Lunch
Italian Chicken With Pepper
Lunch
Kung Po Chicken
Lunch
Creamy Chicken Tikka Masala
Lunch
⏲ ~19 min total · prep 13 · cook 6 · 4 servings
Published Sep 15, 2026 · Updated Sep 15, 2026
Ten to twelve pulses turns them to a coarse meal; keep going and they become peanut butter. Sandy is the texture you want, with visible grain. The meal carries the spices, and a paste won't.
Thin strips take on the spice fast, so 30 minutes at room temperature seasons them fully. The fridge holds them up to overnight if your day needs it. Longer counter time buys nothing.
The coating darkens and drops as it broils, and foil turns a scrubbing job into a peeling job. Press the remaining yaji onto every face once the skewers are on the pan. That second coat is where most of the crust forms.
The second side takes 5-6 minutes, and broiler strength varies wildly between ovens. The target is charred in spots and 165°F at the thickest point. Peanut coating can go from toasty to burnt in a minute at that distance.
Thin onion rings are the traditional bed, and their raw sharpness cuts the roasted peanut coating. Pile the skewers on top while hot so the rings soften just slightly. Set extra yaji out for anyone who wants more.
Slide the chicken off the skewers over the raw onion rings and put any leftover yaji in a small dish alongside. This is street food by tradition, and it eats that way, best with your hands and plenty of napkins. At 10.3 net carbs a serving, most of the count lives in the peanuts, and cool sides like sliced cucumber or cabbage slaw balance the cayenne. Serve it with a cold drink and call the evening handled.
Strip the leftover meat off the skewers and refrigerate it in a shallow container for 3 to 4 days. The yaji coating softens in the fridge but re-toasts well; a few minutes in a hot dry skillet or under the broiler brings back the char. Cold suya wrapped in lettuce leaves makes a strong next-day lunch. The cooked strips freeze for 2 to 3 months and reheat from thawed in a hot oven. Mixed yaji keeps in a sealed jar for weeks and seasons anything you'd throw on a grill.
It's the peanut-based spice blend behind West African street grilling: roasted peanut meal, ground ginger, paprika, cayenne, onion powder, and salt. The peanuts toast as the chicken broils, which is what separates suya from plain spiced chicken. Mixed, it keeps in a sealed jar for weeks.
The full 2 teaspoons of cayenne builds real heat, especially pressed onto the surface as a second coat. Cut it to 1 teaspoon for mixed ages at the table. The peanut meal softens the burn as you eat, but expect a warm finish at full strength.
Two piercings lock the strip into its accordion fold so it can't spin when flipped. A spinning strip cooks on three faces instead of four and chars unevenly. It's ten seconds per skewer that decides the texture.
You can, and the timing holds, but breast dries faster than thigh at 165°F. Slice to an even half inch and pull it the moment the thermometer reads done. Thighs forgive an extra minute; breast doesn't.
Your broiler runs hot or the pan sat closer than 5 inches to the element. Move the rack down a level and tent the pan loosely with foil for the final minutes. The coating toasts instead of charring and the chicken still reaches 165°F.
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