder or 2 Chicken cubes
Instructions
- Slice the tomatoes, peppers, and onions into two halves and place them in a sheet pan alongside the garlic cloves. Brush generously with oil and place in a 425F preheated oven and roast for 30 minutes or till slightly charred. Blend everything with the ginger root and set aside.
- Season the chicken with paprika, thyme, curry powder, salt, and pepper. Set aside.
- In a large skillet, heat oil over medium heat, add 2 tbsp from the diced onions, and cook till the oil becomes fragrant.
- Add the chicken legs and fry until they become well browned on both sides—about 10 minutes on each side. Remove from pan and set aside.
- Add the remaining diced onions inside the same pan where the chicken was fried. Cook till the onions become translucent. Add the blended sauce and bay leaves and cook for 5 to 10 minutes.
- Add the chicken broth, paprika, curry powder, rosemary, bouillon powder, black pepper, and salt to taste.
- Gently put the fried chicken in the sauce and leave to simmer until the chicken becomes tender about 20 minutes – a little more or less depending on how big your chicken is.
- Stir occasionally to prevent burning and adjust the thickness of stew with water or stock if necessary.
- Serve over white rice, pasta, couscous, or eat with freshly baked bread.
Nutrition
If you make this Nigerian chicken Stew Recipe, I’d love to see pictures of your creations on Instagram or Facebook. #cheflolaskitchen
Let’s Connect! You can find me on Facebook, and Instagram. I love keeping in touch with all of you!
Sherry Anderson
Friday 11th of November 2022
This was so easy to make. A bit of prep work, but worth every second. My house smells like roasted peppers, and I can’t stop dipping bread in the sauce. We made it on the mild side, but it didn’t miss the heat.
Chef Lola's Kitchen
Monday 19th of December 2022
This is great feedback. Thank you, Anderson.
MIRABEL
Friday 29th of April 2022
Good evening Lola..I have a question for you..cause I was trying to make this recipe this weekend What if I don't have oven to roast the tomatoes and peppers n the rest...what is the next option to use .. thanks
Valerie
Sunday 30th of January 2022
The sauce in this recipe is tasty and fragrant. I modified the recipe for the Instant Pot. I also used bone in skin on thighs. I set the IP for 12 minutes with natural release. Please take the time the roast the veggies. I will defiantly incorporate the roasted pureed veggies in other dishes. This was the first time I made Nigerian stew chicken. I look forward to trying some of your other recipes. I have made other stew chicken dishes from Puerto Rico and Jamaica. This one is really good!
Synamon
Wednesday 17th of November 2021
Hi Lola,
Thanks so much for creating this recipe! I plan to make this this week but had a few questions.
Will red onions suffice or do I need regular yellow/white onions?
Can I used smoked paprika instead of regular paprika?
Thank you!
Lola Osinkolu
Wednesday 17th of November 2021
Hi Synamon, red onions and smoked paprika will work just fine. :)
Tia
Monday 18th of October 2021
I’m trying this tonight! Sounds amazing. I’m a white girl raising two Nigerian kids and I keep using your recipes and they’re making me really popular with the teens I have ❤️ Thanks so much for being so easy to follow and the food is amazing every time.
Tia
Thursday 18th of November 2021
@Lola Osinkolu, and then the Nigerian family came to visit. I made this and everyone was shocked that it was so good. Then I raved about your videos the rest of the night 🤗
Lola Osinkolu
Wednesday 20th of October 2021
Sounds like you are always nailing the recipes. That makes you a true hero! Thank you for the amazing feedback Tia and I'm glad your teens are enjoying it! ❤️❤️❤️