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
Hi, thanks for your recipe. Can I keep the chin chin dough till the next day?
Hi Tomi,
Yes you can. Wrap it tightly in a plastic wrap and store on the refrigerator for up to 3 days. Stay safe!
– Chichi
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Thank you got your support. Link below.
My YouTube channel ⬇️
https://www.youtube.com/mydiasporakitchen
Hi ChiChi, thanks for this recipe
My chinchin most times have many bubbles in it which ends up popping. This makes the surface not smooth and unattractive…What could be the cause of this?
Thank you
Hi Omolola,
You are welcome. Does this happen with this recipe? I haven’t experienced that before. Let me know which recipe you are referring to. I will try and help you figure out how to fix it.
– Chichi
I do get some of my Chin Chin soft and some crunchy, what could have caused it
Hi Esther,
If some are soft and some are crunchy. It means the pan was overcrowded. So the oil was not enough to fry each piece properly. How to fix this next time. Make sure you don’t overcrowd the pan. Use a pan big enough to fry a batch or fry in batches if you have a smaller pot/pan also stir frequently to help move pieces around. Hope that helps.
– Chichi
I would love it if you subscribed to my channel here https://www.youtube.com/mydiasporakitchen thank you for your support
Can I use deep fryer to fry chinchin
Hi Basirat,
Yes you can, but you might need to change the oil often and fry in smaller batches. Also because of the size of the deep fryer it has a higher tendency to bubble over. Hope that helps.
– Chichi
Kindly subscribe to my YouTube channel link below if you haven’t already done so. I will really appreciate that. Also help me out by sharing with family and friends.
It’s free. Thank you. Subscribe here⬇️
https://www.youtube.com/mydiasporakitchen
Please I want to know if it’s advisable to reuse oil after frying the chin chin. I.e if you want to fry a new batch some other day, if it’s okay to use the same chin chin used earlier on or opt for a new one. Thank you.
Hi Vivian,
It’s best to use a new one. Discard the old oil. Besides it will have some flour residue in it and make the oil begin to foam. Hope that helps. Stay safe! Thank you for stopping by.
– Chichi
This recipe is quite good and the taste is delicious. Reminded me of too quality chin chin from Nigeria. Good job Chichi 👍
Hi Chidinma!
Thank you for your feedback! Happy you liked it. Thank you so much for stoping by. Stay safe.
– Chichi
PS: Have you subscribed to my YouTube channel yet? If you haven’t, Please subscribe and share with your family and friends. It’s free. Thank you.
Subcribe here
Sorry here is the correct link https://www.youtube.com/mydiasporakitchen
Please, I want to know how long chinchin can stay without preservatives. You can as well help with any preservative I can use to help stay longer and the measurement. Thanks.
Hi Jumoke,
I haven’t used preservatives for my chin chin before. This recipe can stay up to 2 months in an air tight container I believe. To be honest it’s so yummy it never lasts that long in my house. Thanks
Can yeast be included to the recipe?
Hi Igbogo,
No, it can’t. Thank you.
-Chichi
My chin chin dough is always sticky and this gives me difficult time when cutting
Hi Temmy, Your dough shouldn’t be sticky. Knead in more flour. Make sure to measure your ingredients correctly. Let me know how it goes. Thank you for stopping by. Stay safe! -Chichi
PS: I would love for you to subscribe to my YouTube Channel it’s free! Please share with family and friends too. Thank you for your support. You can Subscribe here⬇️ https://www.youtube.com/mydiasporakitchen
Good morning, thanks for the recipes
I noticed that the chinchin get soft when I serve them in the nylon for sale. What do I do and how do I preserve it from getting soft after frying?
Thanks in anticipation
Hi Esther,
I have never experienced this. It shouldn’t get soft. These tips might help. As soon as you scoop the chin chin from the hot oil, spread the chin chin on a paper towel lined tray to cool down. When it cools completely, then pack it immediately into your desired packaging. Let me know if that helped. Stay safe!
– Chichi