Chicken Stew Recipe: How to Prepare Chicken Stew (Tomato Based)

Photo of Chicken Stew Recipe: How to Prepare Chicken Stew (Tomato Based)

Chicken stew recipe is another African stew which is very common and mostly prepared in many Nigerian homes. This chicken stew is usually prepared using tomatoes, red bell peppers, fried chicken and stews spices. Aside chicken stew recipe, you can learn how to make beef stew and fried fish stew here if you want, they are very tasty as well and can be paired with anything.

Even though there are many chicken recipes, such as shredded chicken sauce and chicken soup, Nigerian chicken stew is one of the most delicious stew recipes you will love to try out for lunch dinner or for your Sunday rice, you can serve your chicken stew with boiled yam, potatoes and rice.

However, you can decide to use only fresh tomatoes and bell peppers (tatashe) to make your chicken stew, but some people usually add some canned tomatoes paste to their and you can as well combine the two if your prefer your stew that way.

Chicken stew is very easy to make, if you are using only fresh tomatoes, you will have to blend and boil the tomato for the liquid to evaporate and add it to the oil to fry. The main spices in chicken stew are ginger, onions and garlic you will need the flavour of these spices to bring out that real taste and flavour of your chicken stew. In this recipe, I used broiler chicken, you can use turkey, native chicken or old layers for yours if you prefer.

Table of Contents

Important tips for preparing chicken stew recipe

  • Season and cook your chicken proper until it is tender and flavorful.
  • Make sure you cook your tomatoes until the water reduces, if you dont have all the energy to boil the tomato blend, just leave it in colander to drain out excess water before frying it. I do these a lot especially if I use a manual blender to blend my tomatoes. Which means I dont have to add water to the tomatoes to blend and all I just need to do is to drain the excess liquid that comes with the tomatoes for a while.
  • Use spices like ginger, onions and garlic in your chicken stew, these add additional flavor and yumminess to the stew apart from the chicken stock, but you have to use them in small quantities especially the ginger spice so that it doesnt overwhelm the flavor of the chicken.
  • Fry your tomato stew until you cant longer feel the sour taste, you will enjoy your chicken stew if you do this.
  • Another important tip for making chicken stew is that you need to fry, grill or bake your chicken first before adding it to the stew. The chicken must be dried from all its moisture before it is added to the stew. In this case, the fried chicken will absorbs all the sweet flavours of the stew and become succulent and delicious without adding additional water to the stew.

Ingredients for preparing chicken stew

  1. 1 kg of frozen chicken
  2. 12 medium size plum tomatoes
  3. 2 medium onions
  4. 6 large size red bell peppers
  5. 4 scotch bonnets or habanero peppers
  6. 1 cup of vegetable oil
  7. 1 medium fresh ginger
  8. 3 cloves of garlic
  9. 3 seasoning cubes
  10. 2 tablespoons of mix chicken spices
  11. 1-tablespoon thyme
  12. 1-tablespoon curry powder
  13. cup of chicken broth
  14. Salt to taste

Procedures for preparing chicken stew

  1. Combine tomato, peppers, ginger and bell peppers and blend into a smooth puree.
  2. Boil the tomato mix until the water dries completely and set aside.
  3. Season the chicken with onions, garlic, ginger, salt curry, thyme and chicken spices.
  4. Cook the chicken until done and separate from the stock and set aside.
  5. Bake the chicken or heat up oil in a pan and fry your chicken until it is golden.
  6. Reduce the oil you have used to fry the chicken to about 1 cup and place it back on heat.
  7. Add chopped onions, grated ginger and garlic to the oil and fry for 2 minutes or until fragrant.
  8. Add the tomato puree to it and stir- fry for about 10 minutes or until the oil forms bubbles and rises to the top. At this time, the sour taste must have reduced also.
  9. Add some seasoning cubes, thyme, curry and other spices and stir to combine.
  10. Add -cup of the chicken broth to the stew if the stew appears a little bit dry, stir and then taste for salt and leave to cook on a medium heat for 10 minutes or until you notice patches of oil at the top.
  11. Reintroduce the fried or baked chicken into the stew and cook for another 5 minutes.
  12. Your chicken stew is ready once all the ingredients are perfectly combined, you may also enjoy Brown Stew Chicken Recipe. Serve with boiled rice or yam.

Easy steps on how to prepare chicken stew with pictures

1.Combine tomato, peppers, ginger and bell peppers and blend into a smooth puree.

2. Boil the tomato mix until the water dries completely and set aside.

Boiling of blended tomato for chicken stew recipe
Boiling of blended tomato for chicken stew recipe

 

3. While the tomato is is still on heat boiling,season the chicken with onions, garlic, ginger, salt curry, thyme and chicken spices.

4. Cook the chicken until done and separate from the stock and set aside.

5. Bake, grillthe chicken or heat up oil in a pan and fry your chicken until it is golden.

Fried chicken for stew
Fried chicken for stew

 

6. Reduce the oil you have used to fry the chicken to about 1 cup and place it back on heat.

7. Add chopped onions, grated ginger and garlic to the oil and fry for 2 minutes or until fragrant.

Frying of onions, ginger and garlic in vegetable oil
Frying of onions, ginger and garlic in vegetable oil

 

8. Add the tomato puree to it and stir- fry for about 10 minutes or until the oil forms bubbles and rises to the top. At this time, the sour taste must have reduced also.

Frying of tomato of the reduced tomato
Frying of tomato of the reduced tomato

 

The tomato is properly fried once the oil rises to the top and forms some bubbles
The tomato is properly fried once the oil rises to the top and forms some bubbles

 

9. Add some seasoning cubes, thyme, curry and other spices and stir to combine.

Add a reasonable amount of seasonings to your chicken stew for a rich flavor and taste and avoid too much salt
Add a reasonable amount of seasonings to your chicken stew for a rich flavor and taste and avoid too much salt

 

10. Add -cup of the chicken broth to the stew if the stew appears a little bit dry, stir and then taste for salt and leave to cook on a medium heat for 10 minutes or until you notice patchesof oil at the top.

Add a little of the chicken broth to the stew so that it doesn
Add a little of the chicken broth to the stew so that it doesn’t really look so dry

 

11. Reintroduce the fried or baked chicken into the stew and cook for another 5 minutes.

Chicken is added back into the stew. Leave this to cook for a while before you take the stew off from heat
Chicken is added back into the stew. Leave this to cook for a while before you take the stew off from heat

 

12. Your chicken stew is ready once all the ingredients are perfectly combined. Serve with boiled rice or yam

Chicken stew recipe made with tomato
Chicken stew recipe made with tomato

 

Delicious chicken stew recipe
Delicious chicken stew recipe

 

Serving of Chicken stew with boiled rice
Serving of Chicken stew with boiled rice