top of page

How To Make Suya - Nigerian Spiced Skewers

Suya is a well spiced Nigerian skewer that utilizes a crazy delicious coating. This coating, called Yaji, is a spicy combination of peppers, ginger, garlic, and crushed peanuts. The peanuts bring a lot of texture and savory flavor when these are charred. Traditionally, Suya would be made with beef, but chicken is often utilized as well. The video below also includes a recipe for Jollof Rice!

Prep Time

Cook Time

Serves

10 Minutes

20 Minutes`

3-4 people



Suya

1.5 lbs boneless skinless chicken thigh

Salt

Olive Oil

Bamboo skewers


Yaji Spice

50g (1/3 cup) unsalted roasted peanut

3g (2 tsp) smoked paprika

2g (1 tsp) cayenne

15 grinds pepper

3.5g (1 tsp) onion powder

3.5g (1 tsp) garlic powder

1.5g (1 tsp) ground ginger

5g (1 tbsp) chicken powder

Pinch of ground clove


Step 1: Make The Yaji Spice Mix

In a food processor or a mortar and pestle begin crushing the peanuts. Add the rest of the spice ingredients once the peanuts are a sandy texture. This should be very fine, but don’t let it rip for too long or you run into the potential of turning this into peanut butter.


Step 2: Prep And Cook Chicken

Slice the chicken into thin pieces and remove any excess fat from the chicken. Thigh has the right amount of fat in it for high heat cooking, so you can take these till they’re nice and brown without worrying about dry chicken in the end. Season these with salt now and oil now.


If you’ve got wooden skewers, be sure to soak them so they don’t burn, if you have metal ones, don’t worry about that. Coat the chicken in the Yaji spice. The best way to do this is just pour the Yaji over the salted chicken and then toss them around until covered. From there skewer the chicken but leave a little more space around each piece for airflow. Place this on a sheet tray with a rack and this can go under the broiler for about 20 minutes, just be sure to flip the skewers every couple of minutes so the peanuts don’t burn.


The chicken should be charred, juicy, and well spiced. They're incredibly addicting. I like these with a little squeeze of lemon; they're perfect like that.

Commentaires


42e34a95-334b-414f-ae6d-8bd4794febf7.png

Hey, I'm Cameron, and I'm glad you're here. I post new recipes every week, all intended to build your confidence in the kitchen, each one with video tutorials to help. Craving something specific? Drop me a note in my contact form! 

  • Youtube
  • TikTok
  • Instagram
  • Amazon
bottom of page