Nigerian Chicken Pepper Soup

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Nigerian Chicken Pepper Soup is an easy and hearty comfort food. Pepper soup as the name implies is a ‘pepper Soup’ ? . It’s a hot and spicy chicken broth recipe. Nigerians, like most West Africans, love spice. However, in Eastern Nigeria, where I come from, people are not that keen on spicy food. An exception being the pepper soup. But in Western Nigeria, where I grew up, the tradition holds true and hot and spicy food is the norm. So you can say I drank the Western Nigerian water from birth so I am totally hooked. I  love hot and spicy!!! ??? This pepper soup is made with a special blend of spices which include Ehuru (calabash nutmeg), uziza seeds ( can someone help me with it’s English name) and Uda (negro Pepper) this spice mix can be bought in the African stores. Bless my ma I still have some she brought for me.

But don’t get all heated up; if you don’t like hot and spicy I got you covered. Simply reduce the quantity of pepper in this recipe or skip it all together. Though I doubt with the complete absence of heat it would still be called a pepper soup.

Besides, Chicken pepper soup, there are other meat pepper soups like oxtail pepper soup, fish pepper soup  and goat meat pepper soup. We even have the Yam Pepper Soup version with  chunks of  yams added along with some extra special spices. It is recommended for new moms to help to cleanse the uterus and increase milk production. That is what new moms enjoy during the “omugwo”**  period in Eastern Nigeria. Ohhh sweet mother? God bless mothers.

**OMUGWO is the period from child birth or just before to about 3 months post delivery. During this period, the new mom’s mother comes to her daughter’s home. The new mom is pampered and guided as to how to take care of the new baby, herself and her home. She is nursed back to full health or should I say strength.This method of taking care of a woman that has just put to bed is common in the Eastern part of Nigeria. In the West the method I hear is a bit different. The new mom goes to her mother’s house for this care and tutelage or her mom-in- law comes over. I am not too sure so please enlighten me on your various cultures in the comments.

It is usually 3 months but has gradually decreased to one month or even less due to increase in the working grandma population.

Count yourself lucky if you still enjoy the full 3 months or more. I did ?

Why you should give this Nigerian Chicken Pepper Soup a try:

• Pepper Soup has many benefits, it  can be used as a medicine if you have a cold or a fever, that’s the magic of the pepper soup spice.
• It’s a low carb meal… that’s hot, right?
• It is one meal you can give a person with a poor appetite and you rev up that appetite VROOMMM….
• Well who doesn’t like chicken… I know some people don’t but still…

We are in the winter months in the US and many other parts of the world so what better time to get warm with this simple chicken Pepper Soup. If you do give this recipe a try Kindly let us know in the comments how you fared. I am always delighted to hear from you.

Oya oh. Let’s get cooking

Love,

PS: Recipe photos have been updated for your visual enjoyment!

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5 from 5 votes

Nigerian Chicken Pepper soup

This Nigerian Chicken Pepper Soup is an easy and hearty comfort food. What better way to enjoy the cold months.

Author: Chichi Uguru

Ingredients

• 1500 g hard fowl ( cleaned and cut up.)
• 1 large Onion finely chopped
• 2 seasoning cubes
• salt to taste
• 1/2 to 1 Tbsp Cameroon Pepper (you can sub with 2 habenero peppers)
• 1 Tbsp Crayfish optional
• 1 Tbsp Pepper-soup spice*
• 2 Tbsp Palm oil optional
• 2-3 Scent leaves (nchianwu) ( finely chopped I had run out of Scent leaves so I used Parsley flakes)

Instructions

• Place the washed and cut up chicken in a pot.
• Add about 6cups of water, the chopped onions, salt and 2 seasoning cubes  and bring to a boil.
• When the contents in the pot begins to boil, add the pepper soup spice, Cameroon pepper and crayfish ( if using). .
• Cook till chicken meat is tender then lower heat.
• Add the chopped scent leaves and palm oil. Allow to simmer for about a minute, then turn off the heat
• Your Chicken Pepper Soup is ready. Enjoy!!!
• You can eat  it on its own, with some hot white rice, boiled unripe plantains or boiled yam. My choice of what to eat it with depends on my mood ?

Notes

 

*Pepper soup spice is a special blend of spices which include Ehuru (calabash nutmeg), uziza seeds and Uda (negro Pepper) this spice mix can be bought in the African stores.

 

Tips

 

• If you are making this with regular American chicken, remember that the American chicken cooks faster so adjust your time to about 15mins less so the chicken doesn't get too soft and break into pieces.
• Also add your Pepper Soup spice, onions, and crayfish when you  start cooking so the chicken can absorb a lot of flavor.