Search no further, this is it. The Nigerian chin chin recipe you have been searching for. Sounds cocky right? But this really is it. Try it and see. Chin chin is a very common Fried West African snack. It is a delightfully tasty crunchy snack.
WARNING: Once you start munching, you would have to be restrained to stop.
Even as this snack is commonly enjoyed in Nigeria, not all chin chins are made equal. Some are overtly sweet, or tasteless, while some are just an oil soaked mess.
Growing up I helped my mom make chinchin a lot during the Christmas season. We always looked forward to making this delightful snack during the Christmas holidays.
Table of Contents
Why does my chinchin soak up oil?
One of our readers asked this question in the comments so I decided to update the post to include the answer. Thank you Yemi for taking out time to drop your comment. You are appreciated ❤️
Sometimes you find that your chin chin is soggy or has soaked up a lot of oil here are a few reasons why?
- The Oil wasn’t hot enough.
- The Oil wasn’t enough for the amount of chin chin dough being fried.
- The Oil was Overcrowded. Overcrowding the oil lowers the oil temperature and we are back to no 1 point above
How to prevent chinchin from soaking up a lot Oil when frying.
- The oil wasn’t hot enough: Before you frying the chin chin. Always test the heated oil by putting a piece of chin chin in the oil . If oil bubbles and the piece of chin chin comes up immediately then the oil is ready for frying.
- The Oil wasn’t enough for the amount of chin chin dough being fried:
Always fry your chin chin with enough oil. Frying chin chin requires deep frying which requires enough oil. - Overcrowding the oil with dough: Make sure you have enough oil to fry your dough. Too much dough overcrowds the and doesn’t allow adequate frying by lowering the temperature of the oil and making the dough soak up oil.
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How do I stop the oil used to fry chin chin from bubbling over and spilling?
Most time this happens when you are frying a second batch of the chin chin dough. I have observed that this happens only when my dough is made with butter. When I make chin chin with magerine , i can fry the whole batch with the same batch without having the oil bubble up and spill over.
But since I prefer the texture and taste of chin chin made with butter here are a few tips
- If you are making a large quantity, use a large pot to fill in oil to accommodate large chin chin dough for each batch then Change the oil after each batch.
- If you are making a small quantity, Use a large pot to accommodate the amount of oil needed to fry the chin-chin in one batch.
It was part of our travel package. We travelled home to our village (country home) every Christmas. So this chin chin served as our snack and also as gifts to visitors. Trust me we never got tired of munching on these and you too will not. Read warning above.
These are soft and almost crumbly on the inside and crunchy on the outside. So not to worry no jaw breakers here. ?. These little delights are ‘CROFT’ in my son’s words meaning Crunchy and Soft You get the drift right. The young man is a foodie at heart creating a portmanteau for food lol. But if Kamso says this is good, Believe me it is ?
Now let’s get to this amazing ‘CROFT’ chin chin recipe ?
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Recommended Products for making best chin chin
1. Pottella deep square 9.5″ copper pan: it has a frying basket, a steamer tray plus you get a free cookbook with it.
2. Frying spoon: This one comes in a set of three. Best value.
3. 32 oz clear plastic storage jars: These come in a set of 6. I reserve 2 for chin-chin and use the rest for storing other pantry staples like oats.
4. Oggi four piece acrylic canister set: Also great for storage.
5. Paper Towel: To absorb excess oil after frying and before storage.
6. Serving bowls: These are perfect to serve your chinchin with.
PIN FOR LATER
Nigerian Chin chin
Ingredients
- 280g (1 3/4 cup + 2 Tbsp) all purpose flour
- 82g (1/3 cup) granulated sugar
- 57g (4 Tbsp) salted butter
- ½ tsp baking powder
- ½ tsp ground nutmeg
- 1 large egg
- ¼ cup evaporated milk
- Oil for deep frying
Instructions
- Measure and Mix dry ingredients in a bowl and set aside.
- Measure and mix wet ingredients together except butter.
