Nigerian Chicken Stew and Fufu

An easy entrée and a tricky side dish

There’s this little International grocery store right around the corner from us that specializes in West African food. I have been looking for an excuse to go, so this week I decided to try a Nigerian recipe so I could check it out. When I told the woman working the register I was making fufu she died laughing which did not inspire confidence. It was a lot more difficult than the stew, but overall this was not one of my more difficult recipes I’ve done. (Looking at you, dumplings)

Ingredients:

• 2 lbs of chicken thighs

• 3 roma tomatoes

• 2 red bell peppers

• 1 onion

• 1 cup of chicken broth

• 2 cloves of garlic

• 1 teaspoon of bouillon powder

• Olive oil

• Curry powder

• Thyme

• Garlic salt and pepper

Directions:

1. Dry your chicken and season with garlic salt and pepper.

2. Heat up olive oil over medium heat in a large skillet. Brown your chicken on both sides. Remove from heat and set aside.

3. Cut your onion in half and dice one half.

4. Blend your tomatoes, red peppers, and non-diced onion half into a lovely red slurry.

5. Sauté your diced onion half in the same skillet you used for the chicken until they start to sweat.

6. Pour your blended veggie slurry into the skillet and boil for 5 minutes.

7. Cut up your chicken, then add it to the skillet as well as your bouillon, chicken stock, curry powder, and thyme.

8. Leave over medium heat for 20 minutes to finish up the chicken.

9. While that’s cooking, boil 3 cups of water.

10. Once your water is boiling, add 1.5 cups of fufu mix. I used a brand called Mama’s choice that is widely available online.

11. Mix the dough for 10-12 minutes and then let it cool. Once it’s about room temperature you should be able to form it into a slightly sticky ball.

12. Rip a piece off your fufu ball, dip it into your stew, and enjoy!

Annoyance Rating (1-10): 5

Mixing the dough for that long is definitely tough on the shoulders. I get why the lady at the register laughed at me. I had also never made fufu before and it is a very unique texture so I had no idea if I had fully cooked it or not. Beyond those two things and chopping half an onion this wasn’t too bad.

Erica’s Review:

“This was my first experience with African food! I didn’t really know what to expect. It wasn’t my favorite thing Jake has ever made, but it was still yummy and perfect for how cold it’s getting outside. The fufu was so interesting and felt like I was eating a cloud”

Recipe I ripped off:

https://lowcarbafrica.com/nigerian-chicken-stew/

https://www.heb.com/product-detail/mama-s-choice-plantain-fufu-mix/1637044