Nigerian Chin Chin Recipe – This sweet and savory snack delivers a delightful West African treat that’s crispy and utterly addictive. These small, fried dough pieces have a unique crunch and a hint of nutmeg, making them perfect for any occasion.
Whether enjoyed as a snack on their own, served at parties, or shared with friends and family during celebrations, chin chin is a beloved treat that brings joy. If any of your friends are from West Africa, it’s sure to make them a little nostalgic.
With basic pantry staples like flour, sugar, butter, and eggs, this easy-to-make recipe allows you to create a batch of these delicious bites right in your own kitchen. Perfect for munching on movie nights or a fun addition to dessert platters, Nigerian chin chin is sure to become a favorite in your home!
Content…What Is It? |
What Is Chin Chin?
Throughout West Africa and Nigeria, chin chin (small, crispy pieces of fried dough typically sweetened and flavored with nutmeg) was prepared for special occasions. While I was growing up, it was customary in most homes in Cameroon to make this delicious snack during Christmas. Each home has its own chin chin recipe. Some are soft to the point of falling apart, while others are so hard you feel like your teeth are going to break.
Some people shape them like small balls; others knead and cut them into small squares. The overall experience of slowly feasting on chin-chin is indescribable. I never tire of trying all the different chin-chin variations.
Even at this ripe old age, I still love it. The only issue is, “Once I pop, I cannot stop.” On one occasion, I had to hide my chin chin in the trunk of my car. It may have been a little extreme, but I wasn’t prepared to share! 🙈
Recipe Ingredients
- Flour – Some all-purpose flour with a little added baking powder is the base ingredient for these fun treats.
- Flavor Enhancers – Sugar sweetens while salt enhances the overall flavor of these snacks.
- Butter – Butter adds richness and flavor to chin chin.
- Eggs – Eggs bind the batter together and contribute to the overall texture of chin chin.
- Milk – Milk gives the batter the right consistency and helps give these fried snacks a cake-like flavor.
- Flavorings – Grated nutmeg and lime zest add the classic flavor to these addictive snacks.
How to Make Chin Chin
- Dry – Using a mixer (or by hand), mix the dry ingredients: flour, baking powder, salt, sugar, nutmeg, and lime zest. (Photo 1)
- Butter – Mix the butter into the flour mixture until well incorporated. (Photo 2)
- Liquids – Add the milk and egg into the mixture. Keep mixing until you form a sticky dough ball. (Photo 3-4)
- Knead – Dump the dough ball onto a floured surface and knead, incorporating more flour into the dough as needed, until the dough is smooth, elastic, and even in color and no longer sticky. You can create many shapes and sizes for chin chin.
- Divide the dough in half. On a floured board, roll each half out until it’s about ⅙ inch thick, just like linguine or fettuccine. A pasta machine works great if you have one. Then, cut the dough into any shape you desire. (Photos 5-7)
- Fry – Heat a deep cast-iron skillet, saucepan, or (my all-time favorite) a Dutch oven over medium heat. Add around 3 inches of oil and heat it to 375℉ (190℃). Fry chin chin in the hot oil until golden. (Photo 8)
- Serve – Remove them from the oil, drain, and serve.
Recipe Variations
- Make it chocolatey. Add a spoonful of cocoa powder to the dough for a chocolate-flavored version. You can also dip the fried chin chin pieces in melted chocolate for an extra indulgent treat.
- A nutty version. Mix finely chopped nuts (like peanuts, almonds, or cashews) into the dough for a crunchy texture. You can also sprinkle nuts on top before frying.
- Get spicy. Add a pinch of cayenne or ground chili powder to the dough for a spicy kick. The savory element offers a delightful contrast to the sweetness. ❤️🔥
Tips and Tricks
- If you like your chin chin softer, add 1-2 extra tablespoons of butter. Just don’t go overboard with the extra butter, or your finished chin chin will crumble.
- A pasta machine helps roll out the dough for shaping. Check out how to use it in my Ghana chin chin recipe.
- Keep an eye on your oil temperature as you fry to make sure it doesn’t overheat. In addition, don’t overcrowd the frying pan, which could make the oil temperature drop quickly, resulting in greasy chin chin.