- Add butter to the dry ingredients and mix with your fingers until just combined.
- Pour in the other wet ingredients and mix together until dough forms. it should form a perfect dough but if its feels a bit stiff, add a Tbsp of water or milk. if it feels too tacky, add a Tbsp or 2 of flour no more. DO NOT over work the dough.
- Wrap in a saran wrap and allow to rest on the counter for about 5 mins. this allows flavors blend in and develops the gluten which makes it easier during the cutting process
- Unwrap rested dough, you can roll out all the dough at once since dough is small or you can divide into 2 portions and roll individually. Roll out dough to about a quarter of an inch thick because dough will rise when you fry them.
- With a knife or pizza cutter or even a dough divider cut dough across vertically and horizontally forming little squares.
- Put little squares in a bowl and sprinkle a little flour on them and shake to prevent sticking.
- Heat up oil. Fry till light golden. Remove with a slotted spoon and spread on a paper towel lined tray to cool. Chin chin will be soft when hot but hardens as it cools.
Notes
Thank you very much madam for ya recipe. Please I wanna ask, if the sugar and butter are mixed together first
and added to the wet ingredients like how its done in cake before adding the dry ingredients like flour, baking powder etc. What happens? Does it mean the dough won’t form well or will go bad, no more chin chin?
Hi Vicky,
When making chin chin, the reverse is the case. Mix the dry ingredients in a bowl then add the butter. Mix to combine before adding the milk. Thanks for stopping by! Stay safe.
-Chichi
Please Aunty Chichi what role does the baking powder and butter play in the chin chin?
Hi Faithy,
Baking powder increases the volume and makes it lighter. Butter adds flavor and crunch to it. Hope that helps. Stay safe!
-Chichi
Please can yeast be added to the mixture?
Hi Pamela,
No yeast cannot be added. Stay safe!
– Chichi
Please can yeast be added to the mixture ?
Hi Pamela,
No, yeast cannot be added to this recipe.
-Chichi
Thank you
But what makes chinchin crunchy?
Egg or butter??
Hi Blessing,
Butter makes chin chin crunchy. If you want this recipe crunchier than it already is, add a bit more flour to this recipe not more butter. Hope that helps.
– Chichi
If you want a very crunchy chin chin, replace the egg with water
Is there any need for baking powder when u are preparing your chinchin
Hi Celin,
Yes you need baking powder for chin chin. Stay safe!
– Chichi
Thank you for your recipe. I love the way you arranged your site and explained things. I just love everything. God bless you richly and more grace to you. Will enjoy making my chin chin and eating it with my family. Thanks once more. Just happy to see this.
Hi Chikamso,
Amen and amen! Thank you so much for your kind words. God bless you too.
Happy you love the site, that makes me happy. Enjoy your chin chin with your family and save some for me😀. Hope you enjoy more of my recipes and I would be honored if you subscribed to my YouTube channel https://www.youtube.com/mydiasporakitchen it’s free. Stay safe and well.
PS: My son happens to be ChukwuKamso 😀!
Pls, why is my chin chin soft and not crunchy…?
Hi Joe,
I like my chin chin in between. If you want a crunchier chin chin, replace the egg in this recipe with about 1/4 cup of water. Hope that helps.
– Chichi
I notice my chin chin when placed under a sun tastes like a sour oil after a long time. Please, I need your enlightenment on this.
Hi Tunde,
Is this chin chin you made at home or the one you bought in the store. I haven’t experienced this before. My chin chin almost always finishes within a week because the kids keep going for more.
It you bought the chin chin you are referencing in the store, It could be that its shelf life has expired. Depending on when it was packaged. Hope that answers your question. Stay safe!
-Chichi
What if I didn’t add the nut meg will the chin chin still be ok
Hi Chigozie,
The nutmeg is there for flavor. You can skip it or use cinnamon if you prefer. It will still come out perfect!
– Chichi
I notice my chin chin when placed under a sun tastes like a sour oil after a long time. Please, I need your enlightenment on this.