Description
Suya is a very popular West African street food made with meat and ground peanut-based spice known as Yaji, Suya pepper, or Suya Spice. This very Nigerian Chicken Suya skewers recipe is easy to make, flavorful, and beyond delicious! You can serve it as an appetizer or as the main dish alongside other dishes.
Ingredients
2 Chicken breasts (thinly sliced)
4 – 5 tablespoons of Yaji (Suya spice/Suya pepper)
3 tablespoons peanut oil or any other type of oil (I personally chose to use peanut oil because the spice is peanut based)
Salt to taste
1 (small) cube of Maggi or 1 teaspoon of Bouillon seasoning powder
Instructions
- Soak some skewers in cold water before use. Ensure to do this well ahead of time, at least up to 30 minutes. Preheat oven to 425. Line baking sheet with foil, and place baking racks on it, set aside.
- Wash/clean and pat down the chicken with a paper towel to remove excess moisture. Then, thinly slice the meat and place in a clean bowl. Sprinkle some salt and the Maggi cube.
- Add three tablespoons of Yaji spice to the “chicken” bowl, add half of the oil while wearing gloves, and mix well, ensuring that the chicken is wholly coated in the Yaji mix.
- Cover the chicken and allow to marinate in say, 20 – 60 minutes, or proceed immediately with the next step. (Lol, I always continue, except for some days I have time.)
- Gently skew the chicken on the skewers, do not overcrowd them. Depending on how you sliced the chicken, 2 or 3 chicken pieces is enough on one skewer.
- Place them on the baking rack as you skew. After all the chicken is skewed, mix the remaining Suya pepper with the remaining oil and add a dash of salt and gently begin to coat the chicken (while they are on the skewers).
- Flip the chicken over and repeat the process; use a rubber/silicone brush if possible. Ensure the marinade covers the chicken, make a little more marinade if need be.
- Bake the chicken at 425 for 15 minutes on each side; halfway into baking, coat again with the leftover marinade when you flip over.
- Ensure chicken is fully cooked, looking crisp and slightly golden on the outside. Serve up Nigerian chicken Suya on the skewers with fresh vegetables like onions, tomatoes, cabbage or even lettuce. Add to rice, beans, or as appetizers.
Notes
Always add salt according to your health need.
Some Suya spice has the right amount of salt, while some are sodium-free. Read food labels, and taste your spice to determine the amount of salt to add.
Reduce salt if using Maggi or bouillon – I used only one Maggi cube for two chicken breasts for this recipe, and it just perfect.
Be careful if you want to eat from the stick; otherwise, remove the meat from the skewer and enjoy it.
Traditionally beef is widely synonymous with Suya, but you can use any meat.
