Nigerian Chicken Pepper Soup

Ingredients

US measurements with metric in parentheses.

• 2 lb (900 g) bone-in chicken pieces
• 1 onion, chopped
• 3 cloves garlic
• 1 inch (2.5 cm) ginger, chopped
• 1 to 2 Scotch bonnet or habanero peppers
• 2 tbsp (14 g) pepper soup spice (or 1 tsp each ground cumin, coriander and black pepper plus 1 tsp nutmeg)
• 1½ tsp (9 g) salt
• 6 cups (1.4 L) water
• 1 bunch scent leaf or basil leaves

Instructions

1. Blend the onion, garlic, ginger and pepper with a little water.
2. Place the chicken in a pot with the blend, spice, salt and water.
3. Bring to a boil, then simmer covered 35 to 40 minutes until the chicken reaches 165°F (74°C) and is tender.
4. Add the basil leaves and simmer 2 minutes.
5. Taste for salt and heat and serve hot in bowls.