Nigerian Chicken Suya

A traditional Nigerian street food, Suya is meat on a stick. A spicy peanut seasoning is rubbed into the meat and served as a condiment after cooking over an open flame. This meat on a stick is portable and fun to eat.

What is Suya?

Suya is a West African kebab. It is thinly slice meat, usually beef, ram or chicken, seasoned with a spicy peanut mixture and cooked over open flame. It is the Nigerian national dish and is the most popular street food.

Suya is also popular in Ghana and Cameroon. The different suya recipes are the result of individuals personal recipes rather than distinctive national differences in this particular cuisine. They are all made with peanuts ground with spices, skewered and cooked over open flame. What is readily available and personal preferences has more to do with the different suya recipes than a national culinary identity.

How to Make Suya

In a food processor

Add the peanuts and spices. Process until finely ground. Reserve about one third of a cup of the mixture to serve as a garnish.

In a large bowl

In a medium mixing bowl, add the rest of the mixture and oil, make a paste. Add the thinly sliced meat and massage the mixture into the meat.

Skewer the meat

I use bamboo skewers but metal ones work great too. Sometimes I soak the skewers in water to prevent burning but you don’t have to. They won’t be exposed to heat for very long. I like to crowd the meat a little so that the meat won’t cook too quick and dry out. You can BBQ these over an open flame or broil four inches under the heating element in your oven. I have done both and these two methods work well.

Serve with lime wedges

Serve immediately with lime wedges, reserved suya seasoning and some cooling vegetables like cucumbers, tomato, cabbage and onion. I also like to serve this with flat bread and yogurt sauce.

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Nigerian Chicken Suya

Yield: 5 servings

Prep Time: 30 minutes

Cook Time: 10 minutes

Total Time: 40 minutes

A traditional Nigerian street food, Suya is meat on a stick. A spicy peanut seasoning is rubbed into the meat and served as a condiment after cooking over an open flame. This meat on a stick is portable and fun to eat.

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Ingredients

• 1/2 cup dry-roasted peanuts
• 1 Tbs paprika
• 1 Tbs ground ginger
• 1 Tbs garlic powder
• 1 Tbs onion powder
• 1 Tbs brown sugar
• 1/2 tsp cayenne pepper
• 1 1/2 tsp salt
• 1 tsp black pepper
• 4 Tbs vegetable oil
• 2 lb of boneless skinless chicken thighs, cut thinly and into 1 inch strips
• lime wedges

OPTIONAL SIDES

• yogurt sauce
• naan
• pickled vegetables

Instructions

1. Place first 9 ingredients in a food processor and pulse until the mixture resembles crumbs.
2. Place 1/3 of the mixture aside and use for garnish.
3. In a large mixing bowl place the spice mixture, oil and chicken.  Massage the spice mixture and oil into the meat.
4. Place meat on skewers, packing them tightly so as to not dry out the meat during cooking.  Place skewers on a foil lined rimmed baking sheet with a rack. 
5. Broil skewers about 4 inches under the heating element in your oven and cook 3-5 minutes per side.  Being careful not to burn or over cook the meat.  The meat is done when the meat is no longer pink inside and juices run clear.  Rest meat for 5 minutes.
6. Sprinkle fresh lime juice on meat, sprinkle reserved spice mixture on top.

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Nutrition Information:

Yield: 5 Serving Size: 2 skewers
Amount Per Serving: Calories: 512Total Fat: 32gSaturated Fat: 6gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 25gCholesterol: 221mgSodium: 1083mgCarbohydrates: 11gFiber: 3gSugar: 3gProtein: 48g

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