Berbere Chicken with Ethiopian Lentils
Overview
I was in Mount Rainier national park recently and was in the town at a local market. While browsing the isles I came by an area where there were spices they made in house. There had to have been over 20 of them that they had premixed there. I came across one called Berbere Spice which I’d never heard of. It smelled delicious. Cut to a couple of sneezes. I picked up on the paprika, red pepper flakes, and cumin among other spices incorporated. After doing some research I found that Berbere Spice is an Ethiopian spice that is used quite often in their cuisine. I found this recipe from a local Pacific Northwest chef, Sylvia Fountaine on her website www.feastingathome.com. It’s one of those Sunday evening recipes that I start to prep in the late morning and cook in the early evening.
Serves 4
Ingredients
Chicken
4 chicken thighs with skin on
2 tablespoons of Berbere Spice
Olive oil for pan
Salt for chicken
Lentils
1 cup of lentils (French Green, or Black)
3 cups of water
2 cups of onions, diced
5 cloves of garlic, minced
1 tablespoon fresh ginger, peeled and minced
1 cup of carrot
1 cup diced tomato, I used canned but you can totally do fresh
2 tablespoons of Berbere Spice
1 teaspoon of salt
2 tablespoons of extra virgin olive oil
Fresh parsley for garnish
1 Lime for garnish
Instructions
1
Heat your oven to 400°. Pat down your chicken thighs dry with a paper towel. Coat each chicken thigh with berbere spice and sprinkle each side with sea salt. Set aside in the refrigerator.
2
Make lentils in a heavy bottom pot or dutch oven. Sauté diced onion, carrots, garlic, and ginger in 2 tablespoons of olive oil for about 5 minutes so the onions get some time to sweat out, stir a couple of times. Add 2 tablespoons of the berbere spice, 1 cup lentils, 1 cup diced tomatoes, 1 teaspoon salt, and 3 cups of water. Bring to a boil. Cover, turn heat to low, and cook for 30 minutes.
“ALEXA set timer for 30 minutes.”
3
While the lentils cook heat 1 tablespoon of olive oil on medium-high in a heavy-bottomed skillet (cast iron would be best). Once heated place chicken thighs in skillet skin side down and sear for 8 minutes till it's crispy and golden. Turn over and sear for another 3 minutes. Place skillet in the 400° oven for 10-15 minutes until the internal temperature reads 165°.
4
By this time your lentils should be finished and you should be ready to plate.
5
Add lentils to the plate and place a chicken thigh on top. Garnish with parsley and lime juice (I garnished with 3 wedges).
