Spicy stewed chicken gizzard is prepared with tender, but crunchy gizzard, cooked in a Nigerian style hot pepper sauce with aromatic spices to make your taste buds sing. This stew is excellent served on a bed of white rice, couscous or a side dish with chips.

Gizzard is versatile meat which lends itself to boiling, frying, grilling and stewing. It is consumed differently depending on the part of the world you are in – It can be deep fried and eaten as a snack, added into soups, sauces and curries; Cooked with rice, added to tacos etc.
In Nigeria, chicken gizzard is more common. It is eaten at parties or special occasions. It is sometimes presented on a stick with onion and peppers; Fried and cooked with plantain to make gizdodo, added into a pepper soups, stirred in a pepper sauce or cooked into hearty stews like the recipe I'm sharing in this post.
What Is Chicken Gizzard?
Chicken gizzard is a delicacy which is enjoyed across the world. It is eaten more in parts of the world where nose-to-tail eating (all parts of the animal are eaten) is common, like Africa, Asia and South America.
Gizzard is the part of the chicken that acts as the stomach. It is used to grind up the food the chicken eats, and is present in other poultry like turkey and duck. Chicken and turkey gizzard are most commonly available because of the volume of these birds that are consumed.
Gizzard is made up of strong muscles which basically do what the teeth would do in other animals. It has dark brown meat, which can be chewy and crunchy, adding texture to dishes. Gizzard tastes like the chicken's dark meat but with a more intense flavour. It is high in protein and a good source of vitamins like B12 and low in fat. It also tends to be cheaper meat which is a win-win for people who eat it.
How To Cook Stewed Chicken Gizzard
Here are the ingredients you need...
Gizzard
Garlic
Onion
Bay leaves
Bouillon cube
Salt
Vegetable oil
Red bell pepper
Scotch bonnet peppers
Tomatoes
Curry powder
Smoked paprika
Green bell pepper
Yellow bell pepper
A few notes about the ingredients
- Gizzard: You can substitute the chicken gizzard with turkey's in this Nigerian gizzard stew recipe. Turkey gizzard tends to be bigger and meatier, but works just as well.
- Scotch bonnet peppers: These peppers make the chicken gizzard stew spicy and hot. You can reduce or use less hot peppers depending on your heat tolerance.
Do I need to wash gizzard?
The gizzard from shops and supermarkets usually doesn't require much work, but should still be cleaned. Sometimes, there is a bit of yellowish membrane which needs to be removed. To do this, pinch the membrane to get a grip, then pull it off. It comes off quite easily.
Wash off any leftover debris in the gizzard and pull off the white fatty layer. If you have whole gizzard which hasn't been opened and cleaned – this YouTube video shows how to do it
How To Make Chicken Gizzard Stew
Peel the two onions and the garlic.
Clean the gizzard as required and add into a saucepan.
Take half of one onion and the garlic cloves, and place in the pan. Add the bay leaves, crumble in the stock cubes, and a pinch of salt. Pour in enough water to nearly cover the gizzard.
Allow to simmer until the gizzard is tender. This will take between 30 – 40 mins.
While the gizzard is cooking, remove the stalk from the bell peppers and the scotch bonnet peppers. Chop the yellow and green peppers.
Add one onion into a food processor. Pour in the tomatoes, red bell pepper and scotch bonnet peppers. Add a quarter of a cup of water and blend coarsely.
When the gizzard is tender, separate the stock from the gizzard and keep aside.
Heat the oil in a pan and add the gizzard. Allow to fry for a few minutes, then turn over to allow the other side to brown.
Remove the fried gizzards from the pan.
Saute the onions in the oil. Allow to cook until translucent and starting to brown.
Add the smoked paprika and the curry powder. Stir for one minute.
Pour in the blended pepper and the gizzard stock.
Place on medium heat and allow to cook for 15 mins. Taste and add more salt if needed.
Then add the gizzard into the pan. Add the yellow and green peppers. Reduce the heat and leave to simmer for 10 minutes.
Remove from heat and serve.
Recipe FAQ
You can find fresh gizzard at your local butchers or in the ethnic (Asian, African Caribbean etc) grocery store freezer.
If you don't want to stew your gizzard in a sauce, it is perfect for eating after boiling, and can be used to substitute meat in meals. It even tastes better after frying and makes a great snack.
Related Recipes
You can serve this chicken gizzard stew with these dishes;
Spicy Stewed Chicken Gizzard - Nigerian Style
Ingredients
- 500 g Gizzard
- 2 cloves Garlic
- 2 Onion medium
- 2 Bay leaves
- 2 Bouillon cube
- Salt to taste
- 3 tablespoons Vegetable oil
- 1 Red bell pepper
- 2 Scotch bonnet peppers
- 4 Tomatoes
- 1 teaspoon Curry powder
- 1 teaspoon Smoked paprika
- 1 Green bell pepper
- 1 Yellow bell pepper
Instructions
- Peel the two onions and the garlic.
- Clean the gizzard as required and add into a saucepan.
- Take half of one onion and the garlic cloves, and place in the pan. Add the bay leaves, crumble in the stock cubes, and a pinch of salt. Pour in enough water to nearly cover the gizzard.
- Allow to simmer until the gizzard is tender. This will take between 30 – 40 mins.
- While the gizzard is cooking, remove the stalk from the bell peppers and the scotch bonnet peppers.. Chop the yellow and green peppers.
- Add one onion into a food processor. Pour in the tomatoes, red bell pepper and scotch bonnet peppers. Add a quarter of a cup of water and blend coarsely.
- When the gizzard is tender, separate the stock from the gizzard and keep aside.
- Heat the oil in a pan and add the gizzard. Allow to fry for a few minutes, then turn over to allow the other side to brown. Remove the fried gizzards from the pan.
- Saute the onions in the oil. Allow to cook until translucent and starting to brown. Add the smoked paprika and the curry powder. Stir for one minute.
- Pour in the blended pepper and the gizzard stock. Place on medium heat and allow to cook for 15 mins. Taste and add more salt if needed.
- Then add the gizzard into the pan. Add the yellow and green peppers. Reduce the heat and leave to simmer for 10 minutes.
- Remove from heat and serve.
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