Chicken Pepper Soup is an African pepper soup that is an intensely flavored soup that is served throughout West Africa, especially in Nigeria, Cameroon, and other neighboring African countries.
Peppersoup is a popular Nigerian favorite and can be prepared with chicken, fish, goat, mutton, game, or organ meats. It should be fiery hot with spices. It is one of the few Nigerian soups we do not have to eat with any other solid food. Although, you can eat it with yam, cocoyam, potato and plantain, it is not a requirement.
Pepper soup has a lot of health benefits because of its leaves and spices.
There are several ways of making this hot and flavor-filled meal. Below is one of the ways you make Chicken pepper soup
Ingrideints
- 2 3/4 pounds bone-in, skin-on stewing chicken, cut in bite-sized pieces
- 10 cups cold water, divided
- 3 tablespoons pepper soup spice mix (below), divided
- 2 teaspoons ground crayfish
- 2 stalks lemongrass, bruised, cut into 3 pieces, and tied into 2 bundles
- 1/2 teaspoon dry pepper, plus more to taste
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt
- 1 large (or 2 small) lime leaves
- 2 to 3 sprigs African basil, torn or roughly chopped, for garnish
- Red palm oil, for finishing
Pepper soup spice mix
8 skins/barks of urheri (grains of Selim), bitter seeds discarded
4 seeds of erhe (calabash nutmeg), shelled
2 seeds of gbafilo, shelled, and seeds roughly chopped
2 seeds of umilo, shelled and seeds roughly chopped
1/2 teaspoon alligator pepper (grains of paradise)
1/2 teaspoon uziza seeds
Direction on how to prepare chicken pepper soup
- In a large stockpot, combine the chicken, 2 cups water, 1 tablespoon pepper soup spice, the ground crayfish, 1 lemongrass bundle, a pinch of dry pepper, and the salt. Stir well and bring to a boil over medium-high heat.
- When the liquid has reached a boil, add the remaining 8 cups water and the rest of the pepper soup spice mix. Simmer steadily on medium to medium-low heat until the meat is tender, but not yet falling off the bone, about 30-40 minutes.
- Add the remaining lemongrass and lime leaf, and take off the heat. Let infuse for 5-10 minutes before serving. Taste broth and adjust seasoning dry pepper and salt. Finish with the basil and a drizzle of palm oil, and serve with boiled yam, plantains, or potatoes.