Make-Ahead and Storage Instructions
You can store chin chin in an airtight container at room temperature for up to a month, so feel free to make them in advance.
What Goes With Nigerian Chin Chin
You can serve chin chin on its own or with dips (chocolate sauce and caramel sauce are particularly tasty). Or serve it with other savory snacks, like plantain chips.
You could also include Nigerian chin chin as part of a larger snack platter with other treats like puff-puff, meat pies, or sambusas for variety. Wash it all down with some sorrel drink. 🤤
More Celebration-Worthy African Foods to Try
Besides popular recipes we enjoy for celebrating Christmas, try out these recipes.
By Imma
Watch How to Make It
[adthrive-in-post-video-player video-id=”leWUmIP9″ upload-date=”Mon Aug 06 2018 20:14:42 GMT+0000 (Coordinated Universal Time)” name=”Chin Chin” description=”Chin Chin – West African Fried pastry enjoyed throughout the region especially in Nigeria- Crispy Crunchy and Addictive.”]
This blog post was originally published in November 2012 and has been updated with additional tips, new photos, and a video
Nigerian Chin Chin
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Ingredients
- 3½ cups (420g) all-purpose flour
- ¾ cup (150g) sugar
- ½ teaspoon (2-3g) salt
- ¼ teaspoon (1-2g) baking powder
- 1 teaspoon (2-3g) grated nutmeg
- 1 teaspoon (1-2g) lime zest, grated
- ¼ cup (4 tablespoons or 60g) butter (or margarine)
- 1 large egg
- ¾ cup (175-180ml) milk
- oil for frying
Instructions
- Using a mixer (or by hand), mix the dry ingredients: flour, baking powder, salt, sugar, nutmeg, and lime zest.
- Mix the butter into the flour mixture until well incorporated.
- Add the milk and egg to the mixture. Keep mixing until you form a sticky dough ball.
- Dump the dough ball onto a floured surface and knead, incorporating more flour into the dough as needed, until the dough is smooth, elastic, and even in color and no longer sticky. You can create many shapes and sizes for chin chin.
- Divide the dough in half. On a floured board, roll each half out until it's about ⅙ inch thick, just like linguine or fettuccine. A pasta machine works great if you have one. Then, cut the dough into any shape you desire.
- Heat a deep cast-iron skillet, saucepan, or (my all-time favorite) a Dutch oven over medium heat. Add around 3 inches of oil and heat it to 375℉ (190℃). Fry chin chin in the hot oil until golden.
- Remove them from the oil, drain, and serve.
Tips & Notes:
- If you like your chin softer, add 1-2 tablespoons more butter. But please be careful not to use too much butter, or it will become too soft and crumble
- A pasta machine helps roll out and shape the dough
- Please remember that the nutritional information is a rough estimate and can vary significantly based on the products used in the recipe
Olu says
Hello can I use oil instead of butter, I forgot to purchase it
ImmaculateBites says
Hello,
Oil is not a good substitute . Butter adds flavor and richness to the chin chin.
Aisha says
Hi, thank you for this receipe, My chin chin comes out with a little swell on the body and it peels of making the chin chin look ugly…pls any help
ImmaculateBites says
Hi Aisha,
Sorry to hear about that. Which recipe did you use? It might be the temperature of the oil.But can’t say for sure without actually being there. This recipe works out just fine .
Oluwatoyin says
Hi ma’am.
Thank you for the recipes. Please, what do i do to make my chin chin soft for clients who wants soft ones?
Thank you.
ImmaculateBites says
Add a little more butter – depending on how soft you want it to be .
Vvi says
Thank you for this recipe. What quantity of butter can I use for 6kg if flour.
ImmaculateBites says
Hi Vvi. Multiply the recipe by 12. That should give you the quantity of ingredients you would need for about 6 kgs of flour.
Jack Jordan says
Hi Imma. Will it get soggy over Time?
ImmaculateBites says
Hey Jack,
No it wouldn’t unless its not been fried properly.
kemi says
pls imma, for 10 cup of flour, how many spoons of butter will i use
ImmaculateBites says
Hi kemi,
Use 12 Tablespoons of butter.
