Classic Nigerian Combination – Rice and chicken Stew with Plantain

Have I told you about my love for turkey wings? Like have I? OMG!!! Turkey wings are my absolute favorite things in the world- okay, maybe not the world but I love em :d. I know the drumstick has more meat but mba, no! I want the wings with all the fatty bits. I think it’s my mother’s fault to be honest. When I was younger, she would buy me whole fried turkey wings, lock me in her room away from prying eyes and watch me eat with so much glee. Oh mehn, to be young again.

I eat a lot of turkey as evident by this oven roasted turkey recipe I shared a while ago, it’s one meat I never get tired of. Turkey stew and plain cooked white or brown rice  and some golden fried plantains will totally rock your world.

Turkey Stew

Now, let me share the secret to great stewed meat – this applies to any type of meat. It’s simple really – it’s the multi step cooking process. Meat like beef and hen are first boiled to tenderize them. They are then dried either by roasting or frying – this is the magic step. This step dries out all the moisture in the meat, this way when the meat is introduced into the stew later on, it has no option but to re-hydrate. This is when the meat actually takes in all the flavors of the stew and become eeweey gooey oozing deliciousness.

Now you know why it’s done!

Recipe Modification: Chicken stew

Chicken Stew

I was going to do a separate recipe for chicken stew but honestly there is no point, I do the exact same thing and just swap out turkey for chicken. The only thing to note if you are using Nigerian style tough chicken (layer hen) is that you will have to boil the chicken first before roasting.

Let’s get cooking shall we: