Table of Contents
Nigerian Chicken Pepper Soup is an easy and hearty comfort food very popular in West Africa. It is also known as African Pepper soup, and as the name implies ‘Pepper Soup’ is a hot and spicy chicken broth recipe made with a blend of aromatic African spices.
Full of delectable, meaty flavor and packing a peppery bite, this moreish soup will have you coming back for more! Don’t hold back – add extra pepper if you’re brave!
What Is a Chicken Pepper Soup?
Chicken pepper soup is a spicy soup cooked with chicken, herbs, and a variety of spices from across the world. It’s a thin soup that’s commonly served as an appetizer or main course with rice, agidi/eko, or yam.
You can have Pepper soup in various forms like Cat Fish Pepper Soup, Goat Meat Pepper Soup, Cow Leg Pepper Soup, or Assorted Meat Pepper Soup. It’s just a matter of substituting and going for your preferred type of protein.
Is Pepper Soup Healthy?
One pot of pepper soup is an incredibly easy meal that the entire family will enjoy! Made with tons of veggies, this dish provides vital nutrients while also tasting absolutely delicious.
Benefits of Pepper Soup
Here are some benefits of pepper soup;
- The calabash nutmeg, traditionally called Ehiri or Ehuru seems small but mighty in its medicinal strength, it is efficient in the treatment of diarrhea, relieves toothache, headache, chest pain, cold and body aches.
- It can be good for stomach issues, rashes, dermatitis and skin disease.
- It’s a low-carb meal.
- It is one meal that can increase the appetite of a person with a poor appetite
Is Pepper Soup Good For Weight Loss?
While it is usually served as part of a meal combo, it is best enjoyed as a single meal for weight loss. Pepper soup is a favorite Nigerian meal usually served as desert, but if you are serious about your weight loss, it certainly should be on your list as one of the meals for the day.
Is Pepper Soup Good For Sore Throat?
Just like drinking hot tea, hot soup can be soothing on a sore throat and can help thin sinus mucus. It also helps keep you hydrated (but stick with low sodium soups) and according to a study in the Chest Journal, it may even contain anti-inflammatory substances that could help reduce cold symptoms.
How To Make Chicken Pepper Soup
Hardly, will you get to any inn house or restaurant in Nigeria and other African restaurants abroad and not find Pepper soup. The ingredients used in making pepper soup gives you a whole package of nourishment and flavor; right from the cooking process, the entire atmosphere is filled with the strong aromatic smell of the spices.
Chicken Pepper Soup Ingredients
Chicken Pepper Soup does not need lots of ingredients. All you need is the special spice and scent leaves and you have the pepper soup taste.
- Chicken
- Grounded ehu (calabash nutmeg)
- Seasoning cubes (chicken flavour)
- Scent leaves
- Habanero pepper (to taste)
- Sweet pepper or tatashe
- Red onions
- Thyme (optional)
- Salt (to taste)
Tools and utensils you’ll need
- Spice/Coffee grinder
What Part Of Chicken Should You Use?
Basically, you can use almost any part of a chicken for your pepper soup. The popular parts used include the thighs, drumsticks, wings, or breast.
Why is My Nigerian Chicken Pepper Soup Bitter?
Your pepper soup will have a bitter taste if you use too much of the pepper soup spice blend. To rectify this simply add more water to the broth.
Notes on the Chicken Pepper Soup Ingredients
- Use hard chicken (a hen). It is tastier than a rooster.
- The only spice you need to get the Chicken Pepper Soup taste is EHU. Please do not buy the so-called pepper soup ingredients mix, it will ruin your Chicken Pepper Soup or any Nigerian Pepper Soup for that matter.
- Ehu does not have any known alternatives. Outside Nigeria, if you live in a big city where lots of Nigerians live, you may be able to buy ehu in African food shops or farmers’ market stalls run by Nigerians.
- Even though this dish is called pepper soup, always add the pepper to your family’s taste. If you are having a party, make it very hot and spicy for your Nigerian guests. You can dish out your family’s portion before adding more pepper.
- If you do not have scent leaves, you can add parsley. Parsley does not add any unique flavor though. BUT NEVER ADD MINT LEAVES TO YOUR NIGERIAN PEPPER SOUP. It will ruin it. Mint leaves are not the same as scent leaves.
Storing and Reheating Chicken Pepper Soup
Store this pepper soup in an air-tight container to preserve it properly. You can store chicken pepper soup for a few days in the refrigerator and about 1-2 months in the 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 in a microwave to prevent it from splashing everywhere.
Other African soup and stew recipes you might want to try:
- Egusi Soup
- Okro Soup
- Ogbono Soup
- Ofe Nsala
Suggestions For Best Pepper Soup Spices:
Nigerian Chicken Peppersoup
Ingredients
- 1500g large whole Chicken (cleaned and cut up.)
- 1 Large Onion (finely chopped)
- 1 Tbsp chicken bouillon powder (or 2 seasoning cubes)
- ⅛ Tsp Salt (or to taste)
- ½ to 1 Tbsp Cameroon Pepper (you can sub with 2 habaneropeppers)
- 1 Tbsp Crayfish (optional)
- 1 Tbsp Pepper-soup spice
- 2 Tbsp Palm oil (optional)
- 2-3 Scent leaves (nchianwu)
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(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.
- 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.
