Mango & Chicken Suya

Suya spice (also known as Yaji) is the name of the mixed spice seasoning which originates from Northern Nigeria under the Hausa people. Typically, suya is made with skewered meats and can be used with a variety of foods hence you can have chicken suya, beef suya, prawn suya or goat suya. Traditional suya seasoning includes dried ginger, clove, red chillies, Cameroon pepper, and defatted groundnut paste (kuli kuli).

Makes 8 large skewers. Serves 4

INGREDIENTS:

2 tbsp Aduna Baobab Powder
4 lean British chicken breast fillets, cut into 1-inch cubes
2 ripe medium mangoes, peeled, cut into 1-inch cubes
4 tbsp traditional Nigerian suya spice
8 tbsp vegetable oil
4g sea salt
handful of fresh dill to garnish

METHOD:

Prepare the marinade – add the suya spice, baobab powder, salt and vegetable oil in a large bowl and mix together. It is the oil which will help the suya stick to the chicken. Add the chicken to the bowl and gently toss it in the marinade to coat. Clingfilm the bowl and leave in the fridge to marinate for at least 1 hour – or overnight, if you have time. 

Thread a piece of marinated chicken and mango onto a skewer. Repeat until each skewer is complete. There should be around 4-5 chicken and mango cubes per skewer. If using wooden skewers instead of metal ones, make sure to soak the skewers in cold water for 20 minutes before threading ingredients onto them. This is to stop the wooden sticks from burning whilst grilling.

Grill the skewers for 8-10 minutes, turning every 2 minutes, so each of the 4 sides are cooked in turn. The chicken will be cooked when the cubes are no longer pink in the middle or, when poked with a knife, it comes out clean.

Garnish with dill, any spare diced mango cubes and extra suya spice.

Enjoy!

Recipe by Chuku's