What’s a better time to enjoy a hot bowl of chicken pepper soup than this cold season? The peppers and spices can be great stimulants and can provide warmth in such a short time. It is more like a Spicy, highly delicious broth produced after a good number of special African herbs and spices has been mixed in prescribed quantities and cooked as well.
Many of us are only familiar with fish and goat meat pepper soup, but chicken pepper soup has also made a name for itself. It is very popular among the middle and upper class. But sometimes, when you attend birthday parties, naming ceremonies, it might be served along with other party food.
It is best enjoyed with plain rice, cornmeal (Eko/Agidi), bread, etc.
Ingredients For Chicken Pepper Soup
Unlike other varieties of Nigerian pepper soup, chicken pepper soup does not require too many ingredients. With just 5-6 picks, you are good to go and it also does not take time to prepare.
Asides from your chicken, seasoning, and additional ingredients, all you need for your chicken pepper soup is the special pepper soup spice and scent leaves.
Below are the ingredients you need to prepare chicken pepper soup:
½ Kilogram chicken (Depends on your family size)
1 small piece of ginger
2 seasoning cubes
Salt, to taste
5 basil leaves (thinly sliced)
10 pieces of mixed habanero pepper (Tatashe)
1 teaspoon of uziza seeds
1 teaspoon of negro pepper
1 teaspoon of African calabash nutmeg (Ehuru)
Chicken Pepper soup cooking procedure
I believe you can also attest to the fact that chicken pepper soup does not require too many ingredients. In fact, you can get all these ingredients from the same store, excluding the chicken.
You just have to simply ask for pepper soup ingredients and you’ll be directed on how to purchase it.
Once you have bought all the ingredients, you can go ahead with the preparation.
Simple Procedure to Prepare Chicken Pepper Soup
Follow this procedure to prepare chicken pepper soup at home:
First, wash the chicken parts thoroughly. If you wish, you can wash it with salt to reduce the oil content.
Next, put the chicken in a cooking pot or pan, ready to be boiled.
Blend your peppers, slice onions, and add to the chicken.
After that, add salt, seasoning cubes, ginger, and garlic to the mix. If you do not have fresh ginger and garlic, you can make use of ginger and garlic powder.
Add little water then place the cooking pot on your cooktop and turn on the heat.
Now, let’s stir gently and allow the chicken to marinate
Next, we reduce the heat to a very low, cover the pot and then allow the chicken steam for some 5 minutes
Turn the heat to low, cover the pot, and allow the chicken to steam for at least 5 minutes.
After that, add 2 cups of water into the pot.
Add Uziza and Uda.
Stir very well and allow the mixture to boil for at least 10 minutes.
Add sliced basil or scent leaves. Cover and allow to boil for another 10 minutes.
Serve hot and enjoy.
What part of a chicken should I use?
You can use almost any part of a chicken for your pepper soup. However, the most popular parts used in chicken pepper soup include the wings, breasts, thighs, and drumsticks.
Ultimately, the choice of chicken parts you decide to use for your pepper soup depends on your personal taste and preference.
Depending on your style, it is possible to combine different parts of the chicken as this brings uniqueness to the soup!
Storing and Reheating Chicken Pepper Soup
Storing your chicken pepper soup is quite similar to how you will store other cooked foods. However, you may want to be extra careful since it is liquid.
You should store your chicken pepper soup in an air-tight container to preserve it properly. A well prepared and stored bowl of pepper soup should last a few days so long as the refrigerator is fully functional but would go up to 2 months in a functional freezer.
If frozen, allow the pepper soup to thaw entirely before reheating. There’s no need to add water to reheat it, just leave it on low heat for five to ten minutes.
Keep watch and turn it with a spoon so it doesn’t burn. Do not reheat it in a microwave to prevent it from splashing everywhere.
Truth be told, no one loves pepper soup brought out of the refrigerator. This is why I advise that you cook the quantity that’ll be enough for you and your family, instead of preparing excess.
Additional Notes on Chicken Pepper Soup
Here are some points you should note when preparing chicken pepper soup:
Use hard chicken. If you have used a hen in cooking pepper soup, you’d agree with me that it is way tastier than a rooster.
The African orchid nutmeg (EHU) is the only spice you need to get the chicken pepper soup taste. Even if you are tempted to use the popular pepper soup ingredients mix, do well to avoid it; it will only ruin your soup’s taste.
While preparing pepper soup, you should always remember to add the pepper to your taste. The amount of pepper you add to your chicken pepper soup should depend on how tolerant you or your family is to spicy food but if you’re cooking for the public, keep it moderate!
Always remember to add scent leaves to your pepper soup to give it the right aroma.
If you cannot get scent leaves, you can use parsley as an alternative. However, parsley does not add any unique flavor to your pepper soup.
Parsley is the only suitable alternative to scent leaves — mint leaves are not advisable at all. If you are planning to use mint leaves, I suggest you back out now so it doesn’t ruin your pepper soup!
Image Credit: Google photos