Olu says
Hi…thanks for your recipe…I have had issues with excess foaming when I’m frying chin chin…ant suggestions on how to reduce or completely eliminate this?
Dapo says
Hi imma
Please whats the type of mixing machine best used for chin chin flour mixing (A) Cake mixer (B) Dough mixer
ImmaculateBites says
Hi Dapo, Dough mixer is best.
Bev says
Cani leave the chin chin dough overnight
ImmaculateBites says
yes you can.
Peggy says
Thanks for the recipe, I will be grateful if I have the measurement in KG.
ImmaculateBites says
Hi Peggy, Click on metric below the recipe and it will provide metric measurements
Vincell says
Hi IB. I just wanted to ask if chin chin could be made with sachet milk?. thanks
ImmaculateBites says
Yes it can. Most milk would do just fine.
Liz says
Hi Imma! , your recipes are amazing, been using them for quite a while now and I just wanted to say thank you and you’re appreciated
ImmaculateBites says
Aww, that’s so sweet of you Liz. Thanks for taking time out to let me know.
SMO says
Hello Imma,
Im a new follower of your blog. Ive been bookmarking recipes of yours and have been trying to pluck up the courage to actually attempt one of your recipes. As ive got a major sweet tooth i thought the first recipe id try of yours is the chin-chin. Omg. It turned out absolutely immaculate. Hehe. Honestly i cant keep my hands off and keep finding myself walking to the kitchen to snack on them.
Theyre perfect for me crunchy but with a slight little give. But my husband prefers tooth breaking worthy style chinchin. Do i omit the butter completely to achieve this or is it just the case of adding 1tbl spoon only?
I found that as the recipe is (4 tbl spoons butter) you can achieve a greater crunch by a) leaving the cut up chin chin out dusted with a bit of flour before you fry them b) cutting the chin chin in smaller pieces c) fry them at a lower temp 170°c and then pop them in oven at 250°c for 3-5 minutes (watching constantly) gave them a bit more of a crunch too.
Love to hear some advice from you and cannot wait to start my adventure on cooking your delicious looking recipes over the year.
ImmaculateBites says
Welcome on board ! I would say cut down the butter to 1- 2 tablespoons chin chin. Start with one tablespoon and go from there, until you reach desired hardness. Also add more flour as you roll it out also hardens it up. Do let me know how it works out for you. So happy to have another sweet tooth gal- chin chin is addictive!!!
Solange says
Please can you help me with the recipe of Scott egg
ImmaculateBites says
Here is the recipe https://www.africanbites.com/scotch-eggsbaked-or-fried/. Enjoy!!!
Aminat says
Hi Ima being following for recipes for years,you are doing an amazing job. Please can i add other flavors e.g a mixture of vanilla and butterscotch powder to the listed ingredients? Or what other flavors do you recommend? Thank you
ImmaculateBites says
Hello Aminat,
All of the above sounds great. I have also tried almond extract , cinnamon, cardamon spice, pineapple extract – the possibility are endless. It all depends on your taste buds. Play with its Girl!
Thanks for following me along this delicious journey. God bless!!
Merilyne says
Thanks alot for the recipe. I had been wondering why my chinchin is never crispy. Probably because i use too much butter. Thanks you very much
ImmaculateBites says
Go easy on the butter. Do let me know how it works out for you. Thanks
Rachel says
HI Imma! what causes the dough to break after mixing all ingredients? what’s the best remedy for it?
imma africanbites says
Hi, Rachel. It’s hard to pinpoint the exact cause as it works fine on my end following this recipe to a “T”. But it may have to do with adding too much butter as it usually causes the chin chin to crumble.
Buchi says
Hi Immaculate! I must confess that your recipe is wonderful. But what should I do to stop the level of oil going down fast.
I discoverd that oil use to go down quickly after few number of frying though I fry with high heat from start to finish. It is eating my profit.
Thanks.
Buchi.
ImmaculateBites says
If the chin chin is too rich it happens. Cut down on the butter – you might have to adjust other ingredients. Best of Luck!!!